(in order according to appearance in programme)
Ms Katerina Ragoussi, Religions for Peace, Associate Director, Youth & Network Coordination.
A native of Greece , joined Religions for Peace in June 2009. She is in charge of the Religions for Peace Global Youth Network and coordinates the regional youth activities around the world. Prior her assignment with RfP, Katerina worked for a number of years at the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) in Singapore managing all youth and educational activities at a regional and bi-regional level. Her previous professional experiences include close cooperation with the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew for the organization of the “Religion, Science, and the Environment” Symposia, as well as the coordination of a number of youth-related NGO projects at the European level. Katerina holds a MA degree in translation and interpreting from March Bloch Univ. in Strasbourg, France and BA in French language and literature from Univ. of Athens, Greece.
Rev Dr. Hans Ucko, President of Religions for Peace Europe, is an ordained minister of the Church of Sweden and has throughout his ministry been involved in Jewish-Christian and interreligious dialogue with research at the “Institute Eglise et Monde Juif” in Paris, the Swedish Theological Institute and at the David Hartman Institute, both in Jerusalem. He received his doctorate in theology at the Senate of Serampore College, Calcutta, India. He was 1981-1989 the Executive Secretary of the Church of Sweden for Jewish-Christian Relations, interreligious dialogue and East Asian Relations. He was from 1989-2008 Program Executive for the Office of Interreligious Relations and Dialogue of the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Switzerland. He is now the President of Religions for Peace Europe, and interfaith advisor to a Japanese Buddhist organization, the Arigatou Foundation and the co-chair of its campaign with UNICEF, the Day of Prayer and Action for Children.
Rev Vebjorn Horsfjord, Secretary General, European Council of Religious Leaders-Religions for Peace, is an ordained minister in the Lutheran church and studied theology in Oslo (Norway), Glasgow (Scotland) and Chennai (India). Before joining ECRL in 2006 he was deputy general secretary of the Church of Norway Council for Ecumenical and International Relations and served on various interreligious councils and committees in Norway. He has also worked as a parish minister.
Ms Allison Pytlak, Disarmament Programme Coordinator, Religions for Peace. In this role, she has not only mobilized religious leaders and networks to advocate for the ban on cluster munitions through advocacy initiatives and creation of educational resources, but has also developed programming on a range of dissarmament issues including small arms, landmines and nuclear weapons. She actively represents RfP on the NGO Committee for Disarmament, Peace & Security.
Mr Benoit Muracciole, Member of the Arms Trade Treaty Steering Board Caritas France Secours Catholique, former Arms Control Director for Amnesty International France. He was a member of the board of “Forum for Peace in Middle East”. Worked as an educator in violence environment, also as an actor in cinema, television, theatre, radio.
RfP - European Interfaith Youth Network 