Peace as a Global Language International Conference 2023

FEATURED SPEAKERS AND GUESTS

Washington Okeyo is Vice Chancellor/CEO of the Management University of Africa (MUA) Kenya. He has also taught at the University of Nairobi. Prof. Okeyo has published extensively in Management and Leadership and has worked with organizations like Caltex Oil, Kenya Breweries, and UNESCO. He has led several global projects for UNDP, UNICEF, Oxfam, CHF International, and USAID. A member of Muthaiga Golf Club, Parklands Sports Club, and Nyanza Club, he has attended numerous international conferences and leadership forums. He is also a Full Member of the Kenya Institute of Management (KIM).

Washington Okeyo: Management University of Africa

UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF ETHICAL LEADERSHIP IN EMPOWERING MULTICULTURAL AND MINORITY COMMUNITIES 

Professor Washington Okeyo’s paper explores the role of ethical leadership in empowering multicultural and minority communities in Africa South of Sahara. His talk will emphasize the importance of cultural dialogue and exchange, as outlined in UNESCO’s Universal declaration and the Rabat Plan of Action. The study aims to determine how ethical leadership can increase opportunities for these communities. It will use phenomenological philosophy and an exploratory research design, guided by questions about the practice of ethical leadership in Africa, its impact on access to education and health services, and its sensitivity to the needs of multicultural and minority communities. The study will also examine the effects of unethical leadership and best practices for empowerment. The research will involve content analysis of relevant literature and qualitative analysis approaches to understand social interaction patterns and local contexts. The findings will be beneficial to communities, leaders, academics, industry practitioners, and international agencies.

Saul Takahashi is Professor of Human Rights and Peace Studies at Osaka Jogakuin University in Osaka, Japan. He was Deputy Head of Office of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Occupied Palestine from March 2009 through May 2014, during which time he lived in Jerusalem and traveled throughout both the West Bank and Gaza, monitoring and documenting human rights violations. Saul’s fields of expertise include international human rights law, international humanitarian law, and international refugee law. He is the author of several books, including The Palestinian People Continue to Suffer: Why the UN Can’t Solve the Problem (Japanese, Gendai Jinbun-sha); and Civil and Political Rights in Japan: a Tribute to Sir Nigel Rodley (Routledge, ed.) 

Saul Takahashi: Osaka Jogakuin University

Palestine, Human Rights, and the Apartheid Discourse

The criticism of Israel's treatment of Palestinians has, in recent years, reached a new height, as the two most prominent international human rights organizations, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have stated that Israeli practices amount to apartheid. Though usually associated with South Africa up to the early 1990s, apartheid is an international crime independent of its existence (or dismantling) in that country, a crime that has been condemned by the international community on numerous occasions. Apartheid is also a crime against humanity in international law, and is included in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, meaning that individuals can be found to have criminal responsibility. Though the legal analysis of the two human rights is, in the view of the author, generally sound, there are also pitfalls in the apartheid discourse, in that it could - potentially - distract from the settler colonial nature of the Israeli state. 


Tamiko Kimoto: NPO Monkey Magic

Monkey Magic is a non-profit organization based on the concept that “Even invisible walls can be overcome”.  The aim of this foundation is to greatly expand the opportunities of people, including the visually impaired, through free climbing. From Learned therapeutic recreation in the US to sports climbing instructors for people with disabilities, the NPO Monkey Magic shares the possibility of a universal world where diversity is accepted and creates a mature and affluent society through para-climbing.  

(photo courtesy of documentary film makers "LIFE IS CLIMBING").


Tami Works for the NPO Monkey Magic as  an Instructor, and her specialty is in the field of Therapeutic Recreation and Outdoor Experiential Education.


Other featured speakers

Paul Duffill
RIkkyo University, Japan


Kazuya Asakawa
Global Campaign for Peace Education Japan

Emmanuel Awuor
The Management University of Africa,  Nairobi