نتسأل لماذا السرية وكيف تم الاختيار لمؤتمر السلام والتنمية المنعقد فى مدينة وينبييك الكندية

Quote: Panelists AMEERA ABBO Originally born in Western Darfur, Ms. Abbo resided in Central Sudan until arriving in Canada, where she helped to form the Darfur Association of Canada. Through this organization, together with her strong efforts in human rights advocacy while serving as Vice‐President of the Darfur Diaspora Association, she helped to bring the crisis of Darfur to the doorsteps of Canada’s media. Moving to Alberta, she formed the Sudanese Women for Change Organization in Calgary, concerned with assisting women and children who were victims of violence and war in Sudan. Ms. Abbo is currently the Cultural Advisor for the Lengana Foundation as well as the Vice‐President of the Cush International Foundation of Canada. ISMAIL ADAM As an avid human rights activist and former trade unionist, Ismail is actively involved in Sudanese politics, especially issues pertaining to the Darfur region. A former President of the Darfur Association of Canada, Ismail was born and raised in Elfashir, capital of Northern Darfur. Later, he graduated with a B.Sc from the University of Khartoum and came to Canada in 1993. He is passionate about finding a non‐violent solution for his people in Darfur, and has spoken at more than fifty events as well as conducted numerous radio and TV interviews. Ismail is currently working as a Systems Analyst for a financial institution in the Greater Toronto Area. GORDON AJAK In the last ten years, Gordon has attended various workshops, training seminars and conferences related to refugee settlement, community leadership, and the political situation in Sudan, and are currently working as a Resettlement Counselor at Settlement and Integration Services Organization (SISO) in Hamilton, Ontario. In addition to an L.L.B in Law from Alexandria University in Egypt, Gordon has a Leadership Certificate from the Bay Area Leadership Training facility in Hamilton as well as a Refugee Settlement and Forced Migration Certificate from York University in Toronto. Gordon is a Board member of the Canadian African Heritage Coalition (CAHC), Chair of the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement (SPLM) in Hamilton and a contact person for the SPLM Caucus in Ontario. Furthermore, Gordon is a previous chair of the African Sudanese Association of Hamilton and an executive member of the New Democratic Alliance (NDA), Niagara Region. ELFADIL ELSHARIEF Mr. Elsharief was the founder and President of the Canadian Chapter of the Sudanese Human Rights Organization from 1995‐2003, and is a seasoned leader in community development, human rights advocacy, and issues of diversity, access and equity, and capacity building. Researching in areas pertaining to economics and human rights issues, he also possesses a deep commitment to the anti‐oppression principles framework and practices. Elfadil holds an MA in econometrics from Northwestern University, Illinois, and an MA from University of Buffalo, N.Y, USA. WELDON EPP Weldon is the Director of the Policy Research Division for DFAIT. CHRISTINA GREEN Christina is the Director of the Sudan Program for the Canadian International Development Agency. CHRIS HULL Joining DFAIT in 1997, Chris Hull has served in Algiers, Damascus and Cairo as the head of the Political Program. In Ottawa, he has served in the South East Asia Division, on the Iran‐Iraq file and, since 2009 as Deputy Director in the Sudan Task Force. MAHGOUB KHAIR Mr.Khair is working with the Mosaic Institute as a consultant on Sudan. Mahgoub holds graduate degrees in development planning, and worked for the Council of Ministers and Ministry of Local Governments in Sudan, as well as the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Eastern Province, in Saudi Arabia. Mahgoub served as Principal Researcher for the Mosaic Institute’s 2009 research report for DFAIT, entitled “Profile of a Community: a ‘Smart Map’ of the Sudanese Diaspora in Canada”, that laid the foundation for this conference. Mahgoub is a Board member of the Sudanese Community Association of Ontario (SCAON), Toronto chapter, and has participated in several conferences, workshops and meetings on development and environmental issues pertaining to Sudan. MADIT KUET Mr. Kuet graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Khartoum in 1985 and worked as a lawyer with Professor Peter Ngot Kok's office. Madit returned to the University of Manitoba’s Law School and trained with the Manitoba Law Society, and is now currently practicing with the Merchant Law Group inWinnipeg, Manitoba. GBONGOA LORO Ms. Loro received a B.Sc in Biology and Psychology from the University of Zambia in 1981, becoming a research officer in Juba, Sudan and training in diagnosis and vaccine production at Kabete Veterinary Research Laboratories in Kenya. Gbonga then continued on to an M.Sc in Virology from the University of Reading UK, in 1985. Prior to entering university, Gbonga helped to advocate the Addis Ababa Accord through the Anya Nya Movement and continued to work as an Administrative Secretary to the late Peter Gatkuoth and late Clement Mboro, Commissioner for Repatriation and Rehabilitation. Gbonga formed various women’s organizations in Nairobi, toured the liberated areas to indentify pilot projects for women sponsored by LWF and UNICEF, and organized a historic rally in Nairobi’s Uhuru Park televised by KTN and CNN. She helped form the Sudanese Canadian Community Association of Edmonton and was elected its President and CEO from 2007 to 2010. Since 2010 she has been the Co‐Founder and President of “The Foundation for Strategic Development of African Refugees and Immigrants”. JOSEPH LURI Mr. Luri received his Bachelor of Commerce degree from the National University of Lesotho, South Africa before completing his M.Sc in Economics in 1997. Currently Joseph works as a Settlement Practitioner for the Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers, helping to empower new immigrants in their transition to Canada, and also consults in micro‐economic development. Currently he is the Chairman of the SPLM Chapter of Edmonton. Joseph has received several awards for his community leaders AMIN MALIK Dr. Amin Malik is an expert in international development and program evaluation who holds graduate degrees in program evaluation and agricultural economics. Dr Malik has worked for various UN development projects, the European Commission and USAID in Sudan, Sierra Leone, Zambia, Malawi and Saudi Arabia. He is currently working as a Quality Assurance Specialist in the child welfare sector in Toronto. RUTH PARENT Ruth Parent is the University of Calgary Program Manager for the SSHARE (Southern Sudan Healthcare Accessibility, Rehabilitation and Education) Program, and was previously the Program Coordinator of the Sudanese Physician Reintegration Program at the University of Calgary. She has traveled throughout South Sudan, and has served as a liaison between the university and Sudanese diaspora members in the Calgary area. DOUGLAS SCOTT PROUDFOOT Mr. Proudfoot has been Director of the Sudan Task Force since the summer of 2007, following a year as the Director of the Afghan Task Force. Diplomatic postings include postings in Vienna, Delhi and Nairobi. In Ottawa, Mr. Proudfoot has worked on nuclear disarmament, India‐Pakistan, Western Europe, and South Africa. ABDEL SALAM SIDAHMED Dr. Abdel Salam Sidahmed is an Associate Professor in the Political Science Department at the University of Windsor, Canada, teaching international human rights, Islamic and Middle Eastern politics, and politics of the developing world. His research interests include contemporary Islamism, Sudanese affairs, and contemporary application of Shari‘a laws in Muslim countries. His publications include Sudan [The contemporary Middle East Series] (Rutledge/Curzon, 2005), and Politics and Islam in Contemporary Sudan, (Curzon Press, 1997). He also Co‐edited and contributed to Islamic Fundamentalism, (Westview Press, 1996) and has published various articles in academic journals and book chapters in edited works within his field of interest. Before joining the University of Windsor, he worked as a researcher and Middle East Program Director at the International Secretariat of Amnesty International. NOURELDEIN SULEIMAN Born in South Darfur and raised in Khartoum, Noureldein Suleiman is a human rights activist seeking peace and justice for Sudan. After completing his undergraduate studies in Engineering at Ankara University, Turkey, he went on to complete his Masters in Sedimentology with a concentration in fresh water lakes. Mr.Suleiman has been employed for the last fifteen years by various public and private institutions throughout Turkey, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Canada.