Lead Contributors

Nelson Mandela : Veteran freedom fighter who spent over 27 years in prison during the struggle against apartheid. He led South Africa in its historic transition to multi-racial democracy in 1994 and became the first President of post-apartheid South Africa. Recipient of the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize, Mandela’s contribution in upholding human freedom and dignity is universally acknowledged.

Sonia Gandhi : President of the Indian National Congress and the Chairperson of the ruling United Progressive Alliance. She was the Chairperson of the global conference convened by the Indian National Congress to commemorate the centenary of Satyagraha.

Manmohan Singh : Prime Minister of India and a distinguished economist. Dr. Singh is widely acknowledged as the principal architect of India’s economic reforms, a process initiated in 1991 when he was the Union Finance Minister.

Muhammad Yunus : Nobel Laureate, Bangladeshi banker and renowned economist. Professor Yunus, the founder of Grameen Bank is known for his successful application of the concept of micro credit.

Desmond Tutu : Veteran anti-apartheid activist and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Today, he is revered as a “moral voice” to end poverty and human rights abuse. Archbishop Tutu places great value on religious inclusiveness and interfaith dialogue.

Ela Gandhi : Prominent peace activist, she is Chairperson of the Gandhi Development Trust, Durban, South Africa. Granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi, she was a member of parliament in South Africa.

Kenneth Kaunda : Led Zambia to independence in 1964 and served as the nation's president until 1991. He founded the Kenneth Kaunda Peace Foundation, dedicated to the establishment of peace and conflict resolution in the continent. Dr. Kaunda is now devoted to fighting HIV/AIDS and poverty in Africa.

Lech Walesa : Formerly President of Poland, Nobel Peace Prize recipient and a human rights activist. He co-founded Solidarity (Solidarnosc), the Soviet bloc's first independent trade union.

Pranab Mukherjee : Minister of External Affairs, Government of India. A senior leader of the Indian National Congress, he has also held several important portfolios in the Union cabinet.

Nasser al-Kidwa : Former Foreign Minister, Palestinian National Authority. He was Ambassador and Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations.

Abdelaziz Bouteflika : President of Algeria and veteran of Algeria's war for independence. He is widely credited with having restored peace to the country and transforming its image internationally.

Gene Sharp : World renowned political scientist and author. Dr. Sharp founded the Albert Einstein Institution in Boston to promote research, policy studies, and education on the strategic use of non-violent struggle in the face of dictatorship, war, genocide, and oppression.

Francesco Rutelli : Deputy Prime Minister of Italy and Minister of Welfare and Cultural Activities. He has been the Mayor of Rome, and is president of the centre wing liberal party Le Margherita.

Ahmed Kathrada : Brave freedom fighter and a former prisoner of conscience. He was incarcerated along with Nelson Mandela in the struggle against apartheid. Kathrada is a practising Gandhian committed to the Mahatma’s humane philosophy.

Radha Kumar : Director of the Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi and trustee of the Delhi Policy Group where she runs a programme on Durable Peace Processes and Partners.

George Andreas Papandreou : Greek statesman and President of the Socialist International. He has served as the Foreign Minister of Greece and has been leader of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement party.

Maumoon Abdul Gayoom : President of the Republic of Maldives. His governance has ushered in a hitherto unknown period of social and economic success for the nation. President Gayoom is credited with introducing multi-party political system in the country.

Janez Drnovšek : President of Slovenia and the former President of Yugoslavia. He is a popular Slovene leader and statesman and is known for his crucial contribution towards democratic, economic and political developments in the country.

Jusuf Kalla : Vice President of Indonesia and Chairman of the Golkar Party. He has been instrumental in resolving several inter-religious conflicts in the country.

Abune Paulos : Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. He has been instrumental in encouraging interfaith dialogue in his country. He is also President (Oriental Orthodox) of the World Council of Churches.

Bhikhu Parekh : Member, House of Lords, United Kingdom and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and of the Academy of the Learned Societies for Social Sciences. He is also a Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of Westminster.

C.K. Prahalad : Globally recognised business guru and thinker. He is Professor of Corporate Strategy at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan.

Navinchandra Ramgoolam : Prime Minister of the Republic of Mauritius. He is the son of Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, the Father of the Nation. Before starting his political career he trained as a doctor in Dublin, Ireland and later studied law at the London School of Economics.

Edward Samuel Miliband : Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Previously, he was the chairman of the Treasury's Council of Economic Advisers, which directs UK's long-term economic planning.

Gianni Vernetti : Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Italy. In charge of international relations for Le Margherita, he has been working on building a network of democratic political parties around the world.

Hawa Ahmed Youssouf : Minister for Advancement of Women, Family Welfare and Social Affairs, Republic of Djibouti. Under her guidance, health and education services for women and children have received a special thrust in the country.

Asma Jahangir : Leading human rights activist and an advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. She has twice been elected as Chairperson of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and is also co-chair of the South Asians for Human Rights.

Marianne Mikko : Member of the European Parliament for the Social Democratic Party. She is also the head of the European Parliament's Commission on Cooperation with the Republic of Moldova.

Essop Goolam Pahad : Minister in the Presidency of the Republic of South Africa. His political career began in 1958 when he became a member of the Transvaal Indian Youth Congress. He was part of the South African liberation struggle and served on the leadership structures of African National Congress and South African Communist Party.

Mushirul Hasan : Vice-Chancellor, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. He is one of India’s most erudite historians. He is also Director, Academy of Third World Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia University.

Asfandyar Wali Khan : Leader of the Awami National Party in Pakistan. Grandson of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, he has served as Member of Provincial Assembly and Member of National Assembly.

Rajiv Vora : Well known Gandhian and eminent interpreter of Gandhi's works. Professor Vora has a long standing association with the Gandhi Peace Foundation and he is also the founder of Swarajpeeth, a Gandhian centre for non-violence and peace.

Mewa Ramgobin : Renowned social activist, he is Chairperson of Phoenix Settlement Trust, South Africa. He has been President of the Natal Indian Congress which was founded by Mahatma Gandhi.

Mahdi Agha Alikhani : Secretary General of the Youth Party of Iran. He has also been a member of the Central Council of Islamic Republic of Iran’s House of Parties and the director of its International Committee.

João Cravinho : Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Government of Portugal. Formerly, he was Minister of Equipment, Planning and Administration.

Johan Galtung : Norwegian professor, founder and co-director of TRANSCEND. He founded the International Peace Research Institute in Oslo and is recognised as the pioneer of peace and conflict research and peace journalism.

Mani Shankar Aiyar : Union cabinet minister for Panchayati Raj and Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India. A former diplomat, he is a senior member of the Indian National Congress and is also a well-known author and political columnist.

Chaiwat Satha-Anand : Professor of political science at Thammasat University, Bangkok, and Director of the Thai Peace Information Centre at the Foundation for Democracy and Develop-ment Studies. He is known for his contribution to theory and activism of non-violence.

Tzannis Tzannetakis : Former Prime Minister of Greece. He continues to be a member of the parliament and is also active in New Democracy (Greece) organisation.

Paul van Tongeren : Founder and executive director of the European Centre for Conflict Prevention, Netherlands. He has been involved in the activities of numerous Dutch NGOs in the field of development cooperation, peace and environment protection. He is also the executive director of Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict.

Jos Chabert : Vice-President and Minister of Finance and Foreign Relations for Brussels-Capital Region. He is also President of the European Popular Party in the European Regions Committee.