Journalists and Writers Foundation

JWF UNGA81 Interviews | High-Level Reception 2026 Rev. Dr. Robert D. Cornwall Board Chair, Christian Unity and Interfaith Ministry, Christian Church | USA 🇺🇸 🔹 “The more opportunity we have to learn from each other, to speak to each other, to build relationships with each other that cross cultural, national, and religious boundaries.” 🔹 “Building bridges across religious boundaries is not always easy, but if we can extend that globally, I think it can be transformative.” 🎥 Watch the full interview on YouTube: youtu.be/Kpe4XI7ieT8?si=t4we… #JWFGlobal #UNGA81 #InterfaithDialogue #BridgeBuilding #GlobalCooperation

JWF is pleased to invite you to join @braverangels on October 29, as prominent development experts will convene to explore the future of American international aid and the difficult questions it raises about humanitarian responsibility, national interests, public resources, and America's role in the world. Reasonable people can reach very different conclusions. But how often do we actually hear the strongest arguments from perspectives different from our own? 🎤 Featuring voices from across the policy spectrum, including Alice Albright, former CEO of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and Max Primorac of the Heritage Foundation, this conversation offers something increasingly rare: an opportunity to engage serious disagreement without reducing one another to caricatures. 📅 Thursday, October 29 | 7 PM ET / 4 PM PT 💻 Virtual | FREE registration 👉 Register today and be part of a different kind of national conversation: eventbrite.com/e/coliseum-de…

JWF UNGA81 Interviews | High-Level Reception 2026 Dr. Scott C. Alexander Director, Doctor of Ministry Program, Catholic Theological Union | USA 🇺🇸 🔹 “All these challenges call into question the value of humanity.” 🔹 “I think the role of civil society in convincing member states to pursue policies that are life-affirming for all people is critical.” 🔹 “I don't believe that governments do the leading. I think people do the effective leading and governments follow.” 🎥 Watch the full interview: youtu.be/ufBHY1bwyjU?si=MP30… #JWFGlobal #UNGA81 #HumanDignity #InterfaithDialogue #CivilSociety

JWF UNGA81 Interviews | High-Level Reception 2026 Mariana Ojeda Volunteer, DiversidadEs NGO | Colombia 🇨🇴 🔹 “Multilateral diplomacy is very important for people to have different perspectives rather than their own.” 🔹 “Having different countries in these types of events is very good, so we all get to know what everyone is thinking and what is happening in every part of the world.” 🔹 “I'm very grateful that this is happening, especially for the youth, so we can all share our views in the world.” 🎥 Watch the full interview on YouTube: youtu.be/E2HAXq5EbS0?si=r764… #JWFGlobal #UNGA81 #YouthVoices #Multilateralism #GlobalDialogue

JWF extends its congratulations to Former @UNHumanRights Chief Navi Pillay as her lifetime dedication to upholding the rule of law was recently recognized with the prestigious @NobelPrize. Having served on various international judicial bodies, Ms. Pillay continues to set an exemplary standard of leadership, empowering societies seeking justice.   As the JWF, we were honored to receive her video statement at our summit calling for urgent action to delevop “new frameworks that specify the actions that will be needed to ensure women’s rights with explicit reference to the reality of women’s lives and our long and suffocating legacy of discrimination.” jwf.org/un-official-praises-…

Hosted in partnership with @hearherstories , Voices of Impact: Women Leading Sustainable Change continues to feature prominent women leaders who are trailblazers in their respective fields, working towards establishing peaceful societies and mitigating the humanitarian crisis of our day. In Episode 3, we are thrilled to host @MedonationsLb`s @MarinaKhawand, a humanitarian champion with a track record of building sustainable systems and revitalizing the fundamental human right to access quality health services. Here is the full interview link: youtu.be/Bgbx2J8qMF4?si=FK8j…

🎙️ JWF UNGA81 Interviews | High-Level Reception 2026 Robert Dobrovodský Public Defender of Rights (Ombudsman) | Slovak Republic 🇸🇰 🔹 “Human rights connect people because every human being enjoys human rights.” 🔹 “We need to restart humanity and respect fundamental rights and human rights. It's a very good starting point for a new peaceful world.” 🔹 “Leaders should not forget that one day they can be victims of human rights violations.” 🎥 Watch the full interview: youtu.be/i6fPa5BhtnU?si=7XoL… #JWFGlobal #UNGA81 #HumanRights #HumanDignity

JWF UNGA81 Interviews | High-Level Reception 2026 Imam Arif Huskic Founder & President, Common Word Alliance | USA 🇺🇸 🔹 “If we left our countries, we didn't leave our faith, we didn't leave our culture. We're sharing this with the world and teaching our children to be who we are.” 🔹 “It's important to establish schools to teach children, not only children of a specific nationality, but entire neighborhoods.” 🎥 Watch the interview: youtu.be/ZSW0qgX5aaM?si=eDxE… #JWFGlobal #UNGA81 #CulturalIdentity #InclusiveEducation #GlobalSolidarity

JWF UNGA81 Interviews | High-Level Reception 2026 Shanelle Franklin International Speaker, Broadcaster & Author | Australia 🇦🇺 🔹 “Disagreement doesn't have to mean disconnection.” 🔹 “Common ground doesn't require us to be the same.” 🔹 “Sometimes it's the moment that we recognize ourselves in someone that looks nothing like us, and that's that beautiful moment.” 🎥 Watch the interview: youtu.be/aMd-mq29LYI?si=OmJ4… #JWFGlobal #UNGA81 #HumanConnection #InterculturalDialogue #Peacebuilding

JWF UNGA81 Interviews | High-Level Reception 2026 Karen Percy Journalist | Australian Intercultural Society | Australia 🇦🇺 🔹 “Global participation, global cooperation is absolutely critical. We won't have peace without the world coming together.” 🔹 “Restoring trust, restoring faith with one another is a really critical part of that as well.” 🔹 “Having conversations, being kind to one another, having compassion is really important.” 🎥 Watch the interview: youtu.be/OrDEFUJGofY?si=JdE6… #JWFGlobal #UNGA81 #GlobalCooperation #Peacebuilding #InterculturalDialogue

JWF UNGA81 Interviews | High-Level Reception 2026 David Hiliger, Executive Director, Gracism Global | USA 🔹 “If we're all waiting for somebody else to go first, we're all just going to be standing around for a little bit too long.” 🔹 “What can I do today to take a risk of trust, a risk of relationship in order to build a bridge to somebody on that other side?” 🔹 “Instead of just approaching things through a strategic lens, which is important, we also have to approach it through a human lens as well.” 🎥 Watch the interview: youtu.be/kL6GWNUq670?si=s7te… #JWFGlobal #UNGA81 #Peacebuilding #RestoringTrust #GlobalDialogue

JWF UNGA81 Interviews | High-Level Reception 2026 Jesselina Rana, UN Advisor, CIVICUS | USA 🔹 “You need to hold the UN accountable. You need to hold the member states accountable for the multilateral system to truly work.” 🔹 “We also need to educate the public about what the value of multilateral systems actually is.” 🔹 “Building this relationship has been very important because of the important work that the JWF does also in convening partners like ourselves.” 🎥 Watch the interview on our YouTube channel! 🔗 youtu.be/9ouU1tex5Vw?is=7Qc8… #JWFGlobal #UNGA81 #CivilSociety #Multilateralism #GlobalPartnerships

🎙️ JWF UNGA81 Interviews | High-Level Reception 2026 Hon. Abrar J. Hataman Member of the Bangsamoro Parliament, Philippines 🇵🇭 🔹 “It’s not just for us to be participating but it’s also important for us to be heard as well.” 🔹 “We do not just want to be beneficiaries of peace.” 🔹 “We are not leaders of the future but we are today’s leader as well.” 🎥 Watch the full interview on our YouTube channel! 🔗 youtu.be/ZQX78xvJa8E?is=zsiG… #JWFGlobal #UNGA81 #YouthEmpowerment #Peacebuilding #GlobalVoices

🌐SDGs Roundtable Discussion 2026: Round 1 - From Common Ground to the Common Good: Faith Communities Working Together 🎤Moderated by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Genti Kruja, President of Religions for Peace Europe based in Albania, the first round examined what faith communities can accomplish together. Kruja observed that differences in religion, culture, and experience need not prevent people from finding common ground. “Yet our differences don’t prevent us from identifying areas of common ground and more importantly from transforming that common ground into the common good,” he said. 🎤Dr. Luigi De Salvia, President of Religions for Peace Italy, reflected on the influence faith communities can have when they remain open to others. Drawing on his experience in interreligious mediation, he described an inclusive religious identity as a starting point for joint work toward the common good. He cautioned against treating religious identity as something closed to others or as a weapon against them. Instead, he connected cooperation with the Golden Rule, emphasizing that concern for others’ well-being cannot be separated from concern for one’s own. 🎤Rabbi Hilly Haber, Director of Social Justice Organizing and Education at Central Synagogue, connected a Jewish teaching about exile to the experience of people seeking refuge today. Drawing on a midrash about God accompanying the Israelites through the wilderness, she described divine love as a model for accompanying people who are displaced. “It’s God’s love that moves God to walk with us in these moments,” she said. She also emphasized the diverse community that left Egypt together and faced the shared task of caring for one another while imagining a different future. 🎤Dr. David K. Trimble, President of the Religious Freedom Institute, discussed the place of religion in efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Although religion and religious freedom are not explicitly named in the SDG framework, he argued that protecting religious freedom matters to development because faith remains important in the lives of many communities. “Religious freedom is important because religion is important,” he said, explaining the principle that guides his organization’s work. 🎤 Maria Crespo, Director of Growth, Learning and Impact at the URI (United Religions Initiative) from Argentina asked participants to recognize young people as leaders in interfaith work today. Echoing a point made by earlier speakers, she said, “Youth is not the future. Youth is the present.” She argued that sustainability requires listening to young people, welcoming their creativity, and adapting to contributions that may differ from established ways of working.

🌐SDGs Roundtable Discussion 2026: Opening Session - The Journalists and Writers Foundation held its SDGs Roundtable Discussion 2026 in New York on September 22, 2026 at John Jay College of Criminal Justice by gathering 16 expert speakers from 9 countries. The program brought together speakers with backgrounds in public service, interfaith dialogue, human rights, journalism, and youth advocacy. 📌H.E. Abrar J. Hataman, the youngest Member of Parliament at the Bangsamoro Transition Authority in the Philippines, spoke about participatory governance and public service. 📌Fr. Corey Brost, Co-Founder of the Children of Abraham Coalition and Executive Director of Viator House of Hospitality, approached peace through relationships across faiths. At Viator House, he explained, communities of faith work together to welcome young men seeking asylum and support their right to practice their own faith. 📌Hon. Nikos Chrysogelos, Deputy Mayor of Athens for Climate Governance and Social Economy from Greece, called for stronger commitment to carrying out existing agreements. He urged participants to build bridges across borders and generations and to listen to young people as leaders who can act now.

SDGs Conference 2026 - Panel Session 3: Press Freedom and Independent Journalism as a Cross-Cutting Enabler of PeacePanel examined how independent journalism, press freedom, media literacy, and journalist safety contribute to peace and public trust. Moderator Joyce Davis, Opinion Editor, PennLive, opened by noting that journalism depends on asking difficult questions and telling important stories—and that communities are less able to make informed decisions when those questions cannot be asked safely. 🎤 Journalist and Co-Founder of Peek TV, based in India, Priyanshi Sharma discussed the increasingly blurred line between journalists, influencers, and activists on social media. She described how independent reporters can bring attention to stories ignored by mainstream outlets, citing coverage of a major protest in India that she said was largely absent from television news. 🎤Nigerian journalist Femi Adesina warned that AI-generated falsehoods and fabricated stories can erode confidence in media institutions. He urged journalists to follow professional ethics, verify information repeatedly, and avoid publishing claims they cannot substantiate.   🎤Australian Journalist Karen Percy highlighted threats facing women journalists, including online abuse, sexualized harassment, physical violence, and unequal treatment in newsrooms. These pressures can silence reporters and limit whose experiences are represented. 🎤 Abdülhamit Bilici, Journalist and Media Executive connected press freedom to quality of life, arguing that independent reporting can expose corruption and hold power accountable. Drawing on his experience after his Turkish newspaper, Zaman, was seized and shut down, he stressed that journalists cannot defend press freedom alone; broader public and institutional support is essential.