Ms. Swadeka Ahsun

Swadeka Ahsun is a researcher and writer on dialogue between religions and faiths in pluralistic societies, aiming to encourage tolerance and strengthen reconciliation in peacebuilding.  Swadeka holds a B.A and M.A in Islamic Studies which researched the topics of interreligious dialogue, comparative religion under the Professorship of Tim Winter of the faculty of Divinity, Cambridge.

She has taken part in the Annual Symposium on Religion and Development, working on themes related to policy and the role of faith in building sustainable peace. Swadeka is also part of the review of the Beijing Platform for Action and the state of Multilateralism across diverse stakeholders in achieving sustainable development goals, bringing peace among cultures as well as co-existence and understanding.

A truly globally active leader and campaigner on issues of gender, peace and security, Swadeka has gained and applied her great expertise over the years through collaborations with government, civil society, academics, researchers and stakeholders.  A considerable part of her work towards sustainable development promoting the 2030 agenda, is to strongly advocate for the acceleration in commitment on gender, peace and security at all levels of her collaborations.  Swadeka’s work focuses on and supports the Session of the UN Women’s commission on the Status of Women.  She is particularly involved in taking forward the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and platform for Action in tackling global challenges to equality and inclusion.  To this end, Swadeka participated in and closely follows the outcomes of the UNECE meeting in Geneva (October 2019, https://www.unece.org/beijing25.html).

Swadeka has been leading Scriptural Reasoning for the Islamic Cultural Centre, the Regent Park Mosque, the St. John’s Wood Church and Jewish Liberal Synagogue at St. John’s Wood, and as such been a contributor and participant of the Cambridge Interfaith and scriptural reasoning.  

Swadeka is the recipient of the Al-Hamra award for excellence in Arts and Culture, and at present is developing sustainable policies, boundless creativity for UNESCO, together with local, national and international collaboration

She has been a trustee of the Interfaith Youth Trust and is an active leader and member in other initiatives and organisations such as:

• Global Strategy Forum, , https://www.globalstrategyforum.org/
• UNA Westminster Branch, http://www.unawestminster.org.uk/
• Common Purpose, https://commonpurpose.org/
• University of Westminster, https://www.westminster.ac.uk/
• Global Learning Network for England, https://www.ssatuk.co.uk/
• Abrahamic Dialogue
• Arab-Jewish Forum