A KAICIID Fellow and member of the She for Dialogue initiative of the KAICIID Arab Region Programme, Araz brings valuable experience from her leadership within a faith-based institution in the Arab Region. Her work highlights the vital contributions of women of faith to dialogue, inclusion, and peacebuilding. She actively supports and uplifts initiatives led by women within religious institutions, showcasing innovative approaches to fostering community engagement and social cohesion.
 

Melina is a social entrepreneur and community leader dedicated to fostering inclusive, sustainable, and intercultural communities. She is the founder of Arborigen Coliving in Chile, a community-driven space that promotes collaboration and sustainability. Her work spans Mexico, Chile, and South Asia, with experience in public health policy, social innovation, and grassroots development, particularly with Indigenous communities.

A KAICIID Fellow, she currently leads the Ashoka Spiritual Changemaker Initiative in Mexico for Spanish speakers, guiding a movement of individuals who draw on spirituality, religion, and faith to inspire agency and innovative solutions. Known for her facilitation and integration skills, Melina creates spaces for participation, dialogue, and transformation across diverse cultural and social settings.

Acting Secretary General, International Dialogue Centre KAICIID

Ambassador António de Almeida-Ribeiro was born in Lisbon and graduated in 1976 from the Faculty of Law (Legal and Political Sciences), University of Coimbra.

He joined the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1979, where he has held a variety of positions, among which Director General for Administration, Political Director and Secretary General.

Throughout his career, he has served as Ambassador of Portugal to Argentina, Egypt, the Holy See, the Sovereign Order of Malta and Austria, where he was also Permanent Representative to the International Organizations based in Vienna, among other appointments around the world.

Dr. Kanchan Chandan is an accomplished academician and socio-cultural analyst with expertise in Gender and Women’s Studies, Social Inclusion, Religious Minorities, Peacebuilding, and Interreligious/Intercultural Dialogue. With over 20 years of experience, she serves as a faculty member at the Centre for the Study of Social Inclusion, Panjab University, Chandigarh, and was a 2020 Fellow at KAICIID, Lisbon, Portugal. She is also the Director of Global Initiatives at the Sandhara Spiritual Research and Anthropology Centre, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Her academic contributions include numerous national and international publications, the mentorship of PhD scholars, and a steadfast commitment to socially engaged research. Holding a Ph.D. in Social Anthropology, Dr. Chandan’s work focuses on addressing societal challenges and promoting inclusive growth through IRD, education, advocacy, and transformative change.

Sohini Jana is a development practitioner, writer, and advocate for inclusion and diversity. With significant experience in regions such as Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, and over a decade in community activism and civil society, she champions the rights of marginalised communities, especially religious minorities in India. A 2019 South and Southeast Asia Fellow at KAICIID and part of the EU-funded Global Exchange on Religion in Society programme, Sohini has led interfaith dialogues and contributed to faith-based reconciliation efforts in India. An avid storyteller, her work is inspired by deep grassroots engagement, and through her writing, she seeks to amplify voices that often go unheard.

Lantana Bako Abdullahi has extensive experience in Africa’s non-profit, conflict, and peacebuilding sector. She is a co-founder of the Nigerian Women Mediators Network and a member of the Steering Committee of the Women Mediators across the Commonwealth (WMC) and FemWise, West Africa. Lantana currently supports strategic and programme design for the Interfaith Dialogue Forum for Peace (IDFP), a 120-member interfaith platform supported by KAICIID. She has participated in high-level and high-risk conflict resolution efforts addressing religiously motivated violence in Nigeria and provides capacity strengthening and mentorship for young girls and women at risk of radicalisation.

Lantana received the Commonwealth Point of Light Award in 2020 and is a KAICIID Fellow. She is a skilled mediator, trainer, and facilitator, and mentors young mediators and peacebuilders from disadvantaged and conservative communities.