Center for Law and Public Policy Hosts Peacebuilding Conference
On Saturday, September 14, the WAU Center for Law and Public Policy hosted a conference to commemorate the United Nations’ International Day of Peace, which is celebrated each year in September. The conference was titled ‘Doing Justly: Peacebuilding in an Unequal World’ and featured presentations from thought leaders, advocates, practitioners, and scholars from organizations including Washington Adventist University, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) and the GC Public Affairs and Religious Liberty department.
The aim of the conference was to think about what peacebuilding looks like in an increasingly polarized and violent world. Specifically, conference presenters explored what that might look like from a uniquely Seventh-day Adventist perspective. To frame the topic, Dr. Bill Knott and Dr. Nelu Burcea, both from the General Conference PARL department, discussed how the church plays a role in being moral leaders on the topic of peace. Three representatives from ADRA — Imad Madanat, Dr. Herma Percy, and Dr. Akintayo Odeyemi — described specific ways in which ADRA is both responding to conflict around the world and advocating for policies and practices that might help reduce the root causes of global violence and conflict. To conclude, Dr. Nicholas Miller of the WAU Center for Law and Public Policy explored the idea of ‘just war and fair peace’ and interviewed two WAU Honors College students and Branson Fellows — Shea Standish (’25) and Charis McRoy (’25) about their experience working on a statement about the Israel-Gaza conflict in the weeks after that conflict began in the fall of 2023.
Dr. Jonathan Scriven provided a presentation that outlined the origins of the UN International Day of Peace and identified the role the United Nations has played in peace efforts around the world. In providing some historical context, he noted that concepts of what peace ‘is’ is important when attempting peacebuilding efforts, saying “peace is far more than just the absence of conflict. It is the presence of justice, equality, and opportunity; compassion, tolerance, and understanding. Peace means building societies where all people, regardless of race, religion, gender, or background, can live in dignity. It is about ensuring that everyone has access to basic human rights—education, healthcare, economic opportunities, and security.”
UN International Day of Peace was first in 1981 by a unanimous vote in the UN General Assembly. Two decades later, in 2001, the General Assembly unanimously voted to designate the Day as a period of non-violence and cease-fire. Since then, it has become an annual event, marking not only a day of ceasefire in conflict zones but also an invitation to reflect on what each of us can do to promote peace in our daily lives.
The WAU Center for Law and Public Policy is housed in the Honors College at Washington Adventist University
Our Vision:
- to be a premier resource for the study of law and public policy within the Seventh-day Adventist educational community and to be an interdisciplinary hub for faculty, students, and professionals in the field of law and public policy on a local, national, and global level.
Our Mission:
- to prepare students for ethically reflective, and technically competent careers in law and/or public policy,
- to encourage dynamic, faith-informed civil discourse on a wide range of topics viewed through the lens of the law,
- to provide high-quality interdisciplinary academic learning opportunities that will enrich the learning environment at Washington Adventist University,
- to supply legal professionals and policy-makers with morally-informed perspectives on the most pressing legal and public policy issues of our time.
To find out more about the WAU Center for Law and Public Policy, please visit the Center’s website here.
