The G20 Interfaith Forum Podcast

Prof. Husna Ahmad OBE is the CEO of Global One 2015 and a member of the IF20 Advisory Board. Her efforts leading women and faith-based organizations to promote sustainable development have made massive impact on a global scale. In this episode, Prof. Ahmad shares the type of effect that religious individuals and organizations can have on the progress of the sustainable development goals. She also...

IF20's Executive Director Whitney Clayton sits down with Professor Rodrigo Vitorino Souza Alves, who leads the The Brazilian Center of Studies in Law and Religion and is a professor at the Federal University of Uberlandia. Professor Alves also led the local organizing team for the 2024 IF20 Annual Forum in Brasilia, Brazil. In this interview, Professor Alves highlights the history and current stat...

John C. Havens is the Global Director for Planet Positive 2030 at The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standards Association (IEEE SA). As an author of multiple books on sustainable technology development and an expert on the intersection of faith, environmental protection, and AI, John shares with us a unique perspective on what's needed to change the direction of tech developmen...

Michael Young served on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and is the former president of three major universities. He contributes to the G20 Interfaith Forum by serving on the IF20 Advisory Council. In this interview, co-hosted by Stuart and IF20's executive director Whitney Clayton, Michael shares what he has learned from a life dedicated to human rights, religious freedom, a...

Rachel Miner is the founder and CEO of Bellwether International, an NGO that promotes peace and evidenced-based efforts against genocide. She has spoken at multiple of IF20's annual forums and is an economics-focused expert on religious freedom, ethics in AI, and peacebuilding. In this episode, Rachel teaches about the necessity of interfaith cooperation in the quest for both ethical AI developmen...

Iyad Abumoghli discuses the importance of interfaith efforts in a world of climate action.    Iyad Abumoghli is the Founder of the Faith for Earth Coalition of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). He served as the Director for the coalition until his retirement in 2025. He also serves on the IF20 advisory council.

Daffa Raynanda is the co-founder and managing director of Teodisi, a platform that uses narratives centered on Abrahamic values to empower religions and youth to overcome interreligious tensions. He has done extensive work in building bridges of understanding between religions and differing groups. 

Dr. Elizabeta Kitanovic-Broes is the founder of the Facta est Lux - Human Rights Institute and has done immense work with human rights, religious freedom, and ethical technology development in the European Union. In addition to these efforts, she has served on IF20's Advisory Council since 2014. In this episode, Elizabeta shares insights on human digity, religious freedom, and the development of A...

How are faith, AI, and equality related? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Fadi Daou to learn from his expertise in these 3 spheres. As the Executive Director of Globethics, former CEO of Adyan Foundation, and key player for the G20 Interfaith Forum, Dr. Daou draws upon his experience to explain how both tech and equality can be heavily impacted by religion and belief. To review the recent pub...

What's in store for IF20 in 2026? Join Marianna and Stuart as they discuss what's known for the coming year, including some of the events and focus areas. Please continue to follow our social media and website to get updates on the exciting work that will happen this year!

What was the 2025 G20 Social Summit, and how was IF20 involved? Join us as we interview Sandile Makasi, who serves on the IF20 South Africa Local Organizing Committee and who played a major role in IF20's involvement at the Social Summit. For more information about the event, please visit our IF20 site: https://www.g20interfaith.org/g20-summit-2025/

What did the G20 Interfaith Forum (IF20) accomplish in 2025? Marianna and Stuart review the key efforts and outreach numbers for past year. IF20 was engaged in various initiatives including poverty, hunger, human trafficking, AI, and more. Their discussion is based on the recently published 2025 Year End Review, which can be read here: https://www.g20interfaith.org/app/uploads/2026/01/YEAR-END-DOC...

What are the benefits of holding large multi-faith gatherings? Mark and Barbara Taylor share their experiences with interfaith conferences in South Africa, Ghana, and the United States. They relate touching stories of interreligious cooperation that promote peace, solidarity, and equality.

Who are the individuals leading the IF20, and what is their motive? Join our discussion with Treasurer and Program Committee Vice-Chair Anastasia Jespersen as she shares about her background, her journey to IF20, and her perspective on the impact and importance of the organization. Anastasia has a focus on climate action, and shares insights on the efforts on climate action at IF20.  

What is the current status of the tropical forests, and what does it have to do with interfaith dialogue? Join Marianna and Stuart as they learn from climate action expert Dr. Charles McNeill. Dr. McNeill is the founder of the Interfaith Rainforest Initiative (IRI) and former Senior Advisor of Forests & Climate to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) & United Nations Enviroment Programm...

Join Marianna and Stuart as they review some of the breakout sessions at the 2025 G20 Interfaith Forum in Cape Town, South Africa. They also introduce the recently published written summary of the event. The summary and other media can be found on the IF20 website: https://www.g20interfaith.org/

What happened at IF20's most recent meeting? Marianna and Stuart's discussion in this episode provides a general overview of 2025 G20 Interfaith Annual Forum, held on Aug 10-14 in Cape Town, South Africa. Their review includes a report on the attendee statistics, the main focuses, and audio clips from some of the speeches given at the forum. For more information about the forum, visit our website...

Join Marianna and Stuart in their discussion with Christina Tobias-Nahi, the Director of Public Affairs at Islamic Relief USA (IRUSA). Christina shares inspiring stories of her work at IRUSA, and explains how the organization is collaborating with IF20 to raise awareness for refugees. For more informaton about IRUSA, visit their website here: https://irusa.org/

Join Marianna and Stuart as they interview Yashika Singh, the manager of the religion department for SABC Television. As an expert in media communications, interfaith efforts, and South African history, she shares fascinating ideas on how religions in South Africa have made a positive impact in the past and how they will make a positive impact in the future. This episode also previews the 5-part w...

Join Marianna and Stuart as they listen to an eye-opening discussion between three experts actors in the fight against Human Trafficking: Kevin Hyland OBE, Fred Axelgard, and Duncan Jepson. For more information about their work, visit the IF20 site and Praeveni Global's site at these links:  https://www.g20interfaith.org/working-groups-human-trafficking/ https://www.praeveniglobal.org/  

Sandile Makasi is a member of the 2025 Local Organizing Committee. As a resident and citizen of South Africa, he has a unique perspective on the importance of the G20 presidency in South Africa and the presence of IF20. He shares the meaning and importance of the ancient African word, 'Ubuntu'. 

Audrey Kitagawa serves as the vice-chair of the IF20 communictaions team. In addition to her work at IF20, she leads a life full of faith-led service. As the president/founder of the International Academy for Multicultural Cooperation and President of the Light of Awareness International Spiritual Family , her work has led her across the globe and has positively touched the lives of the most vulne...

Marianna and Stuart review the IRF Summit, a recent international event held in Washington, D.C. to promote and tackle prominent issues in religious freedom. For more information about the event, visit our website: https://www.g20interfaith.org/irf-summit/

Marianna and Stuart give a report on two recent events that happened in Washington, D.C. Both the Global Faith Summit and the FIDELA conference were excellent opportunities to learn about the power of religious cooperation and build IF20's network of networks. For more information about these event, visit the IF20 website: https://www.g20interfaith.org/global-faith-forum/ https://www.g20interfaith...

Marianna and Stuart highlight the key events that IF20 is preparing for in 2025. With the G20 presidency in South Africa, new collaborations and focus areas are on the horizon for IF20. For more information about the upcoming year, visit our website:   https://www.g20interfaith.org/g20-interfaith-forum-south-africa/