The G20 Interfaith Forum Podcast

What can faith communities offer to global public health efforts? Dr. Esben Lunde Larsen and Mr. Doug Fountain are experts on the current and potential impact of religious communities and faith-based health organizations. In this episode, they share insights on how essential faith groups are in preventing and addressing pandemics around the world.

Esben and Doug will be participating in the upcoming 2026 G20 Interfaith Forum in Salt Lake City, Utah. At the Forum, they will be leading a meeting focused on The Pandemic Fund at the World Bank. We encourage you to tune in to this episode...

In this episode, Marianna and Stuart learn from Rev. Dr. David Beckmann - a global expert on addressing poverty and hunger. As former president of Bread for the World, leader of Circle of Protection, and author of "Poverty Abolitionists:  Faith, Activism, and Hope For Difficult Times."

Rev. Dr. David Beckmann will be speaking at the upcoming 2026 G20 Interfaith Forum. He will be participating in sessions focused on poverty and food security, as well as the Sustainable Development Goals. 

Rev. Fletcher Harper is the Executive Director of GreenFaith, a global interfaith movement working for climate and environmental justice. He will be participating in the upcoming 2026 G20 Interfaith Forum in October as a speaker in a meeting titled Hope from the Ground Up: Communities and a Planet in Crisis.  

In this episode, Rev. Harper explains the unique position that religions have to address the current day climate crisis. Listen in on this conversation to hear a hopeful and expert perspective on climate and environmental justice.

This episode is a recording of the fifth webinar in our AI Webinar Series. 

Please the webinar details below. 

Moderator:

Professor Pieter Francois (Professor of Cultural Evolution, University of Oxford)

Speakers:

Lord John Alderdice (House of Lords, United Kingdom)

Julian Wienberg (Founder, Dialogue Action)

AI can strengthen peacebuilding by helping communities detect conflict early, bridge divides through dialogue, and support collaborative problem-solving rooted in human dignity. Prof. Pieter Francois, a professor of cultural evolution at Oxford University, has do...

This episode is a recording of the fourth webinar in our AI Webinar Series. Please the webinar details below.

Moderator:

Audrey Kitagawa (President/Founder, International Academy for Multicultural Cooperation)

Speakers:

John C. Havens (Founding Executive Director, The IEEE Global Initiative on Ethics of Autonomous and Intelligent Systems)

Dr. Arthur Lyon Dahl (President, International Environment Forum) David C. Korten (President/Founder, Living Economies Forum)

AI can help protect the planet by improving how we monitor ecosystems, predict climate patterns, and manage natural reso...

This episode is a recording of the third webinar in our AI Webinar Series. Please the webinar detail below.

Moderator:

Dr. Marianna Richardson (Director, G20 Interfaith Forum Communications)

Speakers:

David Wingate (Professor of Computer Science, Brigham Young University)

Michael Graham (Program Director, The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics at The Gospel Coalition)

AI benchmarks are essential tools for evaluating whether artificial intelligence systems behave safely, fairly, and effectively in real-world contexts. The best benchmarks go beyond technical accuracy and measure qualities lik...

This episode is a recording of the second webinar in our AI Webinar Series. Please find the webinar details below.

Moderator:

Dr. Marianna Richardson (Director, G20 Interfaith Forum Communications)

Speakers:

Steve Richardson (Professor of Computer Science, Brigham Young University)

Ammon Shurtz (Computer Scienve PhD Student, Brigham Young University)

Charles Cranney (Senior Manager of Digital Media, BYU Brand & Creative)

AI is transforming translation by making it faster, more accessible, and capable of handling dozens of languages that previously lacked digital too...

This episode is a recording of our AI Webinar Series kick-off webinar held on June 18, 2026. Please find the webinar details below.

Moderator:

Audrey Kitagawa (President/Founder, International Academy for Multicultural Cooperation)

Speakers:

Will Jones (Associate of Futures Program, Future of Life Institute)

Dr. DZ Kalman (Fellow at Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, Harvard University)

Chris Scammell (Co-Founder, Buddhism & AI Initiative)

AI and faith meet at the point where technology forces humanity to reconsider dignity, purpose, and moral responsibility. Man...

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 shares insights on the consequences of the rapid development of AI, and gives a peek into IF20's efforts to prepare for the UK's G20 presidency in 2027.

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 status of freedom of religion or belief in Brazil. The insights that he shares provide helpful context for understanding the dynamics of freedom of religion or belief across the globe.

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 development in an innovative - yet fragile - world.

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, and leadership. 

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 development and genocide prevention.

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 AI in the EU scene. 

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 publications from Globethics, please visit the link below:

https://globethics.net/publications

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-1-Website.pdf

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 Programme (UNEP). In this interview he shares with us the importance of the tropical forests, current interfaith climate action, and the needs for future efforts.

For more information about Dr. McNeill, visit his site here:

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 at:

https://www.g20interfaith.org/g20-interfaith-forum-south-africa/

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 webinar series that will begin July 10 at 1:00 PM Eastern Time. Please watch the IF20 website to register for the webinar series.

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 vulnerable. For more information about Audrey, visit her page on the IF20 site here:

https://www.g20interfaith.org/_audrey-e-kitagawa/

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.org/fidela-2025/

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/

Join Marianna and Stuart as they discuss the IF20's 2024 Year End document. In 2024, the G20 Interfaith Forum (IF20) used its network of networks to bring together religious leaders, government leaders, and academic specialists to promote various global issues including human trafficking, climate change, poverty, and religious intolerance. 

The 2024 Year End document can read here!

https://www.g20interfaith.org/app/uploads/2020/09/End-of-Year-2024-DRAFT-2.pdf

Marianna and Stuart give an overview of the key topics discussed in the group E breakout sessions at the 2024 G20 Interfaith Forum in Brasilia, Brazil. Ideas from these sessions include hate speech and radicalization, religious literacy, and possible topics to be featured in the upcoming 2025 G20 Interfaith Forum in South Africa.

Join Marianna and Stuart as they highlight some of the topics from the group D breakout sessions at the 2024 G20 Interfaith Forum in Brasilia, Brazil. The ideas continue the forum's theme of leaving no one behind.

Marianna and Stuart highlight the key topics from the first round of breakout sessions at the G20 Interfaith Forum in Brasilia, Brazil in August of 2024. The ideas discussed include the environment, the finances of climate change, and the effects it has around the world. 

Join Marianna and Stuart as they review the topics discussed in the second round of breakout sessions at the Brasilia G20 Interfaith Forum. The topics included women building peace, rights for communities of African descent, protecting children in the digital world, reducing poverty, mental health of displaced populations, and climate finance. For more information about the sessions, visit our site at:

https://www.g20interfaith.org/2024-g20-interfaith-forum-brazil/

Marianna and Stuart highlight the key topics from the first round of breakout sessions at the G20 Interfaith Forum in Brasilia, Brazil in August of 2024. The ideas discussed include protection of indigenous and religious groups, preventing harmful uses of social media, and methods for cooperation with religious organizations. 

Marianna and Stuart discuss the plenary meetings and auditorium sessions from the G20 Interfaith Forum in Brasilia, Brazil. A more complete synopsis of the meetings can be found here:

https://www.g20interfaith.org/2024-g20-interfaith-forum-brazil/