In the wake of 9/11, it seemed to Paul Komesaroff that something was being lost from the world.

What was being lost, he feared, was the ability of people to communicate, to enter into dialogue, across what he calls ”difference” – cultural, racial and religious difference. As well as being a professor of medicine at Monash University, Komesaroff is the director of the university’s Centre for Ethics in Medicine and Society.

After 9/11, his concern initially manifested in a ”loose workshop” – organised by Komesaroff and colleague Professor Paul James from RMIT – which was held in Melbourne in 2002. These workshops were then held overseas. In 2006 in Sarajevo, precisely because they were from outside that country, the two Australians persuaded both Serbs and Muslims to attend.

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An international summit bringing together more than 300 reconciliation experts from around the world to tackle global cultural, racial, religious and political difference will be launched at RMIT University this week.

The launch of the Pathways to Reconciliation Summit at RMIT Storey Hall at 5.30pm on Thursday, 1 October, will include the inauguration of the Global Reconciliation Desmond Tutu Fellowships and a performance by the gifted and inspiring artist, Archie Roach.

Supported by HRH Prince Hassan of Jordan, RMIT and Monash University, the Pathways to Reconciliation Summit will be held in Amman, Jordan, in December.

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