Dr. Aaron David Miller, president, Seeds of Peace and former adviser to six US Secretaries of State will be speaking at the 14th Annual Arab-US Policymakers Conference. Themed “Restoring Arab-US Trust in a Time of Turbulence and Reforms,” the conference will be held Sept. 11-12 in Washington, D.C.
Miller is well versed in the issues facing the US-Arab relationship through the continuing outreach of Seeds of Peace. Founded in 1993, Seeds of Peace (seedsofpeace.org) is dedicated to empowering young leaders from regions of conflict with the leadership skills required to advance reconciliation and coexistence.
Over the last decade, Seeds of Peace has intensified its impact, increasing the number of participants, represented nations and programs. From 46 Israeli, Palestinian and Egyptian teenagers in 1993, the organization still focuses on the Middle East but has expanded its programming to include young leaders from four conflict regions.
The Seeds of Peace internationally recognized program model begins at the International Camp in Maine, USA and continues through follow-up programs at the Seeds of Peace Center for Coexistence in Jerusalem, international youth conferences, regional workshops, educational and professional opportunities and an adult educator program. This comprehensive system allows participants to develop empathy, respect, and confidence as well as leadership, communication and negotiation skills — all critical components that will facilitate peaceful coexistence for the next generation.
Each year more than 300 outstanding Middle Eastern teenagers are chosen to participate in the program. Seeds of Peace also hosts a Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot delegation each summer as well as participants from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, the former Yugoslavia and Romania. In 2001, Seeds of Peace began its South Asia program with Indian and Pakistani youth and in 2002 an Afghan delegation was welcomed to the Seeds of Peace International Camp for the first time.