Caux Democracy Forum 2026

Jacqueline Coté was the Director of Public Relations and previously Head of Communications at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva from 2009 to 2021. In that role she was instrumental in building the new campus of the Institute, the Maison de la Paix, as a vibrant centre of conferences and seminars, thus solidifying the reputation and outreach of the Institute in International Geneva and beyond.

Prior to that Ms Coté was the Permanent Representative to the UN of the International Chamber of Commerce and also served as Senior Advisor Advocacy & Partnerships to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.  In the early part of her career, Ms Coté practiced as an international lawyer in Canada and Switzerland and held management positions with multinational companies SGS and DuPont.   

Ms Coté believes that the global agenda can best be tackled by linking the public, private and non-profit sectors, and that dialogue and empathy are essential tools to achieve the sustainable development goals.  She recently trained as a mediator at Harvard Law School and joined the board of several associations to continue her engagement with International Geneva.

Ms Coté has Swiss, Canadian and British nationalities, is a member of the Bar of Quebec and has two grown-up children who share her passion about tackling today’s global challenges in their areas of work.
 

Ambassador Tim Enderlin took office as head of the Peace and Human Rights Division (PHRD) of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) on 19 August 2024. He studied law in Zurich. Since he joined the diplomatic service in 1997, his positions have included Deputy Head of Human Resources of the FDFA, Diplomatic Advisor to the President of the Swiss Confederation, Regional Director of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation in Laos, and Ambassador of Switzerland to Myanmar.
Tim Enderlin is married and has two children.

After completing a bachelor's degree in international relations and a master's degree in environmental governance, Marie Hürlimann (Switzerland) worked for six years in the fields of water governance, sustainability and citizen participation. She has worked in Switzerland, but also in the Netherlands, Burkina Faso and Ethiopia, which has only strengthened her interest in foreign policy. Guided by her experience in participatory collaboration methods, she aspires to build bridges between different spheres of society in order to tackle the major challenges of our century together. In March 2024, she took up her new position as co-director of foraus.

Sarah Noble is a Canadian-born peace advocate and storyteller currently based in Geneva, Switzerland. Sarah is the Head of Global Engagement, Creative Peacebuilding & Inner Development at the Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation where she works on partnerships, inner development, the Caux Arts and Peace Encounters, and the Caux Forums.

She is also co-founder and Curator of the PeaceTalks, a global storytelling platform dedicated to stories of peace at Interpeace. She has over 20 years of experience in strategic communications, fundraising, and partnerships in global organizations focused on peacebuilding, humanitarian issues, and non-profit public interest media.

Passionate about storytelling as a tool for healing and social change, Sarah believes in its power to address global challenges. In her TEDx talk, Storytelling is Our Real-Life Superpower, she highlights how narratives can shape a better future. Sarah is the mom of 2 small kids and is motivated by a desire to be a good ancestor. Sarah has an MA in International Affairs from Norman Paterson School of International Affairs and a BA in Political Studies and Economics from Queen’s University.

Ignacio Packer is Executive Director of the Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation, a Swiss charitable foundation committed to promoting trust, ethical leadership, sustainable living and human security. With over 30 years of experience in humanitarian and development work, he worked at the European Bank for Latin America and then at KPMG, before becoming a recognised leader of NGOs and international alliances for over 25 years. An expert in human rights and social issues, he has been particularly involved in defending protection frameworks for migrants and refugees, especially children and young people.

Christine Wamsler is Professor of Sustainability Science and Director of the Contemplative Sustainable Futures Program at Lund University, the world’s leading university in sustainability (QS World University Rankings). She is the 6th most influential scholar in ecology, earth, and environmental sciences globally (Stanford–Elsevier Top 2% Scientists) and a leading expert in the emerging field of inner transformation for sustainability. Christine has co-developed theories, approaches, leadership training, and educational programs in these areas, and has published more than 200 academic articles, book chapters, and books. She serves as Senior Scientific Advisor for the UNDP Conscious Food Systems Alliance, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and its Mindfulness Initiative, the Global Compassion Coalition, the Inner Green Deal, and the Inner Development Goals (IDG) Initiative, among others. 

Richard Werly is the France and Europe correspondent for Blick, Switzerland's largest newspaper. He appears frequently in TV news programmes in France and Switzerland, and has been awarded the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French Republic. He is also senior strategic advisor to the Swiss Diplo Foundation, which aims to improve global governance and international policy development, especially by increasing the power of small and developing states to influence their own futures.

John Bond lives in Oxford, England, and has worked with Initiatives of Change in over 30 countries. For five years he coordinated the Caux Forum for Human Security. Previously he was the Secretary of Australia’s National Sorry Day Committee, which enlisted a million Australians in initiatives to overcome the harm done to Aboriginal Australians by cruel and misguided past policies. For this he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia. He is also a writer. His most-recent book, a biography of Professor Jerzy Zubrzycki, known as 'the father of Australian multiculturalism', has been published in English and Polish.

Lewis Cardinal is a communicator and educator from the Sucker Creek Cree First Nation in Treaty No. 8 in northern Alberta, Canada. For over three decades, his leadership has spanned local, national, and global advocacy roles, particularly in promoting Indigenous rights, cultural revitalization, urban Indigenous advocacy and capacity development, and interfaith relationship building. His contributions have been recognized with honours such as two Queen Elizabeth II medals (Diamond and Platinum Jubilee), the Indspire Award for Public Service (a recognition by Indigenous Peoples of Canada), the Province of Alberta‘s Centennial Medal for Human Rights and Diversity, and an honourary Doctorate of Sacred Letters from St. Stephen’s College at the University of Alberta for his work in bridging cultural and faith divides. And last October, Lewis was installed as the 11th Chancellor of St. Stephen’s College at the University of Alberta at Edmonton, Canada.

These experiences inform every facet of his consulting and media production work, where he specializes in Indigenous education, Indigenous governance, and strategic communications, and project development. Above all, he remains guided by a lifelong commitment to nurturing sacred relationships among diverse communities and worldviews.

Dr Laurie Johnston is Professor of Theology at Emmanuel College in Boston where she teaches courses on social ethics. She is the author or editor of works on peacebuilding, reconciliation, and just war theory and most recently edited a journal issue on the thought of Jacques Maritain and contemporary challenges to democracy. She also serves as the Executive Vice President of the Sant'Egidio Foundation for Peace and Dialogue. She first visited Caux in 1999.

Sarah Noble is a Canadian-born peace advocate and storyteller currently based in Geneva, Switzerland. Sarah is the Head of Global Engagement, Creative Peacebuilding & Inner Development at the Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation where she works on partnerships, inner development, the Caux Arts and Peace Encounters, and the Caux Forums.

She is also co-founder and Curator of the PeaceTalks, a global storytelling platform dedicated to stories of peace at Interpeace. She has over 20 years of experience in strategic communications, fundraising, and partnerships in global organizations focused on peacebuilding, humanitarian issues, and non-profit public interest media.

Passionate about storytelling as a tool for healing and social change, Sarah believes in its power to address global challenges. In her TEDx talk, Storytelling is Our Real-Life Superpower, she highlights how narratives can shape a better future. Sarah is the mom of 2 small kids and is motivated by a desire to be a good ancestor. Sarah has an MA in International Affairs from Norman Paterson School of International Affairs and a BA in Political Studies and Economics from Queen’s University.

Christoph Spreng is IofC International’s representative to the Council of Europe. He was part time correspondent for Swiss newspapers on international affairs in Geneva. He was also INGO Project Manager, Elaboration of the Council of Europe White Paper on Intercultural Dialogue 2006-2008, and contributor of a chapter in “Human Rights in culturally diverse societies – Challenges and perspectives”, Council of Europe, 2009. Spreng also served as an INGO Expert for the European Union/CoE Joint Programme “Minorities in Russia: developing languages, culture, media and civil society” 2009-2011.

Ignacio Packer is Executive Director of the Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation, a Swiss charitable foundation committed to promoting trust, ethical leadership, sustainable living and human security. With over 30 years of experience in humanitarian and development work, he worked at the European Bank for Latin America and then at KPMG, before becoming a recognised leader of NGOs and international alliances for over 25 years. An expert in human rights and social issues, he has been particularly involved in defending protection frameworks for migrants and refugees, especially children and young people.

Laurent Wehrli joined the Foundation's council in August 2024. He is a member of the Swiss party PLR.Les Libéraux/Radiaux and was Mayor of Montreux from 2011 - 2021. He was a member of the Constitutional Assembly of the Canton de Vaud (1999 - 2002) and was the president of the First Commission. 

Laurent Wehrli is a member of the Swiss Parliament (National Council), the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee and sits on the Control Committee. He is also the president of the Education and Culture Commission of the Francophonia Parliamentary Assembly (APF) and the president of the Health Network Commission of APF. Laurent is a member of the Swiss Delegation to the International Parliamentary Union (IPU), and vice-president of the group of countries of which Switzerland is a member.

Laurent Wehrli is married and has five children and two grand-children. He has a Master Degree in History-Geography-French at University of Lausanne and has been awarded the White House Prize.

Richard Werly is the France and Europe correspondent for Blick, Switzerland's largest newspaper. He appears frequently in TV news programmes in France and Switzerland, and has been awarded the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French Republic. He is also senior strategic advisor to the Swiss Diplo Foundation, which aims to improve global governance and international policy development, especially by increasing the power of small and developing states to influence their own futures.

25 June: "From Polarisation to Dialogue: Practical Tools for Mediation and Negotiation".

Martin Albani is a Senior Advisor, trainer and coach on peacebuilding, mediation and negotiation, supporting governments, international organisations, civil society actors and individuals in navigating complex conflicts. He previously served as an EU diplomat, including as Head of the Peace Mediation and Dialogue Sector in the European External Action Service. 

Drawing on nearly two decades of experience in diplomacy, international affairs and crisis response, as well as his training and practice as a psychological coach, he focuses on how dialogue, trust-building and negotiation can transform conflict across divides. He also lectures and leads workshops at the University of St Gallen and the University of Oxford. 

25 June - Workshop: Who is left out? Empathy, inequality and the health of democracy  

Julia Sullivan-Detheridge is a clinical associate professor at Arizona State University who teaches undergraduate courses in public health, healthcare systems and community health. Her master’s degree, from Temple University, is in Journalism and her doctorate, from Tulane University, is in International Development with a concentration in Public Health.  

Prior to teaching at ASU, Julia was President of the International Foundation for Education and Self-Help, based in Phoenix and founded by her late father, the Reverend Dr. Leon Sullivan, author of the Sullivan Principles. Under her watch, she developed collaborative self-help initiatives working at the local level. She implemented pre-service and in-service teacher training programs working with local ministries, market livelihood projects, primary education teacher training programs, neo-literate teacher training, conflict resolution and child repatriation, Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV/AIDs and many others.  

She has worked in Nigeria, the Democratic of the Congo, Benin, Senegal, Malawi, Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, Benin, Djibouti, Tanzania, and other regions.  In 2013 she was guest speaker for a symposium sponsored by the United Nations Association, titled “Nuclear Disarmament in the Light of Humanitarian Need” and in 2008 was awarded the Yunus Award for her work on finding innovative solutions toward the achievement of the UN Millenium Goals. In October 2025, she was invited to present her peer-reviewed article on cross-cultural empathy at the Stoneygate Center for Empathic Healthcare, at Leicester University. Since that time, she has developed an international cross-cultural consortium, working with faculty associated with academic institutions in India, Ireland, the U.S. and Japan to establish best standards in health provider empathic care of marginalized patients living in low resource settings. She was also recently made a visiting professor at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. 

She is the author of two books, Against the Tide, a biography about her great-grandfather, who was a steamboat captain who faced discrimination during the Jim Crow era in the U.S., and The World is Full of Champions.  She is married to a Brit and together they have six children who live in the U.S. and the U.K. 

25 June - Workshop: Experience the joyfulness and power of your voice 

Catherine von Graffenried began her career as a teacher before becoming the voice of the children’s programme on Swiss radio, where she reached millions of young listeners each day. She later worked independently as a facilitator and storytelling expert, collaborating mainly with private companies. Catherine has trained as a clown and meditation facilitator, and has deepened her work with the human voice through workshops at the Roy Hart Voice Centre in France.

After completing PhD studies in geography, Pierre Walther worked for more than 30 years as a consultant and mediator in international cooperation. Alongside this professional path, he developed a deep interest in the human voice. He obtained a certificate from the Roy Hart Voice Centre in France and has shared his experiences and reflections on voice work in a published book.