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Alison Hilliard

Alison specialises in ethics and the role of religion in conflict and peace building. Her events’ portfolio also focuses on countering violent extremism, mediation and women, peace and security.

Alison Hilliard chairing event

Her recent work includes Wilton Park’s Inclusive Citizenship Dialogues in the Middle East and the Faith and Science: Towards COP26 series which resulted in a Joint Appeal for action on climate change from the leaders of the world’s major faiths. She also leads on our new global conversations to champion women’s and girls’ rights.

Alison brings over 20 years’ experience of working in the media. She has presented major television and radio programmes for the BBC from ‘Sunday’ to ‘Woman’s Hour’ and was Head of Religion for the BBC World Service.

She has worked and lived as a journalist and correspondent in Ireland, Africa and the Middle East covering the intersection of religions and politics worldwide reporting from Sarajevo to Belfast, from Beirut to Jerusalem. She’s continued to present a podcast on ethical issues.

From 2007-2015, she worked with The Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC), an international charity founded by the late HRH Prince Philip to assist the world’s 11 major faiths to develop key environmental programmes. During this time, Alison was Programme Manager for ARC Africa, a sustainable agriculture and food security programme in sub–Saharan Africa and Director of The Green Pilgrimage Network, a global initiative helping places of pilgrimage become models of care for the environment.

Her publications include Many Heavens, One Earth and Living Stones Pilgrimage: with the Christians of the Holy Land.

Alison is from Northern Ireland and studied English Literature and Language at Lady Margaret Hall at the University of Oxford

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