American University of Sovereign Nations

Events

Please join our events!

19th UNESCO Youth Peace Ambassador (YPA19)Training Workshop and the 2nd International Tarzana Bioethics Roundtable: Building a More Ethical World, Dilemmas to Opportunities
25-28 September 2026, Tarzana, Los Angeles, USA

The latest draft ageda is pasted below….

Bioethics and Agents of Change
Bioethics is the Love of Life, and assists us in facing moral dilemmas from issues such as health, use of science and technology, environmental ethics, agriculture, and so on. Always remember to ask the question “What future do we want?” The words of Gandhi to be the change you want to see in the world are eternal, and need to be rekindled in the heart of every human soul. The interdisciplinary and cross cultural approaches to making moral decisions are opportunities for our growth and development.
American University of Sovereign Nations is a 501(c)3 non-profit university founded in 2013 in USA, that opened the first MPH and PhD program on Native American sovereign land in the USA With a few hundred alumni from the Masters and Doctoral programmes from over 30 countries of our world, we attempt to decolonize education to rediscover wisdom to help us face contemporary challenges that plague our world. Let’s network and reflect together. (https://ausovereignnations.org/) We work with over thirty partner universities and institutes around our world to offer an alternative to the common hegemonies of modernity.
Since 2010Eubios Ethics Institute has convened over thirty youth training forums to work together with Youth as Agents of Change for Social Transformation all around the world, starting under the auspices of UNESCO in Hiroshima, Phnom Penh, Istanbul, Bangkok, Penang, and many other spaces in Asia, the Pacific, Africa, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas. Dr. Darryl Macer started these trainings while serving as UNESCO Regional Advisor for Asia and the Pacific. The need for transformation from a culture of fear to a culture of peace is sadly just as necessary now as when it was coined on a hospital bed in Hiroshima by an injured philosopher in 1945.
These forums are the Youth Peace Ambassadors (YPA) International and the Youth Looking Beyond Disaster (LBD). Most participants develop action plans that after implementation and sharing of their experiences will qualify the trainee as an “Ambassador”. The first UNESCO Youth Ambassadors were awarded in March 2011, and a list of the names and countries of some of these Ambassadors under this program, and their action plans, are found on the Youth Ambassadors page. Importantly we want the actions to also serve their local community, as part of a glocal approach to social development.
The Spiritual Care Collaborative is a professional learning community dedicated to the formation, education, and support of chaplains, spiritual care providers, clergy, and helping professionals. Through training programs, live learning experiences, peer community, certification pathways, and partnerships with accredited Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) centers, the Collaborative helps individuals develop the knowledge, skills, and self-awareness necessary for effective spiritual care in diverse settings. Our mission is to make high-quality spiritual care education accessible, practical, and deeply rooted in the realities of contemporary care. 
Please join us to consider if you will join us to be part of the change to our world, whether young or old.

Partners
The partners currently include a number of registered non-profit organizations: Youth’s UNESCO Club (both Nepal and USA branches), American University of Sovereign Nations (AUSN); Eubios Ethics Institute (New Zealand and Japan); Youth Peace Ambassadors International (YPA); Spiritual Care Collaborative (USA), and World Nepal News. More are welcome.

Among the sessions and workshops:
Interfaith approaches to resolving conflicts
What it means to be Native American today
Spirituality, health and healing
Living in a sustainable world and environmental ethics
Medical ethics at the beginning of life
Quality of life and bioethics
Psychodrama and socio-drama
Spiritual Care and the Crisis of Fragmentation: When We No Longer Share a Language for the Sacred
Hands on Art workshop
UNESCO Peace Ambassadors Action Plans
Human rights and human security
Disaster resilience and disaster ethics
Genetic technology ethics
Artificial intelligence: Creator of ethics or follower?
Indigenous approaches to modernity
Digital Ubuntu philosophy of interconnectedness and communal humanity

We are open to reflect on proposals for new sessions, panels and workshop topics, and open to consider all paper proposals, including artistic performances. Includes field trip to the California Coast.

There will be state of the art presentations. Global experts will mentor trainees to conceptualise, develop and/or refine their action plans and research so that appropriate partners and paths can be found to success. We will assist in preparing proposals for joint future collaborations and civil actions and a strategy to make your case to potential sponsors. Even if all you have is an idea, we will help you to develop this to be the change in the world starting step by step. Please reflect on your role in bringing about the future that you think we should have.

There will be an exhibition of art, and other creative projects of people all around the world on the themes of the workshop, such as peace, bioethics and sustainability. Participants can also bring poster to display their activities in research and in their communities.

Who can apply
?

The program is open to all persons of any age anywhere. A certificate as UNESCO Youth Peace Ambassador is open to those who develop an action plan, if you define yourself as youth. We have no cutoff age for “youth”. There is no specific required qualification to join, but currently the training is delivered in English language. Individuals can join together with others to develop and implement an action plan to help a community (At least one of the team members should be present in person).

Organizing Committee includes:
Prof. Dr. Nazneen Akhtar, Managing Director of VAALO avant-garde Ltd., Bangladesh; AUSN Visiting Professor of Global Public Health & Social Equity
Dr. Zeynep Aybikem Sağlam, MD., Ağrı Research Hospital, Türkiye; Senior Research Fellow, AUSN
Ms. Elif Baybuğa, Clinical psychologist and Certified Psychodrama/Sociodrama Trainer, Desen Psychology Center, İstanbul, Türkiye
Prof. Dr. Lian Bighorse, AUSN Professor of Native American Studies, Bioethics and Decolonization; AUSN Board of Governors; Member, San Carlos Apache Nation, USA
Rt. Rev. Dr. Rick Capezza, Presiding Bishop, Fellowship of Integral Spirituality, USA; Director, Spiritual Care Collaborative
Dr. Scott De Long, Tarzana, CA, USA
Dr. Rita Hamilton, Tarzana, CA, USA
Prof. Dr. Miwako Hosoda, former Vice President, Seisa University, Japan; Director, Inclusive Action For All (IAFA); AUSN Visiting Professor of Sociology
Prof. Dr. Hassan O. Kaya, Director, African Institute in Indigenous Knowledge Systems (AIIKS), University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa; AUSN Board of Governors
Mr. Rimesh Khanal, President, Youth’s UNESCO Club, USA and Nepal; Board of Governors, AUSN, USA
Dr. Dolma Lama, Chief Editor, The World Nepal News, Former General Secretary, Tamang Society of North America, California, USA; Former President, Rural Community Development Center (RCDC) Nepal ; Board of Governors, AUSN, USA
Prof. Dr. Darryl Macer, President, American University of Sovereign Nations, New Zealand; Director, Eubios Ethics Institute; Former UNESCO Regional Adviser (Chair)
Prof. Dr. Nabiollah Masoumi; AUSN Professor of Religious Studies and Mystical Philosophy; Youth Peace Ambassador, USA; Iran
Dr. Endreya McCabe, Quality Performance Manager, Indian Health Service Phoenix Medical Center; Member, Delaware Nation; Secretary, Board of Governors, AUSN, USA
Prof. Dr. Suma Parahakaran, Dean, American University of Sovereign Nations, Malaysia
Prof. Dr. Emma Porio, Emeritus Professor, Ateneo del Manila, the Philippines; AUSN Visiting Professor of Sociology and Climate Change
Prof. Dr. Christine Reidhead, Chair, Business Department, Navao Technical University, Crownpoint, New Mexico, USA; AUSN Visiting Professor of Business Administration, Entrepreneurship and Management; Board of Governors, AUSN; USA
Attorney Tasnuva Shelley, Deputy Attorney-General of Bangladesh; AUSN Visiting Professor of Artificial Intelligence, Social Justice and Equity
Dr. Naw Khine Thazin (Gloria), Communication, Information Management, UN Habitat, Myanmar

Secretariat
Dr. Darryl Macer, Email: darryl@eubios.info
Please inquire to the secretariat for all details, registration and proposals.

Post-conference tour to Arizona
For those who are interested to join a personalised post-conference tour (29 Sept-2 Oct to and from Los Angeles) with Dr. Darryl Macer to Arizona, including (but not limited to): Grand Canyon, Flagstaff, parts of Route 66, Navajo Nation. Oak Flat, San Carlos Apache Nation, Sedona, Phoenix, Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community, Gila River Indian community, Case Grande. Estimated price including accommodation and transport is $400 for shared motel/hotel accommodation. Food is excluded from that fee,

Credit
For those who seek University credit attendance can also be credited for the number of hours attended as postgraduate degrees from American University of Sovereign Nations (AUSN), or credit for continuing professional development (see www.ausovereignnations.org)

Latest draft agenda

‘Friday
Morning
Registration: 8:30+
(9:00-12:30)
Welcome and Mapping the Programme
Prof. Dr. Darryl Macer, President, American University of Sovereign Nations, Aotearoa/New Zealand; Director, Eubios Ethics Institute; Former UNESCO Regional Adviser

Hands-on Art Workshop
Facilitated by Dr. Rita Hamilton, Tarzana, CA, USA
Assisted by Zeynep Aybikem Sağlam, MD., Ağrı Research Hospital, Türkiye; and Scott De Long, PhD, Tarzana, CA, USA

Oxytocin Medicine and Art Platform: An Ongoing Journey

  • Dr. E.Elif Vatanoğlu-Lutz, Professor and Chair, History of Medicine and Ethics Department, Yeditepe University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Türkiye

The Relationship Between Organizational Climate and Turnover Intentions of Millennial Public High School Teachers in Metro Manila

  • Gabrielle V. Fontanilla, Quezon City, the Philippines

Strengthening Rural Governance for Inclusive Development

  • Hon. Baburam Khadka, Mayor, Tumbewa Rural Municipality/ Vice President National Association of rural Municipalities in Nepal

Quality Education for Sustainable Community Development

  • Yogendra Poudel, Education Program Officer, Bhadrapur Municipality, Jhapa Nepal

AI Career Guide for Youth: Smart Future Planning Tool (Developing an Action Plan)

  • Sandip Tamang Bomjan Lama, Nepal/USA

Lunch (12:30-13:30)

Afternoon (13:30-17:30)

Session on Sustainable Futures
Misuse of the Environment and World Conflict

  • Scott De Long, PhD, Tarzana, CA, USA

Leadership for Sustainable Municipal Transformation

  • Hon. Rajendra Kumar Pokharel, Mayor, Kanakai Municipality, Jhapa Nepal

Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Green Manufacturing

  • Khagendra Kharel, Chairman Khagendra Kastha Furniture Udhyog, Birtamode Municipality, Jhapa Nepal

Financial Accountability in Local Government

  • Devi Prasad Koirala, Senior Accountant Officer, Damak Municipality, Jhapa Nepal

Innovative Education Management for Future Generations

  • Chhabilal Dhakal, Education Officer, Shivasatakshi Municipality, Jhapa Nepal

Building Sustainable and Resilient Municipalities

  • Hon. Megahang Thopra, Mayor, Shivasatakshi Municipality

Session on Violence Against Women
Social Equity : Reality and Theory (Title to confirm)
Dr. Nazneen Akhtar, PhD, Managing Director of VAALO avant-garde Ltd., Bangladesh; AUSN Visiting Professor of Global Public Health & Social Equity

Language and Education for Peace, Inclusion and Sustainable Development in Nepal: A Case from a Rural Municipality in Nepal
Krishma Thokar, Principal, Shree Subarneshwor Basic School, Bhaktapur, Nepal

To report it or not? Witnessing Domestic violence as a healthcare professional

  • Dr. Zeynep Aybikem Sağlam, MD., Ağrı Research Hospital, Türkiye; Senior Research Fellow, AUSN

The Feminine Face of the Divine: Gender Symbolism in Sufi Thought.
Prof. Nabiollah Masoumi; PhD, AUSN Professor of Religious Studies and Mystical Philosophy; Youth Peace Ambassador, USA/Iran

Hands-on Workshop on Psychodrama

  • Elif Baybuğa, Clinical psychologist and Certified Psychodrama/Sociodrama Trainer, Desen Psychology Center, İstanbul, Türkiye
    Assistant Facilitators: Dr. Zeynep Aybikem Sağlam, MD., Ağrı Research Hospital, Türkiye; Senior Research Fellow, AUSN; Dr. Rita Hamilton, Tarzana

Dinner

Saturday
Morning (9:00-12:30)
Environmental Ethics: Memorial Session for Late Jane Goodall
YPA Action Plan Report: International Youth for Environmental Preservation in Tanzania

  • Alexander Owens, Jane Goodall Institution, Tanzania, UNESCO Youth Peace Ambassador; USA

Innovative Water Supply Management for Sustainable Communities

  • Raju Basnet, Assistant Leval 4th Nepal Water Supply Corporation (NWSC) Bhadrapur Municipality , Jhapa Nepal

YPA Action Plan Report: Empowering Youth Advocacy: Action Plan for Supporting WIJABA and Roots & Shoots in Indonesia through Volunteering and Securing Donations

  • Zacharias Norris, WIJABA & Dr. Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots, Indonesia; UNESCO Youth Peace Ambassador

Jane Goodall’s Legacy across Generations (Title to confirm)

  • Norma Fritscke, California, USA

Renewable Energy Development for Sustainable Nepal

  • Hon. Lal Prasad Sanwa Limbu, President Jhapa Energy Ltd.( 10 MGW); President – Gorakxhya Hydropower LTD (25.4 MGW) (Former Member of Parliament)

Navigating Environmental Dilemmas: Possibilities and Pathways Forward
Akane Hosoda, National University of Singapore’’

Strategic Urban Planning for Sustainable Municipal Development

  • Jaya Timsina, Senior Planning Officer, Birtamode Municipality, Jhapa Nepal

Women and the Land: Apache Stronghold and Efforts to Protect Oak Flats, Arizona from Mining

  • Prof. Lian Bighorse, PhD, AUSN Professor of Native American Studies, Bioethics and Decolonization; AUSN Board of Governors; Member, San Carlos Apache Nation

Lunch (13:00-14:00)

Afternoon (14:00-18:00)
Bioethics and the Future of Love and Life
Prof. Dr. Darryl Macer, President, American University of Sovereign Nations, Aotearoa/New Zealand; Director, Eubios Ethics Institute; Former UNESCO Regional Adviser

Rethinking Life and Death: Is the Slippery Slope Really So Slippery?

  • Prof. Miwako Hosoda, PhD., former Vice President, Professor of Sociology, Seisa University, Japan; Director, Inclusive Action For All (IAFA); AUSN Visiting Professor of Sociology

Biometric Surveillance in Public and Academic Spaces: The Expansion of Facial Recognition on Campuses

  • Dr. Michael Martin & Prof. Marites V. Fontanilla, PhD*
    Licensed Educator, Clark County School District, Southern Nevada, USA
    *Program Chair, Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, St. Paul University Quezon City, the Philippines; AUSN Visiting Professor of Ethics of Information Technology and Ethics

Digital Financial Management in Local Government

  • Prakash Yonghang, Senior Account Assistant, shivasatakshi Municipality, Jhapa, Nepal

Empowering Youth Leadership for Sustainable Development and Global Partnerships

  • Raj Kumar Kattel, President, International Youth Center, Nepal

Educational initiatives centered on conflict resolution, inclusive education, and intercultural dialogue

  • Devendra Shrestha, Principal, Shanti Pathshala School, Nepal

Thirteen Qualities for Authentic Living and Environmental Stewardship: An Interactive Guide to Co-Creating Change; and Hands-on Workshop

  • Alexandra Diez Barroso, PhD, AUSN Professor of Life and Stewardship, Canada; AUSN Board of Governors

Challenges faced by Indigenous peoples in the government sector

  • Diwakar KC, Kageshwori Manohara-01, Gagalphedi,  Kathmandu,Nepal

Re-examining place, space, identity and indigenousity in America

  • Hon. Prof. Wendsler Nosie, PhD, Former Chairperson, San Carlos Apache Nation; AUSN Professor in the Practice of Indigenous Knowledge; AUSN Board of Governors

Dinner

Sunday
Morning (7:00-8:00)

Interfaith Sunrise Prayer for Our World
Facilitated by:
Hon. Prof. Wendsler Nosie, PhD, Former Chairperson, San Carlos Apache Nation; AUSN Professor in the Practice of Indigenous Knowledge
and Rev. Dr. Erik Dailey, Pastor, St. James Presbyterian Church, Tarzana
[We welcome people of all spiritual, religious and faith/non-faith traditions]

Breakfast (8:00-8:30)

Interfaith Perspectives on Healing and Spirituality (8:30-11:00)

  • Rev. Dr. Erik Dailey, Pastor, St. James Presbyterian Church, Tarzana
  • Gaia Pazieti, Women’s Division District Leader of Pacifica District, Soka Gakkai International – Buddhist lay organization
  • Nabiollah Masoumi; PhD, AUSN Professor of Religious Studies and Mystical Philosophy; Youth Peace Ambassador, USA/Iran
  • Rimesh Khanal, President, Youth’s UNESCO Club, USA; Board of Governors, AUSN, USA
  • Rt. Rev. Dr. Rick Capezza, Presiding Bishop, Fellowship of Integral Spirituality, USA; Director, Spiritual Care Collaborative
  • Zeynep Aybikem Sağlam, MD., Ağrı Research Hospital, Türkiye

[Everyone is welcome to join the regular Sunday service of St. James Presbyterian Church, Tarzana in the Sanctuary next to the Fellowship Hall (venue from 10:30-11:15) There will be a program for those who stay in the Fellowship Hall

Lunch (11:15-12:30: We will be joined by the church congregation for lunch)

Afternoon (12:30-17:30)

Spiritual Care and the Crisis of Fragmentation: When We No Longer Share a Language for the Sacred

  • Rt. Rev. Dr. Rick Capezza, Presiding Bishop, Fellowship of Integral Spirituality, USA; Director, Spiritual Care Collaborative

𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀‑𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀

  • Dolma Lama, PhD, General Secretary, Tamang Society of North America, California, USA; Former President, Rural Community Development Center (RCDC) Nepal ; Board of Governors, AUSN, USA

The Necessity of Physical and Mental Health for Youth and Elderly People: A Shared
Imperative
Sandip Basnet, Student, Bachelor of Social Work (BSW), Newton International College, Kageshwori Manohara, Aalapot-2, Nepal

The limits of governments in making a better life

  • Rimesh Khanal, President, Youth’s UNESCO Club, USA; Board of Governors, AUSN, USA

Civil Society and Government Partnerships in Education: Environmental Education, Biophilia and Stewardship through Transformation of Grade 9-12 Students in Indonesia

  • Prof. James Owens, PhD, Founder and Executive Director, World is Just a Book Away (WIJABA); Professor at University of Southern California, USA

Operationalizing the Eco-Techno-Health Model in Bangladesh: Expert Perspectives on Sustainable Development Goal 3 and Bioethical Governance

  • Dr. Shafquat Haider Chowdhury, MBBS, MPH, FRSPH, Doctoral Student, College of Social Work, University of South Carolina, USA; Bangladesh

Catastrophe and cohesion: How social capital contributes to post-cyclone recovery in Bangladesh coast

  • Rabiul Islam, PhD, Professor, Department of Social Work, University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh

Reflections on Disaster Resilience from Nepal and Beyond

  • Mr. Puru KC, Retired Colonel, Nepalese Army, Nepal; Ph.D. Student, AUSN

Youth Participation in Local Government Development

  • Yam Kumar Dahal, Assistant Level 5th Kanakai Municipality, Jhapa,Nepal

Smart Municipal Governance and Public Service Innovation

  • Sagar Mishra, Chief Administrative Officer, Birtamode Municipality, Jhapa Nepal

Civil Society Partnerships for Sustainable Development

  • Samir Basnet, Member, Track Nepal ( NGO With Consultative Status With United Nation Economics and social Council

Educational initiatives centered on conflict resolution, inclusive education, and intercultural dialogue

  • Devendra Shrestha. School Principal & Social Worker, Shanti PathshalaSchool, Kageshwori Manohara 1, Kathmandu, Nepal

Dinner

Monday
Morning (9:00-12:00)
Session: Global Perspectives on Bioethics

Beyond Ethical Review: Recognizing the Educational Role of Research Ethics Committees in Fostering Research Integrity

  • Tamara A. Kudaibergenova, MD, MSc Bioethics, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Public Health and Healthcare, I.K. Akhunbaev Kyrgyz State Medical Academy, Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic

The Role of Taekwondo Instructors in Promoting Youth, Peace and Discipline

  • Bishnu Khatri, Taekwondo Instructor, Kageshwori Taekwondo Dojang & Sports Club, Nepal

Social Protection as a Sociological Remedy for Gender-Based Violence: Lessons from Indonesia’s Family Hope Program (PKH)

  • Oetami Dewi, PhD, Lecturer, Sociology Study Program, Faculty of Social Sciences and Law, State University of Jakarta, Indonesia

Basic Medical Science and Research lay the foundation for Medical Research

  • Dr. Dhastagir Sultan Sheriff, Anna Medical College, Mauritius; AUSN Visiting Professor of Medicine and Biotechnology

Digital Ubuntu Philosophy: Bridging Bicultural Ethics and Climate Resilience in Africa

  • Hassan O. Kaya, PhD and Mayashree Chinsamy, PhD, African Institute in Indigenous Knowledge Systems (AIIKS), University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Law and policies for Artificial Intelligence

  • Barrister Tasnuva Shelley, Deputy Attorney-General of Bangladesh; AUSN Visiting Professor of Artificial Intelligence, Social Justice and Equity

Title to come
Ms. Mahdyea Zaman, VAALO avant-garde Ltd., Bangladesh

How the built environment can respond to social and environmental challenges

  • Aachal Tripathi, Final-Year Architecture Student, Nepal Engineering College. Nepal

Road Development in the Himalayan Region: Causes of Landslide Problems

  • Anup Shrestha, Kageshwori Manohara, Gagalphedi-1, Kathmandu, Nepal

    The Role of Taekwondo Instructors in Promoting Youth, Peace and Discipline
  • Bishnu khatri, Taekwondo Instructor, Kageshwori Taekwondo Dojang & Sports Club, Nepal

There will be various other New UNESCO YPA Action Plan presentations

Award of participation certificates

Lunch (12:00-13:00)

Afternoon Trip to Santa Monica Mountains National Park and Malibu Coast

Dinner

Further background:

Many papers from the earlier International Public Health Ambassador Conference are available in Eubios Journal of Asian and International Bioethics (EJAIB) journal after peer review.

AUSN is happy to receive proposals for cooperative meetings, workshops and conferences on themes consistent with its goals and mandate.  AUSN considers conferences and public seminars to be one of its obligations to enhance dialogue and empowerment of the local and international communities. 

AUSN has been cooperating with other organizations to hold Conferences around the world since its founding (Refer to the list of past conferences). AUSN cooperates closely with Eubios Ethics Institute and other institutions that we have Collaborative Agreements with.

AUSN Intensive Conferences occur in AUSN locations around the world providing chances for all people to exchange ideas, present their research, and develop questions.