Speakers and Authors Günther Albel (*1974) ist the mayor of Villach since 2015, previously he was the first deputy mayor for three years.Since 1998 Günther Albel is a member of the socialdemocratic party (SPÖ), from 2003 to 2012 he was as a local council and from 2006 to 2009 he was the secretary of the SPÖ council club. Albel is married and has two children. He graduated from the Business Academy Villach and was before he took office as deputy mayor he worked as registrar in Villach. His hobbies are reading, running, football and his family. It calls on citizens, business and politics to face the challenges of increasing migrant influx. buergermeister@villach.at Nahid Bagheri-Goldschmied (*1958) is a poet, prose writer and literary translator. She studied Persian and Arabic Language and Literature at Tehran University and lives in Austria since 1980th. In 2001 she received the Poetry Prize “Writing between cultures”, 2009 a book prize from the Ministry of Education for her novel “Chawar”. She is chairwoman of the Iranian art and culture association in exile “Marpeyma” (commuters), member and individual delegates of the IG authors of the Austrian PEN Club and the Austrian Writers’ Association. She is of the opinion that tolerance and freedom have their limits. “Unlimited tolerance can lead to extremist developments in society and disturb the peace.” nahid.goldschmied@gmail.com Hassan Baroud (*1954) is a prose writer and translator with Egyptian roots. He studied German, Arabic and Islamic Studies at Al -Azhar University in Cairo , then interpreting at the University of Vienna. He lives and works in Austria since 1978 as a translator for the Egyptian Embassy and a lecturer at the Vienna International School. Baroud published numerous stories about his origin and life between cultures. In his literary works he combines the figurative language of Arabic with the trained in the of observation trained German language. He can therefore build bridges of understanding that escort the the reader unobtrusively from one page to another. info@penclub.at Stephen Bradberry (*1966) is executive director of the Alliance Institute, a nonprofit organization in New Orleans, which is primarily concerned in the consequences and the victims of the Deepwater Horizon oil catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico (2010). He became known beyond the borders of the United States as a “Community Organizer” in rebuilding the city of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In the same year he received for his work the “Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award”. Bradberry was born in Chicago and has organized during his career numerous campaigns against poverty and social exclusion. He worked as a coach and mentor for human rights activities across the United States and is the first time in Austria. sbradberry@theallianceinstitute.org Michael Bünker (*1954) ist the bishop of the Protestant Church in Austria and General Secretary of the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe since 2007. Hegrew up in Radenthein, gratuated at the high school in Villach and finished his PhD in Protestant Theology in Vienna in 1981. He was vicar from 1980 inienna and in 1991 he became the head of the Protestant Religion Pedagogical Academy. In autumn 1999 he was elected “Oberkirchenrat”. As the leader of the Protestant Church in Austria he is particularly committed to intercultural and interfaith dialogue. bischof@evang.at Seher Çakır (*1971) is a writer, radio presenter and moderator. With almost twelve years she moved with her parents from Istanbul to Vienna where she first completed a photo commerce training. She studied at the Pedagogical Academy and received a State scholarship for literature in 2008. She published her first book of poems “Wednesdays’ Poems” in 2004 and received the prize of exile literature for “Hanna’s Letters” in 2005. Two years later she was the prize winner of Inzinger literature competition. Many of her short stories have been published in literary magazines and newspapers. info@penclub.at Lev Detela (*1939) is a Slovenian writer of poetry, fiction, essays and dramas in both languages. He has also worked as a translator and cultural reporter for newspapers, magazines and radio stations in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Slovenia. In former Yugoslavia his books were banned because he was considered a dissident. His literary work has been translated into numerous languages. He translated numerous works of Austrian authors into Slovenian. Detela is co-publisher and editor of the “Journal of International Literature LOG”, he works for the Slovenian literary magazines “SRP” and “Meddobje” and was editor of the magazines “Most” in Trieste, “Mladje” in Carinthia and the Slovene exile magazine “Slovenska vest”. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lev_Detela Bettina Gruber (* 1960) is a contemporary historian and a peace researcher at the Alpen-Adria University. She deals with cross-border research projects in the Alps-Adriatic region, especially “peacebuilding” in Southeast Europe, Peace Education (Intercultural learning, memory culture), migration research and policy and youth policy and participation. In addition, she is co-spokesperson for the migration platform in Villach and co-founder of the “Carinthian Dialogue Forum Coexistence” (2015). In Fresach shewill talk about the causes of the current refugee movements and identify challenges and prospects. bettina.gruber@aau.at Rolf Holub (*1956) is national council of Environment and Energy in Carinthia since 2013. His Energy and Mobility Master Plan should initiate an energy transition in Carinthia and increase the share of public transport. Before his political career Rolf Holub studied medicine and journalism and worked from 1974 as a freelance musician and cabaret artist. From March 2003 he was council of the Greens in Klagenfurt, in the regional elections in 2004 he was the leading candidate of the Greens. With the first Green entry in the Carinthian parliament in March 2004 Rolf Holub became a deputy in the parliament. By 2014, he was national spokesperson for the Greens in Carinthia and a member of the national executive. From 2009 to 2012 he was chairman of Hypo-committee of inquiry in the Carinthian parliament. Rolf Holub is convinced that “save air = save people.” rolf.holub@ktn.gv.at Peter Huber (*1967) is a regional expert at the Austrian Institute for Economic Research. He works on immigration and labor market issues and European integration. After studying Economics at the Vienna University of Economics and Business, he attended the postgraduate course of the Institute for Advanced Studies and worked as a research assistant. In 1999 he moved to the WIFO where he was from 2012 to 2014 deputy head. peter.huber@wifo.ac.at Ishraga Hamid Mustafa (*1961) is an author, translator and freelance journalist from Sudan. She lives in Vienna since1993 and has completed her studies in journalism and political science with a doctorate of 2006. Hamid is engaged in projects for migrants, especially in the “blacks, migrants research”. Texts of her have appeared in several anthologies, including “The Stranger in Me” (1999), “The Language of Resistance” (2000), “Your language is not my language” (2002) and “I am asked whether I am” (2009). Hamid has published “Faces of the Danube” (2014) and gave “Symphony of Rub ‘al Khali,” a collection of contemporary Arab poetry (2015) (both: edition pen in Löcker Verlag). She is a representative of Arabic literature at the Austrian PEN Club and fights against the “borders in our minds”. ishraga@penclub.at Aftab Hussain (*1962) is a poet, translator and literary critic from Pakistan. He studied literature at the Punjab University Lahore and finished his doctorate the University of Vienna. He writes in Urdu and in the Indian national language Hindi. His poems have been translated into numerous languages. After his escape from Pakistan Hussain was a fellow of the Heinrich Böll Foundation and the Austrian Federal Chancellery and was mentored by International PEN, the project “Writers in Exile”. His poetry and literary criticisms were published in all major literary magazines of India and Pakistan. He currently teaches at the University of Vienna. Hussain warns Europe against slamming the doors for refugees. This would also restrict the air of mind. info@penclub.at Philo Ikonya (*1959) comes from Kenya and studied linguistics and literature at the University of Nairobi, before shewent to Spain to study pedagogy and philosophy. She then returned to her home and worked as a freelance journalist for the biggest papers in the country. She did address social injustice, pervasive corruption and the abuse of power of the ruling elite. Several times she was therefore arrested and mistreated. In 2009, she accepted the invitation of the International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN) to Oslo into exile and lives in Vienna since 2013. In 2015 she recited in Fresach her love poems from prison for the first time. philo7626@gmail.com Sarita Jenamani (*1972) is a writer, poet and translator from India. She studied economics and business administration at the Utkal University and the University of Applied Sciences Wiener Neustadt, in her mother tongue Oriya, in the Indian national language Hindi and in English. She was a fellow of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, the artist village Schöppingen and the Cultural Association Inzing in Innsbruck. For her translations of poems by the writer Rose Ausländer in Hindi she received a grant from the Federal Chancellery. She participated in numerous international literary events and poetry festivals and has published several volumes of poetry. Jenamani says the climate talks are not only about climate but the issue of global justice and morality. “Our actions are futile as long as equality and tolerance have not been enforced.” info@penclub.at Harald Kollegger (*1955) is a professor at the Medical University of Vienna, specialist in neurology and author of novels, essays and poetry. He is a member of the Austrian PEN Club and since April 2015 its vice-president. In his scientific work he dealt with the chemo architecture and the plasticity of the human brain. From 1997 to 2006 he headed the research laboratory of the Department of Neurology in Vienna. In his novels and essays he deals with inflationary theory, the consultant mischief and strategies of withstanding in difficult times. In 2016 his book “If nothing works, work with is – About joy in rough times.” Some of his presented methods are constructive and resource-saving, but politically effective to deal with suffering. They will be presented in his pain workshop in Fresach. harald.kollegger@meduniwien.ac.at Karl Ferdinand Kratzl (*1953) is an author, comedian and actor from Vienna. He was known for his appearances in the TV series MA2412. Kratzl studied fermentation technique at the University of Agricultural Sciences, as well as Psychology and Anthropology at the University of Vienna and completed his doctorate on the subject: “The musicality of the unmusical”. He has been writing since the age of eight stories and poems, solo pieces, columns, art catalog essays, prose, also children’s books, radio plays and theater scenes for Burgtheater. As an actor he appeared in the theater in Josefstadt, the Schauspielhaus and the Rabenhof, he participated in films of Schottenberg, Haneke and Sicheritz. He is currently working on a new translation of Goldoni’s “Servant of Two Masters” for Stockerauer Summer Festival. In Fresach he will give a “State of the Union Address”. info@penclub.at Helga Kromp-Kolb (*1948) is Austria’s most famous climate researcher, professor of meteorology and director of the Centre for Global Change and Sustainability at the University of Agricultural Sciences in Vienna. Sheis one of the main authors of the Austrian Assessment Report on Climate Change in 2014. Austria was the first country in Europe that has created such a report. Helga Kromp-Kolb received for her commitment to global climate change numerous awards and tributes, among others the Konrad Lorenz Award 1991, the merit of the Province of Vienna in 2006 and the Great Silver Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria in 2011. In 2005, she was the scientist of the year. helga.kromp-kolb@boku.ac.at To the report: http://www.ccca.ac.at/de/apcc Christoph Kulterer (*1971) is the owner and CEO of the Hasslacher Norica Timbergroup. Since 2010 he is the chairman of the Austrian sawmill industry and vice president of the professional association of the Austrian wood industry, since 2012 president of the industrial association of Carinthia and since 2015 Vice-President of the European Sawmill Industry (EOS) and chairman of ARGE proHolz Austria. After studying business, he has workedon several social projects of public concern, in 2015 he co-founded the “Initiative for Carinthia”. http://www.hasslacher.at Christa Markom (*1976) teaches Migration Anthropology at the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Vienna, and researches on racism in Austria. Her focus as a staff member at the Vienna Ludwig Boltzmann Institute are also migration studies, multiculturalism, language and discrimination and derogatory terms in textbooks. On these issues she also conducts seminars and workshops in the youth and adult education. 2014 she published the book “Racism in the middle: The social construction of the ‘others’ in Austria”, whose theses she represents in Fresach. christa.markom@ehp.lbg.ac.at Thomas Maurer (*1967) is a professional comedian since 1988 and has 15 solo programs that made him known beyond the borders of Austria. He also likes to work regularly with cabaret colleagues, including but Hader, Palfrader, Scheuba, Puntigam). Maurer has a leading role in television projects and writes columns, features, short stories and screenplays. In 2015 he received German cabaret prize. In Fresach Maurer presents his new solo program “The Tolerator”. “Tolerance is not only a generally accepted virtue but also an exciting and inexpensive hobby,” says Maurer. http://www.thomasmaurer.at Pravu Mazumdar (*1952) was born in India and studied physics and philosophy. He is freelance writer, translator and lecturer in Munich and is working on theories of modernity, event philosophies and interpretations of art. He wrote many essays on Foucault, several volumes of “Philosophy Now” and books like “No man’s Land of Civilizations”, “The Power of Happiness” and most recently “The unleashed surface”. Due to his contributions to the immigration debate and the clash of civilizations he became known to a wider public. He analyzes the “conflicting visions of paradise in different societies representing paradigmatic migration and tourism as the two great opposing movements towards each other into imagined lucky spaces”. pravu@pravumazumdar.com Reinhard Merkel (*1950)is Professor of Criminal Law and Legal Philosophy at the University of Hamburg. In his youth he was a professional swimmer (Olympian 1968). After his studies, he was assistant at the Institute of Philosophy of Law at the University of Munich and later editor of the weekly newspaper “Die Zeit” (1988-1990). Then he returned to University. He published monographs including ciminal law and satire in the work of Karl Kraus (Legal Book of the Year 1996), as well as freedom of will and legal guilt (2008; 2nd edition, 2014). In 2009 he wrote with other authors a memorandum on the ethical assessment of neuro-enhancement. Since 2012 he is nominated by the Federal Government as member of the German Ethics Council. Due to his pronounced political views Merkel is often in the media; also his contribution in the F.A.Z. for dealing with climate refugees (09/22/2015) caused intensive discussions. reinhard.merkel@jura.uni-hamburg.de Helmuth A. Niederle (*1949) is the President of the Austrian PEN club since 2011 and initiator of numerous effective public campaigns such as “Time to Say: No!”. After studying anthropology, art history, ethnology and sociology he was researcher and since 1994 deputy head of the Austrian Society for Literature and representative of the Writers in Prison Committee Austria. For several years he was editor of the series “scriptor mundi”, which was published in the “edition Kappa” (Munich), since 2006 he is editor of the series “edition milo in Publisher Lehner ” (Vienna) and is now responsible for the edition pen in Löcker Verlag. Niederle is an author and translator of numerous publications and published in literary journals, newspapers, magazines and on the ORF. info@penclub.at Chibo Onyeji (*1950) is a philosopher, human rights activists, economic and development aid expert who teaches at the University of Vienna. He comes from a family of poets from Eastern Nigeria, was a soldier, journalist, sailor and laundry workers. He studied was at the University of Skopje, Webster University and the Texas University MM. He is the author of novels and collections of poetry, in which the main issue is the equality of blacks in Europe. He believes that a second home is always an advantage – for each person. “You can not even get to know its culture completely. But there is always something new from another culture to learn.” http://www.linkedin.com Marc R. Pacheco (*1952) is a Democratic senator of the US state of Massachusetts, and since 2015 the President of the Senate on time. Previously, from 1989 to 1992 he was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and a member of the Taunton School Committee and staff administration of Taunton (1982-1988). Senator Pacheco has fought for many years for sustainable energy and environmental programs in his hometown of Boston. He is world-climate ambassador for the Climate Reality Project of former US Vice President Al Gore. Pacheco was most recently at the 2013 World Sustainable Energy Forum in Vienna. http://www.climaterealityproject.org Bernhard Perchinig (*1958) is a political scientist with focus on European immigration and integration policy, Urban policy integration, anti-discrimination policies and minority rights. He is currently involved in the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) and works on projects in Turkey and Southeast Asia. Perchinig was previously Senior Research Fellow Human Rights in the European Context at the University of Vienna, a senior researcher at the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Head of Migration Research at the European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research and head of the base section of the Vienna Integration Fund. He is a consultant for the City of Vienna, the Austrian Commission for UNESCO, the Euro Europe and the European Commission, DG Employment. http://www.icmpd.org Hans-Peter Premur (*1961) is a Catholic chaplain at the Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt and pastor in Krumpendorf (Carinthia). He comes from Maria Saal and studied Theology and Philosophy of Religion. He received his ordinationin 1988. From 1992 to 2000 he was head of the Education Center St. Georgen. Premur became known by his commitment to refugees. “The issues of asylum and refugees are not any more indispensable for living rooms and crackerbarrel conversation If you participate in world affairs, then it’s over with the tranquility.” http://www.kath-kirche-kaernten.at/pfarren/pfarre/C3059/ Franz Prettenthaler (*1972) is a social scientist and since 2010 Head of the Research Group for Regional Policy, Risk and Resource Economics at the Joanneum Research in Graz. His research interests are environmental and resource economics in relation to climate change, and risk and disaster management. He constantly is working in collaboration with the large rear-insurers in Europe. He also has published relevant work on the reform of the risk transfer system for natural hazards in Austria, the general public, he was known by the idea of a transfer account of 2009. ist Sozialwissenschafter und seit 2010 Leiter der Forschungsgruppe Regionalpolitik, Risiko- und Ressourcenökonomik beim Joanneum Research in Graz. Seine Forschungsschwerpunkte liegen in der Umwelt- und Ressourcenökonomie und im Bezug auf den Klimawandel im Risiko- und Katastrophenmanagement. Er arbeitet dazu laufend mit den großen Rück-Versicherern in Europa zusammen. Er publizierte außerdem einschlägige Arbeiten zur Reform des Risikotransfersystems für Naturgefahren in Österreich, der breiten Öffentlichkeit wurde er 2009 durch die Idee eines Transferkontos bekannt. franz.prettenthaler@joanneum.at Claus Reitan (*1954) is a professor, journalist, author and speaker. His major issues and priorities are politics, society, migration, integration and sustainability. Claus Reitan was chief editor of the weekly newspaper Die FURCHE and of the Tiroler Tageszeitung, editor at NEWS and founding chief editor of “Österreich”. As a member of the editor’s association Reitan was co-founder of the new Austrian Press Council. He is co-editor of the manual “Practical Journalism”, engaged in training for journalism (professional ethics and quality journalism), initiated in cooperation with the Integration Fund and Trustees for Journalism Education the seminar series “Flight, Migration and Integration”. Numerous publications: “Society in Transition – change of perspective for Austria” (2014), “Franz Schausberger – politician, historian, European” (2015), “The new population movements – causes of migration” (Fall 2016). claus.reitan@aon.at Herbert Ritsch (*1967) has been operating in executive positions at banksfor the last 20 years. in executive positions at banks operating. Since 2008 he works on sustainability and ethics in the financial world. He built up the area of sustainability at Bank Gutmann and is responsible for the Business Ethics and Integrity of Creation at Bankhaus Schelhammer & Schattera since 2016. Ritsch studied business administration at the Vienna University of Economics and received his doctorate at the University of Klagenfurt in applied computer science. He is part of the Economic Senate and member of the Forum of Christian leaders. He also holds the diploma ESG analyst of DVFA in conjunction with the University of Hamburg and is a Certified Portfolio Manager. http://www.schellhammer.at Niyazi Serdar Sarıçiftçi (*1961) is an internationally recognized physicist and specialist in organic semiconductors at the Johann Kepler University (JKU) Linz. He heads the Institute of Physical Chemistry and the Institute of Organic Solar Cells. After studies in Istanbul, Vienna, Stuttgart and Santa Barbara (USA) he teaches and researches in Linz since 1996. From 2003 to 2009 he was a representative in the City Council of Linz. Sariciftci is a founding member of the Linz circle and Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, the American Chemical Society and the Materials Research Society. 2014 he was elected corresponding member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (AAS). He received the Cardinal Innitzer Award 2010, the Wittgenstein Prize 2012, Humanity Medal of the City of Linz and several honorary doctorates. In 2008 he was an Austrian of the Year in the category of research. He has published over 500 scientific articles and is one of the most cited scientists in his field. serdar.sariciftci@jku.at Karl W. Steininger (*1965) is professor at the Department of Economics at the Karl-Franzens University of Graz and at the Wegener Center for Climate and Global Change. He worked for years on the effects of climate change on the environment and economy and has written more than 100 articles for scientific magazines. He was also one of the three main authors of the Austrian Climate Assessment Report http://coin.ccca.at/ . As head of the project COIN (cost of non trade) he calculated the cost of possible climate change in Euros for the first time for Austria. Steininger studied in Vienna, Berkeley (California) and Washington. He currently also chairs the Committee on Environmental and Resource Economics of the Association for Social Policy in Frankfurt. http://www.uni-graz.at/karl.steininger Hans Stoisser (*1962) is an entrepreneur, consultant and author. In the 1980s he worked two and a half years in West Africa. During his post-graduate studies at Johns Hopkins University he focused on international relations and the increasing interdependence of the world order. After the fall of the Iron Curtain Stoisser accompanied Austrian enterprises ontheir expansion to the Eastern European neighbours. In the 1990s he led the business of a furniture manufacturer and built an Austrian-Slovenian production network. At that time he founded the consulting firm ECOTEC and built infrastructure in many parts of Africa, Palestine and Brazil countries. Since the 2000s he is an external partner of Malik Management in St. Gallen. In 2015 he published his book “The Black Tiger – what we can learn from Africa”, in which he asks Europe to look outwards and discover the Africa of vitality, joy and booming real economy. http://www.hansstoisser.com Hubert Stotter (*1957) is a Protestant pastor and rector of Diakonie de La Tour, a social enterprise with more than 1400 employees. He began his career with an apprenticeship as an electrical engineer, then studied theology at the Mission Seminar Hermannsburg (FH for Intercultural Theology) and in Vienna. After a Vicariate in Germany and in the US and eight years as a teacher and director of a theological seminary of the Mekane Yesus Church in Ethiopia he took over Diakonie de La Tour in 2000. He has finished a doctorate in social sciences and economics in 2011. According Stotter the right to participate is a human right and a prerequisite that society works. http://www.diakonie-delatour.at Hannes Swoboda (*1946) was leader of the Austrian Social Democrats in the European Parliament from 1996 to 2014 and President of the European S & D group from 2012-2014. He has served on numerous committees and delegations and was rapporteur with regional focus on South East Europe, Central Asia and Russia. In this role he delivered substantial contributions against political extremism and promoting minorities. His studies and his experience as a member of the Chamber of Labour, the Vienna parliament and as an acting representative of the City Counsil helped to get a firm grasp on social and political issues. hswoboda@spoe.at Klaus Töpfer (*1938) was 1987 appointed Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear of Germany in 1987 Safety. Subsequently, from 1994 to 1998, the economist took over the Federal Ministry of Regional Planning, Building and Urban Development. During this time he was responsible for the move of the government and parliament to Berlin. From 1998-to2006 he was Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), based in Nairobi. In 2007 he was professor of Environment and Sustainable Development at Tongji University in Shanghai, since 2009 he is founding director of the Research Institute for Climate, Earth System and Sustainability, since 2010 advisor to the desert electricity project “Desertec”, which deals in Potsdam (Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies, IASS) with the global development of renewable energies. Töpfer has been working for decades by creating sustainable solutions. He received numerous honors and awards for his commitments, among others the Order of Merit, the German Environmental Award, the Theodor Heuss Prize and the German Sustainability Award for lifetime achievement. klaus.toepfer@gmail.com Henning Vöpel (*1973) is managing director of the Hamburg Institute of International Economics (HWWI) since 2014, where he is responsible for the areas of research conjuncture and world economy. Vöpel teaches as a professor of economics at the Hamburg School of Business Administration (HSBA)since 2010. His research focuses on economic analysis, monetary policy, financial markets and game theory. He is also a partner for the Economic Reporting Institute – ERI. For him limits are the subject of the coming years. Is freedom limitless? And what are the limits of safety? http://www.hwwi.org Şerafettin Yıldız (*1953) is a writer and translator with Turkish origins and lives in Vienna since 1978, where he among others has worked as a school counselor for immigrants. He has a degree in economics, is a member of the Austrian PEN Club, lecturer, guest speaker and juror at literary competitions. The list of his publications is long, with publications in literary journals and anthologies at home and abroad in Italy, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Germany, Romania, Mexico, Romania, Turkey. For Yıldız the borders of Europe are no longer fasten geographically. “In times of globalization, we need a new language, which could make the sore planet for us mortals to a new, more livable home.” http://www.serafettinyildiz.at Verena Winiwarter (*1961) is an environmental historian and has been trying for years to make her understand work to a wider public. Specifically, she is more interested to show the consequences of environmental sins of the past and to draw the lessons. For the dean of the Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies at the Alpen-Adria University a central task of the implementationof sustainability is to overcome national conflicts and brain drain in the Danube region. With her project “Danube: Future” it wants to reinforce the link between the sustainability research in the Alps-Adriatic region and the Danube region. 2013 she was elected “Scientist of the Year”. verena.winiwarter@uni-klu.ac.at
