Simone Bernhardt

Simone Bernhardt is a professional ethnologist with more than 30 years experience in intercultural management, including senior professional management of international programs for the 48 countries of Europe which extends to Turkey and all of Eastern Europe.  She has diverse experience in projects and other interventions related to inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue, planning, promotion of understanding, appreciation of the precursors of cultural conflict, democratic citizenship education programs for emerging economics, and practical reconciliation processes applicable to specific development contexts.  Ms. Bernhardt has been involved in more than 50 international missions throughout Europe on behalf of the Council of Europe, served as Project Manager for combined European countries Intercultural Dialogue and Conflict Prevention from 2000-2004, and since 2001 has served as Chief of Project for Intercultural Dialogue and Conflict Prevention in the Directorate of Cultural and Natural Heritage of the Council of Europe.  Ms. Bernhardt currently serves on numerous boards, including the Europe of Cultures Forum, Belgium; European Cultural Centre of Delphi, Athens; and the Board for the Preparation of the European Year for Democratic Citizenship, Council of Europe.  She is a member of Mentor Media Education (Association liee a l'Universite autonome de Barcelone) and is a Senior Consultant for the Institute for International Development, Adelaide, Australia.  She has written numerous publications and given many presentations, including 'Histories of Dialogue' - Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina; a presentation for the European Union for Radiodiffusion under the theme of Une Experience Trans-frontiere: Cultures, Religions, Medias; a presentation at the 4th Parliament of the World's Religions entitled Sharing and Understanding: Multicultural Conflicts: Intercultural Dialogue - A Necessity; and many other papers and presentations.