Dr Clifford will serve as one of 12 vice presidents from 2010 to 2015, particularly representing the Asia-Pacific region. A former President of the Baptist Union of Australia, Dr Clifford chairs the BWA Christian Ethics Commission and is a member of the Resolutions Committee.
"This is a great honour. Baptists are the largest Protestant family of churches. The Asia-Pacific region has thousands of Baptist churches, but the smallest proportion of Christians to non-Christians," Dr Clifford said.
"There are significant issues of religious liberty in our region, as well as alleged human rights abuses in places such as West Papua, Myanmar and China. Baptists are at the forefront of progress on these issues through prayer, diplomatic efforts and grass-roots action."
The Baptist World Alliance is a fellowship of 214 Baptist conventions and unions comprising a membership of more than 37 million baptized believers and a community of 105 million. The Baptist World Alliance began in London, England, in 1905 at the first Baptist World Congress, and next meets in Hawaii in July 2010.
The BWA seeks to unite Baptists worldwide, to lead in world evangelism, to respond to people in need, to defend human rights, and to promote theological reflection.