Discussion of "Defining the U.S.-UN Relationship for the 21st Century," Nov. 28

A panel discussion titled "Building a Safer World: Defining the U.S.-UN Relationship for the 21st Century" will consider what role the United States should take in reforming and working with the United Nations. The talk will be held on Monday, November 28, 2005, at 6:30 p.m. in Room 127. It is free and open to the public.

The speakers at the panel will be:

Carol Bellamy, former executive director of UNICEF (1995-2005) and current president of World Learning and the School for International Training
David Morrison, director of communications at the United Nations Development Programme
The Honorable Chris Shays, U.S. Congressman from Connecticut and chair of Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security
Irv Stolberg, former president, National Conference of State Legislatures

Harold Hongju Koh, Dean of Yale Law School and former assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor, will present welcoming remarks.

The United Nations is at a crucial moment in its history. On March 21, 2005, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan presented a new report, In Larger Freedom, laying out a plan for sweeping reform. Annan called for a collective security system to fight terrorism, an enlarged Security Council, a revamped U.N. human rights system, and new guidelines for military action. While these reforms are critical to the U.N.'s continued effectiveness in a changing world, questions remain as to what role the U.S. should play in supporting these reforms.

The talk is sponsored by Americans for Informed Democracy and is part of a broader series called The People Speak.