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Oxy-at-U.N. Symposium is Oct. 19
To celebrate its 20th anniversary, the Occidental at the United Nations program will host a symposium on major issues facing the international body on Wednesday, Oct. 19 at the Harvard Club of New York.
Two panel discussions, one on sustainable development and the other on U.N. reform, will be followed by a reception honoring program founder George Sherry.
The Occidental at the United Nations program is the country’s only undergraduate program that offers students the opportunity to serve as interns in a variety of departments in the United Nations Secretariat, in addition to internships at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. While serving their internships, students also pursue a full semester of academic courses. Since 1986 some 300 students have participated in the program, which is now headed by Ambassador John Hirsch.
The Occidental at the U.N. program is overseen by the college’s Department of Diplomacy and World Affairs. Student participants, who live near United Nations headquarters, are currently interning with the departments of Peacekeeping Operations, Disarmament Affairs, and Public Information, as well as with the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees.
After opening remarks by Occidental Interim President Kenyon Chan and U.N. Deputy Secretary General Louise Fréchette, the first panel discussion, “Sustainable Development: Meeting the Millennium’s Challenges,” will be chaired by Judith Bahemuka, Kenya’s ambassador to the United Nations. Panelists are scheduled to include Ambassador Christopher Hackett of Barbados and Necla Tschirgi, vice president of the International Peace Academy.
The second panel discussion, “Security, Human Rights, and U.N. Reform,” will be chaired by Ibrahim Gambari, undersecretary general for the U.S. Department of Political Affairs. Panelists are scheduled to include Australian Ambassador John Dauth; Edward Luck, director of the Center on International Organization at Columbia University; and Giandomenico Picco of GDP Associates.
The 20th anniversary symposium will run from 3 to 6:30 p.m., followed by the reception. The event is free and open to the public. The Harvard Club of New York is located at 35 West 44th St.; its parking garage if at the corner of 44th and Sixth Avenue. For more information, contact Jamie Murphy at (323) 259-1456 or jmurphy@oxy.edu.