NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS 'CIVIL CONFLICTS' FOCUS OF ANNUAL UN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL STUDENT CONFERENCE AT HEADQUARTERS, 5 - 6 MARCH
Press Release
NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS 'CIVIL CONFLICTS' FOCUS OF ANNUAL UN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL STUDENT CONFERENCE AT HEADQUARTERS, 5 - 6 MARCH
19980303"Civil Conflicts: Global Consequences and Concerns" will be the theme of the twenty-second United Nations International School (UNIS)/United Nations Student Conference to be held in the General Assembly Hall at Headquarters from 5 to 6 March.
The annual Conference, which provides a forum for young people to discuss a global issue and to hear high profile speakers present their views on the topic, will this year bring more than 500 high school students representing over 100 nationalities. They come from 41 schools located in 17 countries.
The feature speaker at this year's Conference, a project of about 50 UNIS high school students, will be the President of Trinidad and Tobago, Arthur N.R. Robinson. Among the other important speakers are the Under- Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Kieran Prendergast; the Executive Chairman of the United Nations Special Commission set up under Security Council resolution 687 (1991) in connection with the disposal of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, Richard Butler; Head of the Conflict Resolution Center, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University, Andrea Bartoli; Senior Professor of International Relations, American University, Abdul Aziz Said; Consultant of the Child Protection Programme, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Cassie Landers; Foreign Correspondent of The Washington Post, Michael Dobbs; and Head of the Expatriate Dialogues Program, American Friends Service, Jack Patterson.
The two days of speeches, discussions and debates will focus on the violent and destructive civil conflicts that still exist, and will foster an understanding of the global impact of these conflicts. Issues of conflict prevention and intervention in conflicts, refugees, migration, humanitarian aid, and the involvement of international organizations, government and non- governmental agencies in the prevention and resolution of conflicts in war-torn nations, will be examined. The devastating effects of landmines on individuals and societies and the importance of their total global ban is also on the agenda, as is the role and the potential power of the media in civil conflicts.
The level of the speakers and the number of participants clearly demonstrate that the UNIS/United Nations Conference is the premier event in its field internationally.
For additional information, contact either Frederika Van Eyndhoven at 212-584-3053 or David Evans at 212-584-3025.
* *** *