NOBEL PRIZE WINNER AMARTYA SEN, DISTINGUISHED SCHOLAR PAUL DEMENY TO PRESENT KEYNOTE ADDRESSES ON POPULATION, EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT

Note to Correspondents

NOBEL PRIZE WINNER AMARTYA SEN, DISTINGUISHED SCHOLAR PAUL DEMENY TO PRESENT

KEYNOTE ADDRESSES ON POPULATION, EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT

Media Invited to Attend Addresses

Scheduled for 1, 2 April, Press Briefing on 3 April

Professor Amartya Sen, 1998 Nobel Prize Winner in Economics and Master, Trinity College, Cambridge, United Kingdom, and Dr. Paul Demeny, Distinguished Scholar at the Population Council, New York, will be presenting keynote addresses on population, education and development to the Commission on Population and Development.  Media representatives are invited to attend.

On Tuesday, 1 April at 11:30 a.m., in Conference Room 3, Dr. Demeny will speak on “Education and the Wealth of Nations”.  He will focus on the impact of education for economic development and economic growth, and their relationships to income inequality. 

Professor Sen will speak on “The Reach of Schooling”, on Wednesday, 2 April at 10:00 a.m., in Conference Room 3.  He will focus on the role schooling plays in social and economic development, and will also discuss the importance of curriculum for imparting an understanding of the complexities of the world and teaching skills required for employment and personal growth. 

Professor Sen and Dr. Demeny will be joined by Mr. Joseph Chamie, Director of the United Nations Population Division, for a briefing for journalists on Thursday, 3 April, at 11:00 a.m. in Room S-226.

Background

The special theme of this year’s Commission on Population and Development is “population, education and development”.  Education has long been recognized as one of the essential underpinnings of human development and societal progress.  Achieving universal primary education is one of the key objectives of the Millennium Declaration.  As the Secretary-General of the United Nations has stated, “Without the full development of a country’s human resources, development will not take root, and economic growth will not be sustained.  Educated individuals are more able to contribute to the well-being and advancement of their societies.”

The Concise Report on Population, Education and Development is available as document E/CN.9/2003/2.  This and other documents can be accessed through the Population Division Web site, http://www.un.org/esa/population/cpd/comm2003.htm.

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