November 19, 2008
Students and administrators from St. John’s University’s three
New York City campuses will converge on the United Nations
Headquarters in Manhattan on Friday, November 21, 2008 for the
fifth Global Student Leadership Program.
Each semester, St. John’s students have been meeting with
various international diplomats and non-government organization
(NGO) representatives to discuss how the UN Millennium Development
Goals are helping both developed and developing countries
improve living conditions for citizens around the world and
eventually eliminate extreme global poverty. On the 21st,
they will network with professionals in the field as well as
students from other universities who also have a strong passion for
global development and social justice. This initiative is
coordinated by the Lower Hudson Valley Consortium of Catholic
Colleges and Universities and co-sponsored by St. John’s Division
of Student Life and the University’s Global Awareness
Project.
The focus of the spring 2008 program was on the least developed
countries in Africa that are hardest hit by poverty, civil unrest,
displacement, lack of fresh water, and economic instability.
This fall program will focus specifically on the eradication of
extreme poverty.
On November 21, the student group will begin the days with a
private tour of UN Headquarters, after which they’ll enjoy an
elegant networking lunch in the Delegates Dining Room, an area
usually accessible only to diplomats and UN employees.
Afterwards, they’ll participate in an afternoon panel discussion in
Conference Room 4, a venue that resembles the General Assembly Room
and the same site where the students met for the African Mission
Dialogues last spring. The discussion will be a rich series
of presentations and discussions of the Millennium Development
Goals with a particular focus on the eradication of extreme
poverty.
Sr. Eileen Gannon, O.P., former NGO representative of the
Dominican Leadership Conference will moderate the panel of experts,
which will include:
- Sr. Marie Elena Dio, S.C., NGO representative of the Sisters of
Charity Federation
- His Excellency Paul Badji, Ambassador, Permanent Representative
of Senegal to the United Nations
- William Exantus, Ministre Conseiller, Permanent Mission of
Haiti to the United Nations
–or– - Nicole Romulus, Conseillere, Permanent Mission of Haiti to the
United Nations
- Dr. Garry Conille, Leader, MDG Support Team, UNDP
In October, this issue was addressed at St. John’s in the
presentation, “Bankers to the Poor: Using Micro Finance to
Eradicate Poverty Today,” as part of the Provost’s Dialogues on the
Future and its theme focus on the Millennium Development Goals:
Eradicating Poverty. The Dialogues, a lecture series, are intended
to spark creative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing
issues. In the context of the University’s Mission, the Dialogues
seek to foster and promote ongoing academic discussion about these
goals and their current progress. At least one event is hosted
every semester to facilitate the ongoing conversation about world
issues of concern.
Last spring, the Provost’s Dialogues offered “Water H2O:Dying of
Thirst,” which featured experts in the fields of ecology and
anthropology followed by a question and answer session.