UNITED NATIONS - / www.MaximsNews.com@U.N./ - 19 May 2007 –  The Following is a description of a major event at the UN celebrating the 20^th anniversary of Esquipulas II, the peace treaty that ended the conflicts in Central America to be held on June 13, 2007.  The event is co-sponsored by the Schweitzer Institute and the Arias Foundation, which have consultative status with the United Nations, and by the U.N. Office of Disarmament Affairs.  The cost is free and anyone can attend the events during the day. PLEASE NOTE: Anyone wishing to attend should contact David T. Ives, Executive Director, Albert Schweitzer Institute, in regard to  U.N. clearance by 2 June: david.ives@quinnipiac.edu or phone, 203-582-3144. The dinner that night is by invitation only.  

United Nations, New York, 10am-6pm, 13 June 2007

A conference organized by the

Arias Foundation for Peace and Human Progress and the

Albert Schweitzer Institute ( Quinnipiac University ),

in collaboration with the

UN Office for Disarmament Affairs, UNDP,

the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute and the

University of Peace ( Costa Rica )  

                                                                                           Conference room 4  

10am-12pm:  Greetings by Ms. Hannelore Hoppe, Director, UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (CONFIRMED); Mr. Luis Alberto Cordero, Executive Director, Arias Foundation (CONF.), and Mr. David T. Ives, Executive Director, Albert Schweitzer Institute (CONF.), to present the goals of the conference      

The Voices of the Visionaries: Panel with Signatories of Esquipulas II Accords  

Keynote speakers:          

·          President Oscar Arias (Costa Rica) (CONF.)  

·          Former President Vinicio Cerezo Arévalo (Guatemala) (CONF.)  

12pm-1pm: Commentators of the panel of keynote speakers:  

·          Mr. Jorge Arturo Reina, Minister of Governance and Justice, Honduras (CONF.)

·          Senior official of the Government of Nicaragua (to be identified by the Government of Nicaragua)

·          Dr. Oscar Santamaría, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of El Salvador, and former Secretary General of the Central American Integration System (SICA) (CONF.)

·          Mr. Alvaro De Soto, former Personal Representative of the UN Secretary-General to the Central American Peace Process (CONF.)  

1-3pm LUNCH BREAK:  

2:00-2:45 pm: presentation of a documentary on the life of Albert Schweitzer in Conference room 7  

3-5 pm:  Four concurrent panels will discuss the key challenges that Central America is still facing now  

Panel 1: Security and Violence - Conference room 4

·          Organized Crime and Drug Cartels:  Mr. Theodore Leggett, Research Expert, UNODC (CONF.)

·          Maras and Gang Violence: Mr. Geoff Thale, Programme Director, Washington Office on Latin America (CONF.)

·          Remilitarization and Public Security: Mr. Bernardo Arevalo de León, Director, UNDP-Interpeace Joint Programme Unit for Participatory Strategies in Peacebuilding and Development in Geneva (CONF.)

·          Small Arms and the future Arms Trade Treaty: Ms. Ana Yancy Espinosa Quiros, Programme Coordinator, Arias Foundation (CONF.)  

Panel 2: Democratic Governance - Conference room 7 (maximum 50 participants)

·          State of Democratic Governance:  Dr. Shelly McConnell, Senior Associate director, Americas Programme, Carter Center (CONF.)

·          The challenges of democratic governance: Michael Shifter, vice president for policy at the Inter-American Dialogue, professor of Latin American politics at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service

·          Transparency in democratic institutions: Mr. Victor Valle, Dean for Latin America and the Caribbean Programme, University of Peace  (CONF.)

·          Electoral processes: Mr. Luis Alberto Cordero, Executive Director, Arias Foundation (CONF.)  

Panel 3: Economic Development - Conference room A (maximum 50 participants)

·          Poverty Reduction Initiatives: Prof. Luis Felipe Lopez-Calva, Stanford Center for International Development, Stanford University  (CONF.)

·          Debt Relief: Ms. Inés Bustillo, Chief, Washington Office, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) (CONF.)

·          Foreign Direct Investment and International Trade: Mr. Alberto Trejos, Professor of Economics, INCAE Business School, former Minister of Foreign Trade, Costa-Rica (CONF.)

·          Role of Women in Economic Development: Ms. Maria Rosa Renzi, Economic Adviser, UNDP Nicaragua (CONF.)  

Panel 4: Social Development- Conf. room 9 (maximum 50 participants)

·          Migration: Mr. Miguel Huezo Mixco, author of "Migration, culture and citizenship in El Salvador" (CONF.)

·          Indigenous People: Ms. Norma Quixtan Argueta, Secretary for Peace, Republic of Guatemala (CONF.)

·          Women: Ms. Lara Blanco, Assistant Resident Representative, UNDP Costa Rica, former Executive Director of the Arias Foundation

·          Youth: Mr. Julio Cesar Coyoy Alvarez, Executive Director of Asociacion Grupo Ceiba, Guatemala (CONF.)  

5-6pm – PLENARY: CLOSING SESSION                                    Conference room 4  

Reports on workshops sessions

Panel 1: Mr. Bernardo Arévalo de León

Panel 2: Mr. Michael Cassandra, UN Office for Disarmament Affairs

Panel 3: Mr. Alberto Trejos

Panel 4: Ms. Norma Quixtan Argueta  

Wrap-up remarks by Professor David T. Ives, Albert Schweitzer Institute (CONF.)  

6:30 Reception (By Invitation only) – Delegates Dining Room  

7:30 Dinner (By Invitation only) – Delegates Dining Room  

8:30 Speeches  

·          Prof. David Ives, Executive Director, Albert Schweitzer Institute (CONF.)

·          Mr. John L. Lahey, President, Quinnipiac University (CONF.)

·          Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the United Nations

·          Mr. Christopher Dodd, U.S. Senator

·          Mr. Oscar Arias, President of the Republic of Costa Rica (CONF.)

Labels: United Nations, U.N., 

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