Penn Global Forum

Stephen Lewis Elucidates International Community's Role in African AIDS Crisis

Stephen Lewis, former UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, drew a rapt audience of students, faculty, administrators, and community members to Huntsman Hall on February 27 to hear his address, "Race Against Time: Confronting Global Health Challenges". In a moving and informative speech, Mr. Lewis explored the political, diplomatic and human rights dimensions of the AIDS crisis sweeping Africa.

As the UN Secretary General's primary adviser for HIV/AIDS issues in Africa from 2001 to 2006, Mr. Lewis energized the UN's commitment to battling AIDS on the continent--a battle he repeatedly warned the international community was failing to adequately wage. "It is my contention," Lewis said in March 2006, "that years from now, historians will ask how it was possible that the world allowed AIDS to throttle and eviscerate a continent, and... watched the tragedy unfold, in real time, while we toyed with the game of reform."

Mr. Lewis has had extensive experience as a diplomat, humanitarian, and politician, and has been a passionate advocate throughout his career for the women and children of the developing world. Prior to his appointment as UN Special Envoy, Mr. Lewis served as Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF from 1995-1999, and as the Canadian Ambassador to the UN from 1984-1988. Since 2003, he has codirected the Stephen Lewis Foundation, an organization he founded to support grassroots initiatives that assist people infected with HIV/AIDS in Africa.

This event was cosponsored by the African Studies Center.

Kishore Mahbubani Speaks about the "Greatest Asian Century"

The Penn Global Forum was honored to host its third speaker, former UN Ambassador from Singapore and author, Mr. Kishore Mahbubani on Monday, November 13, 2006. Mr. Mahbubani spoke about the spectacular rise of Asia and its impact on the US and the world.

Listed as one of the top 100 public intellectuals in the world by Foreign Policy and Prospect magazines, Mr. Mahbubani has been an influential force in shaping the global perception of Asian identity, and in addressing the changing face of global politics. He is the author of Can Asians Think? and Beyond the Age of Innocence: Rebuilding Trust between America and the World. Kishore Mahbubani has served 33 years in the Singapore Foreign Service with postings in Cambodia, Malaysia and Washington, DC. Between 1984 and 2004, Mr. Mahbubani served twice as Ambassador to the United Nations and as President of the UN Security Council in January 2001 and May 2002. In August 2004, Mr. Mahbubani became the first Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore.

The event was cosponsored with the Center for East Asian Studies and the South Asia Center.

Nobel Peace Laureate Wangari Maathai Rallies Penn Community

The Penn Global Forum, in coordination with the Growing Greener Cities Symposium, hosted environmentalist and 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Wangari Maathai on Monday, October 16, 2006, in the Irvine Auditorium. Dr. Maathai spoke about "Sustainable Development, Democracy and Peace: A Critical Link," and reflected on her work in the areas of community empowerment and environmental conservation.

Dr. Maathai is the founder of Kenya's Green Belt Movement, and the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. With a historic and visionary message, Dr. Maathai challenges audiences to rethink the concepts of peace and security. Recognizing the strong implications of sustainable management of the environment, she presents an argument for democracy rooted in respect for human rights, equity and justice.

Dr. Maathai's lecture was the second event under the newly established Penn Global Forum, which seeks to engage the campus in substantive dialogue on issues of global importance and local relevance.

Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi Inaugurates Penn Global Forum

2003 Nobel Peace Prize Winner Dr. Shirin Ebadi, the first Iranian and the first Muslim woman to win that distinction, is a courageous fighter for freedom and human rights in her native Iran and globally. The first woman to become a judge in Iran, Dr. Ebadi works tirelessly to raise awareness about issues like children in prison and forced child marriages and has taken on many controversial cases defending political dissidents. As a result, she has been imprisoned and fined many times.

Her lecture, "Protecting the Rights of Women and Children in the World Today," given on January 26th, 2006, was the inaugural event in the Penn Global Forum, recently established by University of Pennsylvania Provost Ronald J. Daniels. To view the lecture in its entirety, select one of the following formats: RealVideo, Windows Media, QuickTime

The event was sponsored by the Office of the Provost, Office of International Programs, Middle East Center, South Asia Center, Center for East Asian Studies, African Studies Center, Penn Lauder Center for International Business Education and Research, Huntsman Program in International Studies & Business, Christopher H. Browne Center for International Politics, Interdisciplinary Program on Women & Islamic Law, the Women's Studies Program, Muslim Student Law Association, and the Penn Persian Student Society.