 |
|
As part of the Embassy’s Speakers Bureau Program, Deputy Chief of Mission, Kenneth Hillas, spoke at the international conference entitled “Do We Need the United Nations?” as part of European Student Week at Lodz University on October 26, 2005. Hillas presented the US government’s position on the urgent need for UN reform and participated in a panel discussion with David Peleg, Israeli Ambassador to Poland, and Jens Martin of the Global Policy Forum, Bonn. Participating in the conference were 200 student leaders from all over Europe which included young people from Turkey, Moldova, Belarus, and Ukraine.
During his presentation and the panel discussion, the DCM answered questions from students focusing on human rights, US debt to the UN, and the correlation of democracy to development. One student asked the panel “What they could do as students to make a difference in UN reform?” Besides becoming active in groups that work to strengthen the UN, the DCM received a round of applause for his answer “Be enthusiastic and passionate, enjoy what you do, and you will make a difference.” This event was an excellent venue to engage a youth audience and to be able to address an important policy topic.
|
