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United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan will be the keynote speaker at a forum hosted by Tenth District Representative Donald Payne on the topic “Africa Matters.” The event, which is in conjunction with the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference, will be held on Friday, September 23rd, from 9 am to 1 pm in Room 146 C of the Washington Convention Center.
Payne, who serves in Congress as Ranking Member of the International Relations Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations, was previously appointed as one of two Congressional Delegates to the U.N. and has been nominated to serve an unprecedented second term. “I am honored that the Secretary General of the U.N. has agreed to share his perspective on issues related to Africa in this open forum,” Payne said. “His insights will be very helpful as we shape foreign policy and determine how best to support stability and prosperity on the continent of Africa.”
Following the keynote address of Secretary General Annan, there will be a discussion by a panel of former African Presidents, including President Kenneth Kaunda of the Republic of Zambia, President Ketumile Masire of the Republic of Botswana, President Mahamane Ousmane of the Republic of Niger, President Antonio Mascarenhas Monteiro of the Republic of Cape Verde.
Other invited speakers include Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Fraser, Bureau of Africa African Affairs; Special Representative Roger Winter, U.S. Department of State; Ambassador Edith Ssempala, Ugandan Ambassador to the U.S., and several Members of Congress.
Discussion topics include UN Reform, The G-8 Summit, Economic Growth and Development; Meeting the Millennium Development Goals; Dealing with HIV/AIDS, TB, and Malaria; Resolving Africa’s Conflicts and Picking up the Pieces; Strengthening the African Union and Africa’s Regional Structures; a Sudan Update – Implementing the Peace Agreement and Ending the Darfur Genocide.
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