WHO: American University experts

WHAT: Experts from American University’s School of International Service will share their insights into issues related to the 71st Regular Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

WHEN: Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016, 10 a.m. (EST)

WHERE: Phone briefing for reporters and editors. Dial-in Numbers: Toll Number (for any international calls): 1-517-308-9286; Toll-Free Number: 1-800-369-2060; Participant Pass Code: 1101125.

Background: As the 71st Regular Session of the UN General Assembly opens on September 13th in the shadow of the U.S. presidential election, experts from American University in Washington, D.C., will share their insights into some of the most important issues facing diplomats in New York and governments around the world.

What will be the legacy of the outgoing Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon? What challenges will the man or woman who succeeds him face? Why were disabilities-related goals not included in the UN development agenda before the Sustainable Development Goals were adopted? Why has the U.S. not ratified the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities? These and many other issues, some of them under-reported, will be discussed during a 60-minute phone conversation moderated by James Goldgeier, Dean of the School of International Service.

You will hear from:
James Goldgeier, dean of the School of International Service, served on the National Security Council Staff and at the State Department during the Clinton administration. Goldgeier is the author of a Council on Foreign Relations Special Report on The Future of NATO. His areas of expertise include U.S. national security policy, U.S.-Europe-Russia relations, and NATO.

Derrick Cogburn directs the AU Institute on Disability and Public Policy (IDPP) and serves as Co-Director of the AU Internet Governance Lab (IGL). His research and teaching are at the intersection of information science, political science, and international relations. He seeks to understand the role of global information and communication technology on socio-economic development and the institutional mechanisms for global governance.

Kenneth Conca is a member of the United Nations Environment Programme's Expert Advisory Group on Conflict and Peacebuilding. His research and teaching focus on global environmental governance, environmental peacebuilding in war-torn societies, environmental politics and policy in the United Nations system, water governance, and environmental policy analysis. His latest book is "An Unfinished Foundation: The United Nations and Global Environmental Governance" (Oxford University Press, 2015).

Mike Schroeder is director of the school’s Global Governance, Politics, and Security Master’s Program. His research focuses on political leadership and global governance and international organizations. Schroeder is currently working on a book investigating why some executive heads of international organizations are viewed as more successful leaders than others and the strategies these leaders employ to help their organization adapt to global political challenges.

To RSVP please contact: Natasha Abel nabel@american.edu or 202-885-5943.