DISTINGUISHED PANEL TO DISCUSS FOREIGN RELATIONS, COMBATING POVERTY ON FINAL DAY OF '2008 ROCKY MOUNTAIN ROUNDTABLE'
August 21, 2008
Council on Foreign Relations, National Democratic Institute and University of Denver Josef Korbel School of International Studies join in to bring discussion to Denver
Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, actor/director and advocate Ben Affleck, and a gathering of current and former government officials and scholars will headline roundtable discussions on international relations during the final day of the 2008 Rocky Mountain Roundtable series to be held in Denver to coincide with the Democratic National Convention.
NBC News Special Correspondent Tom Brokaw will moderate a morning roundtable discussion on "Enhancing the U.S. Role in the World" with Secretary Albright, chairman of the National Democratic Institute; Richard N. Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR); Richard C. Holbrooke, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and vice chairman of Perseus LLC; Jessica Mathews, president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; and Vin Weber, CEO of Clark & Weinstock and chairman of the National Endowment for Democracy.
An afternoon session will focus on "Combating Global Poverty," where panelists will discuss how the U.S. can work with the world community to achieve significant reductions in global poverty in the near term.
Participants include Albright, co-chair of the Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor; Affleck; John Danilovich, CEO of the Millennium Challenge Corporation; Tom Daschle, former U.S. Senate majority leader and national co-chairman of ONE Vote '08; Hernando de Soto, president of the Institute for Liberty and Democracy and co-chair of the Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor; Tim Wirth, former U.S. Senator and CEO of the United Nations Foundation; James Wolfensohn, former president of the World Bank; Nancy Birdsall, president of the Center for Global Development; Obiageli "Oby" Ezekwesili, vice president of the African Region of the World Bank; and Donald Payne, U.S. Representative, New Jersey. The program will be moderated by Gayle Smith, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.
The day will begin with a discussion of the results of a July 2008 poll regarding American views toward international cooperation presented by Geoff Garin, president of Peter D. Hart Research, and supported by the UN Foundation's Better World Campaign.
An invitation-only luncheon, at which Secretary Albright will deliver a special address on foreign policy challenges facing the next administration, will be held from 11:45 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. and hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations. The luncheon will be followed by a panel discussion with Council on Foreign Relations Fellows Edward Alden, Elizabeth C. Economy, and Michael Levi, and Tom Farer, dean of the University of Denver Josef Korbel School of International Studies. CFR President Haass will moderate. The program is co-sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations, the Josef Korbel School of International Studies and the City and County of Denver. This event will take place at the Curtis Hotel, 1405 Curtis St.
The Wednesday program was assembled by the 2008 Rocky Mountain Roundtable, the nonpartisan Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee, the Council on Foreign Relations, the National Democratic Institute and the University of Denver Josef Korbel School of International Studies. ONE Vote '08 collaborated on the afternoon panel.
The audience for the Roundtable will include roughly 100 ambassadors to the United States, 400 international political leaders who are attending NDI's International Leaders Forum, and 1,800 other individuals drawn from the national and local business community, academia, and the media.
This event is the final in a series of 10 issue-oriented, nonpartisan discussions launched by the 2008 Rocky Mountain Roundtable. The Roundtables will be held beginning Monday, Aug. 25, at the Denver Performing Arts Complex, and are aimed at fostering civic engagement and substantive public dialogue during the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
"The 2008 Rocky Mountain Roundtable gives Colorado residents a wonderful opportunity to participate with internationally recognized and respected leaders from all walks of life," said Jim Polsfut, chairman of the 2008 Rocky Mountain Roundtable and president of the Cordillera Foundation, an organization devoted to international grant-making and philanthropic consulting. "Diplomats, non-profit leaders, elected officials and corporate CEOs all will be coming into Denver, and Colorado residents and guests will have the chance to experience Roundtable discussions and dialogue."
Media seating is limited. For a full schedule of the Roundtables go to www.2008rmr.org.
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About Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee
The Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee has four contractual partners in its work. Those partners are the Democratic National Convention Committee, the City and County of Denver, Kroenke Sports and its own Executive Committee.
About Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations is an independent, non-partisan membership organization, think tank, and publisher dedicated to being a resource for its members, government officials, business executives, journalists, educators and students, civic and religious leaders, and other interested citizens in order to help them better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries.
About NDI
NDI is a non-profit organization working to strengthen and expand democracy worldwide by promoting citizen participation, openness and accountability in government.
About Josef Korbel School of International Studies
The mission of the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver is to educate future generations of global leaders through innovative programs that emphasize the impact of policy on human welfare.
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