The Office of Global Programs presents United Nations Lecture Series
Alcorn State University Office of Global Programs collaboratively with the United Nations and the Higher Education Alliance of The Humpty Dumpty Institute, and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund presented the United Nations Lecture Series in the Medgar Wiley Evers Auditorium, J.D. Boyd Library on October 29.
The focus of the event was Conventional and Emerging Peace and Security Challenges in Africa, Middle East and South-East Asia.
The welcome and opening remarks were given by Dr. Dovi Alipoe, director, Office of Global Programs.
“The purpose of this installment of the lecture series is to discuss peace and security issues in the Middle East, Africa, and South-East Asia from the perspective of Islamic Organizational Islamic Cooperation,” said Alipoe. “I hope the participants will receive more knowledge about global issues relating to security and what the global organizations such as the United Nations, OIC, and Security Council countries are doing about it.”
Torria Powell, head delegate of Alcorn’s Model United Nations and a sophomore majoring in political science, introduced the speaker H.E. Ambassador Ufuk Gokcen, Organization of Islam Cooperation, ambassador/permanent representative to the United Nations.
Ambassador Gokcen gave an overview of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) that consists of 57-member states and was established in 1969 because of Palestine, which plays a special role in the OIC system. This organization is an important part of the United Nations system. It is the second biggest corporation of the UN and is considered to be an expression of shared views.
“You have to know human rights and politics,” the speaker said. “Many countries deal with different issues and conflicts. Terrorism and extreme-terrorism is a very big problem for the OIC and it is a threat to member states. Terrorist groups have created anxiety at the international level, and if the consensus between the United Nations and OIC on terrorism is broken, it will fuel anti-communal misunderstandings.”
Ambassador Gokcen also explained how the OIC is trying to play a role in conflict prevention and resolution and in diffusing humanitarian crisis in member states.
The event concluded with remarks by Dr. Donzell Lee, executive vice president/provost at Alcorn State University.
For more information on this and future UN lectures, please contact the Global Programs Office at [email protected] or call (601) 877-6533.
