On Friday, Nov. 21, CAUSES
Associate Dean of Programs, William Hare, participated in a United Nations
panel discussion as part of the symposium: Education as an Imperative
for a Transformative Post 2015 Sustainable Development Agenda in
observance of Universal Children’s Day 2014. The theme comes 25
years after Rights of the Child were adopted as
part of the Millennium Development Goals.
“I recommend that more
investment be placed in universities. Public-private partnerships
using universities as unbiased monitors of projects will ensure a seamless, sustainable system of continuous improvement so that our
children—the future generation-- will have the opportunity to a great college
education,” Associate Dean Hare said before the audience of high-level policy
makers.
He continued: "If you look at the current
system, it omits the role of the university in the sustainable change that's
supposed to take place; and that's a flaw because all of the funds have been
going to NGOs, which are only as sustainable as their funding timeframe. Our
model that we use in CAUSES continuously improves upon itself. It's
transformational because it takes time and partnerships are built at the local,
regional and international levels to ensure the continuity of progress."
His powerful words resonated.
“You really rocked the house, Sir. Your
remarks were from the heart and touched our souls,” said Dr. Padmini Murthy,
Associate Professor in Health Policy and Management and Family and Community
Medicine and Global Health Director, New York Medical College, who served a
moderator of the panel.
The symposium was organized
by the Permanent Mission of Grenada; in collaboration with the Friends of
Education for African Children Orphaned by AIDS, Medgar Evers College and
UDC. Grenada Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations,
Denis Antoine, is the former Director of International Programs and Exchange
for UDC.
The objective of the
conference was to address the existing challenges on all of the convention of
rights of the child and to ensure that education along with rights of children
remains a standalone goal and imperative for a Transformative Post 2015 Sustainable Development Agenda. According
to the UN, the post-2015 development agenda must: “Address the urgent
challenges of poverty and inequality and build on the successes and
shortcomings of the Millennium Development Goals, with measurable targets and
scaled-up investments in areas such as education, health, gender equality and
youth employment, the Economic and Social Council heard today during high-level
parallel events.”
It is critical that discourse
must occur between and include all stakeholders--scientific communities,
academia, philanthropy, youth and policymakers. Among the speakers included
representatives from UNICEF and UNESCO.
Associate Dean Hare's remarks
were delivered at the UN headquarters, New York City, and can be watched here on UN Web TV.
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