Lectures by the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Angela Kane

Peace Movement Aotearoa

28 March 2014

Here are the details of the public lectures by the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Angela Kane, who is visiting Aotearoa New Zealand from 3 to 10 April 2014 - these lectures are in Auckland on Thursday, 3 April, and in Wellington on Monday, 7 April. Please note the RSVP details at the end of each listing.

Details of other public lectures will be added to the Angela Kane visit page at http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/angelakane.htm - and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PeaceMovementAotearoa/photos/a.116526771728034.9538..116517195062325/653267814720591/?l=d7b42619b1 - as soon as they are confirmed.

* Thursday, 3 April 2014, 6pm - 7pm in Auckland

Disarmament - Prospects, possibilities and potential pitfalls, a public lecture by Angela Kane, UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs

UN disarmament chief Angela Kane will give an account of recent disarmament achievements - and look towards those that may lie ahead (including hopes for the Arms Trade Treaty and an assessment of the prospects for nuclear disarmament).

Angela Kane is the United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs. In that capacity, she leads the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs. Prior to this appointment in 2012, Ms Kane held a wide range of senior positions in the United Nations during a long career in the organisation. She was Under-Secretary-General for Management, following a term as Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs. She has also held leadership positions in peacekeeping and public information, and worked on disarmament issues earlier in her career in relation to the World Disarmament Campaign.

Hosted by the Faculty of Law (Auckland University), Department of Politics and International Relations, Auckland Branch of the NZ Institute for International Affairs and Auckland sub-branch of the International Law Association

When: Thursday, 3 April 2014, 6pm - 7pm
Where: Stone Lecture Theatre, Level 3, Faculty of Law, 9 Eden Crescent, The University of Auckland.
RSVP: Please email your RSVP to lawevents@auckland.ac.nz
Publicity flyer available online at: http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/ak03042014.pdf

* Monday, 7 April 2014, 5.40 - 6.40pm in Wellington *

Disarmament: The Balance Sheet, a public lecture by Angela Kane, UN High Representative for Disarmament

UN Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon has said our world is over-armed and peace is under-funded. Are we any closer to nuclear disarmament since New Zealand took its stand in the 1980s? How realistic is a Middle East Zone free of Weapons of Mass Destruction? Why did Assad agree to give up chemical weapons? Is the Arms Trade Treaty all good news? The UN's foremost disarmament expert will talk about these and other disarmament challenges and successes.

Angela Kane assumed the position of High Representative for Disarmament Affairs in March 2012. She heads the United Nations office that promotes nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, and supports disarmament regimes involving other weapons of mass destruction. It also promotes disarmament efforts in the area of conventional weapons, particularly small arms which are the weapons of choice in contemporary conflicts. You may have seen Ms Kane feature prominently in the news in recent times. In 2013, she travelled to Syria to negotiate access for United Nations chemical weapons inspectors with Bashar al-Assad. This process culminated of course in the finding that chemical weapons had in fact been used- and resulted in Syria agreeing to rid itself of chemical weapons. Ms Kane is also the United Nations' points person in the negotiations aimed at moving forward on a Middle East Zone of free of weapons of mass destruction. Ms. Kane has held a wide range of high positions in the United Nations during her long career. Prior to assuming her current post, she was Under-Secretary-General for Management, following a term as Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs. She has also held leadership positions in peacekeeping and public information, and worked on disarmament issues earlier in her career. Her field experience includes stints in Ethiopia and Eritrea and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and postings in Indonesia and Thailand. She has also held the positions of Director in the Department of Political Affairs and Director in the Department of Public Information.

The New Zealand Institute of International Affairs 2014 Foreign Policy Lecture, co-hosted with the United Nations Association of New Zealand.

When: Monday, 7 April 2014, 5.40 - 6.40pm
Where: Lecture Theatre Two, Rutherford House (ground floor), Victoria University Pipitea Campus, 23 Lambton Quay, Wellington. Entry to Rutherford House is via Bunny Street or Lambton Quay. See grid c/d-10 on the Pipitea campus map.
RSVP: Light refreshments will be provided following the lecture. RSVP required by 3 April 2014 to nziia@vuw.ac.nz
Publicity flyer available online at: http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/ak07042014.pdf

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