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Home , Barbara Hendricks, Greg Barker, Robert Misrahi, Sergio Vieira de Mello

Sergio Vieira de Mello: A Philosopher’s Fight to Change the World

followed by the screening of the documentary film

‘Sergio’

UNESCO, Room I – 17 November 2011, 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.

The HBO documentary film 'Sergio' is a story about courage, compassion and humanity. It is about the inspirational life and work of Sergio Vieira de Mello, the head of the in who was killed in the bombing of the United Nations in Bagdad in August 2003. Sergio was "a cross between James Bond and Bobby Kennedy", one of the most charismatic, daring and passionate activist that the United Nations ever had amongst its staff. He never hesitated to dive into the most dangerous crises of the past half-century, from to Rwanda, in order to help make a change and alleviate suffering. He negotiated with war lords and the genocidal to the militant extremists in , Afghanistan and Iraq, and managed to save lives in the worst conflict zones, while urging political leaders to face the human cost of conflict and instability.

This film speaks to those who are concerned about human rights, humanitarian assistance, refugee rights and the United Nations, and inspires those who care about the rights of others, and the responsibilities we all share in making the world a better place.

The event will celebrate his legacy and highlight how Sergio was not only a U.N. staff who inspired so many who worked with him, but also a philosopher, who labored on his Ph.D. on Kant and the notion of perpetual peace while working as a Program Specialist at UNHCR. The round table will gather together scholars, artists, journalists and activists who knew him, and talk about how critical thinking and philosophical reflection can lead to engaged action, and transformation in societies.

5 – 6.30 P.M. ROUND TABLE

Master of Ceremony: Vivienne WALT, Time Magazine Correspondent

Moderator: H.E. Mr David KILLION, Ambassador, Permanent Delegate of the United States of America to UNESCO

Discussants:

Greg BARKER, Director and producer, Director of the HBO documentary ‘Sergio’

Eric FALT, Assistant Director-General for External Relations and Public Information at UNESCO

Staffan DE MISTURA, Special Representative of the Secretary-General to Afghanistan and Chief of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) - by video-conference

Barbara HENDRICKS, legend and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador

Robert MISRAHI, Philosopher and writer, Emeritus Professor of Ethical Philosophy, University of I – Panthéon-Sorbonne

Fareed YASSEEN, Ambassador extraordinary and extraordinary of Iraq to

6.30 – 8 P.M. SCREENING OF THE HBO DOCUMENTARY FILM “SERGIO” Biographies of participants (in alphabetic order)

Greg BARKER is director and producer of the award-winning documentary feature ‘Sergio’, which was shortlisted for an Academy Award and premieres on HBO in May 2010. Barker has directed a number of award winning films, including ‘Ghosts of Rwanda”, a PBS film on the Rwandan genocide, and his new HBO film ‘Koran by Heart’, about three Muslims in an annual Koran-reciting competition in Cairo, Egypt. A former war correspondent-turned filmmaker, Barker has worked in over 50 countries across six continents, and made a string of international films for the flagship PBS series Frontline, including the feature-length ‘Ghosts of Rwanda’, which won numerous awards and established his reputation as a filmmaker with a unique ability to tell riveting, character driven stories about the complex world we live in. He has an MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics, and was on the jury for the 2010 Sundance Festival.

Staffan DE MISTURA – In January 2010, Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, appointed de Mistura as his Special Representative for Afghanistan. Prior to that, he served as the Deputy Executive Director at the (WFP) in and as the SG’s Special Representative in Iraq. Under his leadership, his team helped oversee elections, reconstruction, development and humanitarian assistance. Mr de Mistura began his career in the UN in 1971 as a WFP project officer in . Over the years he led food aid and relief operations also in Ethiopia, the Balkans and Rwanda. As an emergency relief officer in Chad in 1973, he organized the first-ever UN airdrop operation. He also served as Director of Fundraising and External Relations of the UN Office of the Coordinator for Afghanistan (1989-1991). He held a variety of posts with UNICEF including Director of the Division of Public Affairs. During his 40-year career in the UN, he served as Representative of the SG for Southern Lebanon, Director of the UN Information Centre in Rome, and various posts in Bosnia, Croatia, , Somalia and Albania (by audio-conference).

Eric FALT – Eric Falt is the Assistant Director-General for External Relations and Public Information at UNESCO. He previously served as Director of Outreach for the United Nations in New York and was also based in Nairobi, Kenya as Director of Communications for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Mr Falt also served in various and humanitarian operations, and for the UN Secretariat in Haiti, Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan. At the beginning of his UN career, he was the Spokesperson of the UN peacekeeping in , where he worked very closely with Sergio Vieira de Mello.

Barbara HENDRICKS – In 1974, Hendricks made her professional operatic debut in Europe at the Glyndebourne Festival and in America at the San Francisco Opera. She has appeared at major opera houses throughout the world, including the Opéra national de Paris, the , the Royal at Covent Garden, and in . Hendricks has performed more than twenty roles throughout her career. In 1998 she sang Liù in the historical performance of at the Forbidden City in . Hendricks has dedicated much of her life to the plight of refugees. She was named UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador in 1987 and, since 2000 she has been a member of the Council of the Foundation for the Refugee Education Trust. In 1998 she founded the Barbara Hendricks Foundation for Peace and Reconciliation, which seeks to facilitate reconciliation in conflict areas.

David KILLION was nominated U.S. Permanent Representative to UNESCO with the rank of Ambassador by President Obama in 2009. Prior to his appointment, he served as a Senior Professional Staff member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and was the Committee’s top expert on International Organizations and State Department Operations. He coordinated the Committee’s initiatives to improve UN management and to reform UN human rights mechanisms. Mr Killion served as top UN advisor to the previous Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee, the late Congressman Tom Lantos (D-CA). In this capacity, he worked on legislation that Mr Lantos introduced and passed in 2001 authorizing the U.S.’s re-entry to UNESCO. Prior to serving on the Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr Killion was an appointee of the Clinton Administration in the Department of State’s bureau of Legislative Affairs (1996-2001), and as a legislative assistant to Congressman David Skaggs (D-C0) (1994-1996).

Robert MISRAHI – Robert Misrahi was born in 1926 in Paris, where he also undertook his studies. He met Sartre in 1943. Holding a university agrégation and a Ph.D. in philosophy, he is currently Professor Emeritus at the I – Panthéon-Sorbonne. He has lectured throughout the world and throughout France and has published more than 20 books, on Spinoza (as a recognized specialist), and on the subject of Happiness. He asserts himself as being a philosopher of Joy. Among his publications: Ethique, by Spinoza. Translation, Introduction and Notes by Robert Misrahi (Le Livre de Poche, 2011); Les Actes de la Joie (Les Belles Lettre-Encre marine, 2010); La Jouissance d’être (Les Belles Lettres-Encre marine, 2010); Le Bonheur. Essai sur la joie (Editions Cécile Defaut, 2011); , philosophe de la relation (Seghers, 1968).

Vivienne WALT is a seasoned foreign correspondent, reporting for Time Magazine since 2003, from the Arab Spring revolutions in Libya, Egypt, and Tunisia, to Iraq, Iran, Europe, West Africa and elsewhere. Her interviews have spanned from heads of state, international diplomats, CEOs, and Hollywood stars; to street prostitutes, jailed criminals, insurgents, and guerrilla fighters. She has also reported from China, Cambodia, , and Thailand. Born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa, Walt moved to New York City and became a staff writer for Newsday, for which she was twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for her reports from Africa. Her work has been published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, National Geographic, Fortune Magazine, Business Week, and other publications. She has been a regular guest on CNN, BBC, Fox News and National Public Radio in the US.

Fareed YASSEEN is Ambassador of Iraq to France. He was the head of the Department of Policy Planning of the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He started his diplomatic career in 2004, when he was appointed to MoFA with the rank of Ambassador. He was member of the Iraqi team negotiating the withdrawal of the United States armed forces from Iraq and served as diplomatic advisor to Deputy President Abd al-Mahdi’s. Mr Yassen has a Ph.D. in physics and is the author of several articles and reports on innovative uses of information technologies, on energy issues, nuclear fusion, and plasma science and technology. He was the editor of Huquq/Rights, a newsletter devoted to human rights in Iraq (1993-1994) and of Iraqi File, a newsletter on public activism in Iraq (1991-1992).