Media Release
October 14 2008
Call to reject greed – embrace ethical globalisation
With
the global economic crisis looming led by the collapse of the US
property market, guest speaker at UniSA’s
inaugural Nelson Mandela Lecture,
Dr Musimbi Kanyoro believes the path forward must focus on ways to
engage in ethical globalisation.
Born in Kenya and now a resident in the US, Dr Kanyoro is the Director of the Population Program at the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, a program dedicated to reproductive health and to the integration of those services with critical global health issues such as HIV/AIDS and to other education and development issues.
She will present her vision for the future at the lecture which is
sponsored by UniSA’s School of Law and the
Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre on October 14 from 5.30pm-7pm at
the Allan Scott Auditorium, City West campus. (The lecture is now fully
booked)
The Nelson Mandela Lecture series has been established in honour of
Nelson Mandela who is an Honorary Doctor of UniSA and an
international patron of the Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre. The
lectures will provide a forum for the promotion of knowledge and
discussion on the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals and the
value of truth and reconciliation in life and public affairs.
Dr Kanyoro believes human rights, universal health, shared values and systems of accountability are essential for successful nation-building and to underpin sustainable globalisation.
“In an age when world economies and societies are more linked than ever - every incidence of unrest, disease, violence, terror and economic collapse has effects that ripple across the globe. Now, as the unprecedented profits that the wealthy financial sector has enjoyed dry up, nations around the world will feel the consequences.”
Dr Kanyoro says this ripple effect is no stranger to the world’s poor and the millions of women and children who suffer every day.
“There is an enormous divide between the rich and poor, the powerful and the powerless, in our world,” she says. Where there is war, famine, disease and political instability there are thousands suffering and dislocated.
“While a few have been playing the share market with spectacular success over the past 10 years, little has improved for the most vulnerable. Our failures are found in the statistics – some 54 countries are now poorer than they were a decade ago, in 14 countries infant mortality has increased, in 21 countries more people are starving and in 34 countries life expectancy has fallen.”
Dr Kanyoro said the impact of the economic crisis would produce even worse outcomes for marginalised people worldwide and particularly women and children.
“As the former US President, Bill Clinton has said, there has been too much investment in the housing market and too little consideration of other opportunities – investment in poor communities, in technologies that support clean energy, solar and wind power, and in new partnerships with other nations.
“Our future lies in imagining new ideas and concepts, in developing ethical globalisation – an approach that acknowledges shared responsibility for dealing with global challenges and affirms that common humanity has no national borders. This approach moves away from benevolence and charity to a recognition that all individuals are equal in dignity and affirms that a world connected by technology and trade must also be connected by shared values.”
News editors and reporters please note: A full copy of Dr Kanyoro’s address – A vision of a world where benefits accrue to all - will be available on the Hawke Centre website. She will be available for interview at City West campus from 3-4 pm on October 14.
Dr Musimbi Kanyoro - Biographical Notes
From 1998-2007, Dr Kanyoro served as General Secretary of the
World YWCA, an umbrella
organisation whose members are national YWCAs in 125 countries with an
outreach to 25 million women and girls and their families in 3000
communities.
As General Secretary, Dr Kanyoro was responsible for the oversight of the largest women's membership organisation in the world working closely with global leaders from other non-governmental organisations, governments, the World Bank, United Nations agencies, businesses and faith-based institutions. Her role included public speaking, participation in high level delegations, political negotiations, strategic thinking forums on global issues, convening events for members and partners, and management of staff and assets of the organization. During her tenure, Dr Kanyoro led the organisation to prioritise women's reproductive health with a special focus on HIV and AIDS, and on young women and girls.
Dr Kanyoro worked with the Lutheran World Federation, the social arm of 66 million Lutherans aimed at providing humanitarian, development, and advocacy services to communities around the world. She oversaw various sub programs including Participation in Decision Making, Education, Development, Empowerment, Human Rights of Women and Women's Faith and Theology.
Today she provides volunteer leadership for a number of non-government organisations. She is the President of the World Association for Christian Communication and a member of the Board of Directors of the African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC), Realizing Rights: the Ethical Globalization Initiative, the Global Coalition on Women and AIDS [UNAIDS], and the Legacy Foundation.
Dr Kanyoro she has authored more than 100 published articles and edited
or written 11 books.
She earned her undergraduate degree from the
University of Nairobi, Kenya and
her MA and PhD at the University of
Texas, Austin. She also earned her Doctor of Ministry from
San Francisco Theological School, San Anselmo, California and was a
visiting scholar at Harvard University,
Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Media contact
-
Michèle Nardelli office (08) 8302 0966 mobile 0418 823 673
email
michele.nardelli@unisa.edu.au