The Nansen Lecture - June 2011

On Monday June, 20, 2011—World Refugee Day—the Women's Refugee Commission co-hosted the Nansen lecture, "The Changing Face of Displacement in the 21st Century," at the Harvard Club in New York City. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was the special guest for the evening and Jan Egeland, renowned diplomat and humanitarian and current Director of the Norwegian Institute for International Affairs, gave the keynote speech. In a wide-ranging presentation, Mr. Egeland touched on the shifting nature of displacement, highlighting the impact of climate change and the protracted nature of refugee situations.

Other highlights included remarks by Nour al-Khal, an Iraqi refugee whose remarkable story of survival inspired the audience, and a performance by Morley, a singer who has performed for the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela.

The event was co-hosted by the Women's Refugee Commission, the Permanent Mission of Norway to the United Nations and the Royal Norwegian Consulate General in New York, in collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The lecture was named after Fridtjof Nansen, an acclaimed Norwegian explorer, scientist, diplomat, humanitarian and Nobel laureate. This year marks the 150th anniversary of his birth.

The Women's Refugee Commission will be hosting a second Nansen lecture in October in Washington, D.C.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• nansen
• refugee
• displacement