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2008 Meeting/25th Anniver.
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25th Anniversary Conference |
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 This weekend (April 18-20), AFJN celebrates its 25th year of policy analysis and advocacy for peace and justice in Africa. Workshops on health, trade, and conflict transformation will inform participants of the issues currently affecting Africa
and what can be done to ensure a more just US-Africa policy. This
four-day event also includes keynote addresses by Ishmael Beah and
Jeffrey Sachs, a celebratory meal and award ceremony, a silent auction, and a day of lobby visits on Capitol Hill. Click here for a conference schedule.
Posted April 17th, 2008
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Ishmael Beah to Speak at AFJN 25th Anniversary Conference |
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AFJN is excited to announce that Ishmael Beah, New York
Times bestselling author of A Long Way
Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, will be a keynote speaker for AFJN’s 25th
anniversary conference from April 18-21, 2008. Beah’s book has won national
acclaim for its detailed and heartfelt account of his years fighting in the
government army. It has brought much-needed attention to the issue of children
in armed conflict and "seems destined to become a classic firsthand
account of war and the ongoing plight of child soldiers in conflicts
worldwide." (Publisher's Weekly) On Friday night, Beah will speak on “Deadly
Play: Children and War,” and will lead a workshop on Saturday entitled “Learning
to Live with War.”
Beah was born in Sierra Leone in 1980 and was
forcibly conscripted into military ranks at the age of thirteen. In 1998, he
moved to the United States
where he finished his last two years of high school at the United Nations
International School in New York. Beah graduated from Oberlin College
in 2004 with a B.A. in political science. He is a member of the Human Rights
Watch Children's Rights Division Advisory Committee and has spoken before the
United Nations, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Center for Emerging
Threats and Opportunities (CETO) at the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory,
and many other NGO panels on children affected by war. AFJN is proud to be
among this list of speaking engagements and we hope that you will join us in
welcoming Ishmael Beah to our 25th anniversary celebration. The
Conference will be held from April 18-21, 2008 in Rosslyn, Virginia.
Continue checking this website for more details.
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Professor Jeffrey Sachs to Speak at AFJN 25th Anniversary |
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AFJN is honored to announce that Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, world-renowned
development economist, will address the attendees of our 25th
anniversary  celebration. He will speak
on the topic, “United States Policy and Africa: an Assessment of the Current Administration and Imperatives for the
Next.” During his distinguished career, Professor Sachs has campaigned tirelessly for Africa, advocating debt relief and increases in foreign aid. He was named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential
people in both 2004
and 2005 and recently published a New York Times Bestseller, The End of Poverty.
Throughout his career, Dr. Sachs has investigated the causes
of economic growth, famously propounding possession of natural resources andgeographic
factors as being critical. He has also written extensively on financial crises. His especially successful advice for Poland
has led to a widespread acceptance of his economic therapy.
While advising Kofi Annan, he led the way in calling for complete debt relief
for Africa and massive
increases in foreign aid . Yet these are only a small part of Professor
Sachs’ relentless crusade to help the impoverished on the continent and meet
the Millennium Development Goals. These issues and others are boldly tackled in
his recent New York Times Bestseller “The
End of Poverty,” which provides an optimistic vision of what would
occur if rich countries truly committed to ending poverty.
Professor Jeffrey Sachs now heads the Earth Institute at Columbia
University, an organization
dedicated to providing resources for sustainable development and the betterment
of humanity. This role is especially appropriate for someone with such
willingness to get his hands dirty by visiting project sites and extensively
detailing his proposed projects.
AFJN is thrilled to present Jeffrey Sachs, who has done so
much for Africa and whose work promises to do much more.
We hope that you will join us at the Holiday Inn in Rosslyn, Virginia for this event and the rest of our 25th
anniversary festivities from April 18-21, 2008. Continue checking this website for more details.
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25th Anniversary Conference Schedule 2008 |
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Friday, April 18
3pm Registration/Check in
7pm Opening Session - Keynote Speaker: Ishmael Beah “Deadly Play: Children and War”
Saturday, April 19
8am Breakfast, Displays open
9am Morning Prayer
9:15am Keynote Speaker: Dr. Jeffrey Sachs (Live Video Conference) "Africa and U.S. Policy: An Assessment of the Current Administration and Imperatives for the Next Administration"
10am Q&A, Discussion
10:30am Break
11am WORKSHOPS - Session #1
1. Resource Exploitation: Roxanne Lawson, Senior Policy Advisor, TransAfrica Forum
2. Militarization of US Policy Towards Africa: Nicole Lee, Executive Director of TransAfrica Forum
3. Child Soldiers: Learning to Live with War: Ishmael Beah, author of A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
4. Organizing Strategies for Parishes and Dioceses: Dr. Michael Gable, Director, Archdiocese of Cincinnati Mission Office and Michael Haase, Mission Director in Minneapolis/St. Paul
5. Organizing
Strategies for Students: Michael Poffenberger, Executive Director of
Resolve Uganda and Lacey Haussamen, Graduate Student at Emory
University and AFJN Board Member
12:30pm Lunch/Displays open
2pm WORKSHOPS - Session #2
3:30pm Break
4pm ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS - Bringing 25 Years of Experience to Planning for Action
1. Smallholder Farmers/Trade/Water Issues: Larry Goodwin, Field Organizing Coordinator at Bread for the World
2. HIV/AIDS/Malaria/Health Issues: Lacey Haussamen, Graduate Student at Emory University and AFJN Board Member
3. Reviewing Efforts to End Conflict and Bring Peace: Rocco Puopolo, s.x., AFJN Executive Director
4. Open Space: Other Issues Affecting Africa
5:30pm Roundtable Discussions end/Displays open
25th Anniversary Celebration
5:30pm Happy Hour/Silent Auction/Celebration
7pm Celebratory Meal
8pm AFJN Faith and Justice Award Ceremony - 2008 Recipient: Catholic Relief Services
8:30pm Music/Dancing/Entertainment
Sunday, April 20
8am Breakfast
9am AFJN Annual Members' Meeting
10:30am Closing Liturgy
12noon Lunch for those staying for Monday Lobby Day/Conference Ends
2pm Briefing for Lobby Visits
Dinner on your own, free time.
3pm-5pm Outdoor Malian Music Concert - Cheick Hamala Diabate, open to the public
Monday, April 21
8am Breakfast
9am Hotel Checkout
Morning and Afternoon: Lobby Visits on Capitol Hill
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