The Asia Society and the Open Society Institute
invite you to a panel discussion:
Burma’s Agony:
The International Humanitarian Response
Monday, June 9, 2008
8:00 – 8:30 a.m.: Registration and Breakfast
8:30 – 10:00 a.m.: Panel Discussion / Q & A
FREE Admission
Limited Seating
Registration Recommended
Asia Society will stream a live webcast of this event starting at 8:30am EST
E-mail your questions to moderator@asiasociety.org
Asia Society
725 Park Avenue at 70th Street
New York, NY
On May 2 and 3, Cyclone Nargis devastated large swathes of Burma stretching from the Irrawaddy Delta to the city of Rangoon, leaving more than 134,000 people dead or missing and creating a humanitarian crisis affecting an estimated 2.5 million survivors. Immediately following the disaster, offers of assistance from the international community poured in, but Burmese military leaders largely barred foreign aid workers from reaching the hardest hit areas for three weeks. After UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon received assurances that the government would grant access to all international aid workers, relief agencies are slowly being permitted to move into the cyclone-ravaged delta. As this humanitarian tragedy was unfolding, Burmese generals moved forward with a national referendum to approve a new constitution which consolidated their power and extended the house arrest of pro-democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, leaving many to question whether the junta will keep its promise to allow a major relief and reconstruction effort to move forward. International relief officials have warned that thousands more could die of disease or famine unless the Burmese government opens its doors to more help.
Join us as the Asia Society and the Open Society Institute convene a panel discussion to assess the situation in Burma, including the international humanitarian response to meet the most urgent challenges as well as longer-term recovery efforts.
Sir John Holmes, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator
The Hon. Henrietta Fore, Administrator, US Agency for International Development and Director of US Foreign Assistance (via teleconference)
Amb. Vanu Gopala Menon, Permanent Representative of Singapore to the UN
A local volunteer relief worker in Burma will join the discussion via teleconference to provide an on-the-ground report.
As seating is limited, advance registration is suggested.
To register, call 212-517-2742 or online at: https://tickets.asiasociety.org
For more information, visit our website at www.asiasociety.org
This is the first public forum since the cyclone -- please attend!
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