Kemal Derviş, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator, will be the keynote speaker for the twenty third Organization of American States (OAS) conference in the Lecture Series of the Americas, which will be held at OAS headquarters on Tuesday, October 23. The topic will be “Financial Markets, Social Justice and Democracy: Where is the path to equitable and sustainable growth?”

The administrator of the UN’s development network also chairs the UN Development Group that brings together the heads of all UN funds, programs and departments working on development issues in countries around the world. Mr. Derviş was a member of the Turkish Parliament from 2002 to 2005. From 2001 to 2002, he was Minister for Economic Affairs and the Treasury. From 1977 to 2001, he held various positions at the World Bank, including Vice-President for the Middle East and North Africa and Vice-President for Poverty Reduction and Economic Management.

Derviş earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in economics from the London School of Economics and a Ph.D. from Princeton University. He has published widely on economics and international affairs, his latest publication being A Better Globalization: Legitimacy, Governance and Reform.

A question-and-answer session follows the Lecture, which will be webcast live over the Internet (www.oas.org. The Lecture will be broadcast by radio and television, on dates and times to be announced.

Created by the OAS Permanent Council to promote principles and values in the countries of the hemisphere, the Lecture Series of the Americas invites internationally renowned speakers to address key issues such as democracy, human rights, social development, hemispheric security and the fight against poverty. The conferences are possible thanks to financial contributions from Peru’s San Martin de Porres University and the governments of China and France.

WHAT: UNDP Administrator headlines OAS Lectures Series of the Americas

WHEN: Tuesday, October 23, 2007

TIME: 3:00 p.m.

VENUE: Hall of the Americas
OAS Main Building
17th Street & Constitution Ave., NW
Washington, D.C. 20006

Reference: AVI-044/07