Rt Hon Helen Clark to deliver lecture at The University of Auckland
The Rt Hon Helen Clark will present the 2013 Robert Chapman Lecture at The University of Auckland next month.
Helen Clark became administrator of the United Nations Development Programme in April 2009 and the first woman to lead
the organisation.
She is also chair of the United Nations Development Group, a committee consisting of the heads of all UN funds,
programmes and departments working on development issues.
Helen Clark was New Zealand’s Prime Minister for nine years over three successive terms from 1999-2008.
Her lecture; “Beyond the Millennium Development Goals: What could the next global development agenda look like?” will
assess the global conversation about the nature of the next global development agenda. What should our global priorities
be? What can be achieved? How high should we aim? Is eradicating extreme poverty possible?
As the 2015 date set for the Millennium Development Goals targets approaches, can a future agenda be agreed on to tackle
the linked challenges of poverty, inequality, and environmental degradation? In this context Helen Clark considers what
the next global development debate could look like and what it might achieve. To do this, she places the current debate
in its historical context, exploring why a global development agenda is useful and the issues which will need attention
as UN Member States go into negotiation on it.
The lecture will be held at the Maidment Theatre, Alfred Street, the University on Monday 19 August at 6pm.
Her new book “At the UN: Addresses from Helen Clark’s first term leading the UNDP” will be available for purchase.
ENDS