UNDP | Europe & CIS | Kapuscinski lectures: lectures on development across European Union

Kapuscinski lectures: lectures on development across European Union

Experts from around the world deliver lectures on development in European Union countries. The series “Kapuscinski development ectures”, named for Ryszard Kapuscinski, a Polish reporter and writer who covered developing countries, is organized jointly by the European Commission, the United Nations Development Programme and partner universities and development think-tanks. 32 lectures in 2009-2011 period gathered over 6,000 participants.

Live webstreaming from Kapuscinski development lectures: http://www.facebook.com/kapu.lectures/app_196506863720166.

The 3rd round of Kapuscinski development lectures is organised in December 2011 - June 2012. The lectures support the European Development Days, one of the biggest worldwide events on development organized annually.

The previous rounds hosted international experts in development field, including Crown Prince Haakon of Norway (UNDP Goodwill Ambassador), Paul Collier (Oxford University), Jerzy Buzek (President of the European Parliament), Kemal Dervis (vice-president of Brookings Institution, former head of UNDP), Jan Vandemoortele (former UNDP director, co-author of MDGs), Jan Pronk (former Dutch development minister), François Bourguignon (Director of Paris School of Economics, former World Bank chief economist), Andris Piebalgs (European Commissioner for Development), Dirk Messner (Director of German Development Institute), Simon Maxwell (former Director of Overseas Development Institute), Carol Lancaster (Georgetown University, former deputy head of USAID), Eveline Herfkens (founder of UN Millennium Campaign) among others.

The lecture series offers students from the European Union member states an unprecedented opportunity to learn and discuss development, and issues related to development cooperation. The events contribute to the debate and formulation of the European development policy.

The lectures honor the name of Kapuscinski, a Polish journalist and writer, who died in 2007. Kapuscinski, whose books were translated into many languages, was often named the “Third World Chronicler” or the “Voice of the Poor” for his famous reportages and books describing developing countries on all continents. Among other books, he was famous for the following: “The Emperor” on Ethiopia, “Shah of Shahs” about Iran, “The Shadow of the Sun” about Africa, “Another Day of Life” about Angola, and “Imperium” about the Soviet Union.

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