Bolivian President, Croatian Prime Minister & ASEAN Secretary General Latest Additions to Sept. Opening of Columbia University World Leaders Forum

New York, New York - Sept. 15, 2006 - Bolivian President Evo Morales, Croatian Prime Minister Dr. Ivo Sanader and Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretary General H.E. Ong Keng Yon will join Heads of State and high-level cultural, economic and political leaders at Columbia University this month to share their perspectives on a range of complex global challenges during the opening session of the fourth annual Columbia University World Leaders Forum (WLF).

All WLF events will be held on Columbia University’s Morningside Heights campus, located at 116th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenues in New York City. Space for accredited journalists can be reserved by contacting the representatives noted above. For additional information, specific event locations and non-media registration details, please visit http://worldleaders.columbia.edu.

For additional details on these new additions to the WLF agenda, please see below.

Croatia and Euro-Atlantic Integration in Southeastern Europe
Wednesday, September 20, 2006, 2:00–4:00 p.m
Faculty Room, Low Memorial Library

A talk by Dr. Ivo Sanader, Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia in conjunction with Columbia University's Harriman Institute

Bolivia
Thursday, September 21, 2006, 3:00–5:00 p.m.
Miller Theatre

A talk by His Excellency Evo Morales, President of Bolivia. President Morales is the first indigenous head of state elected in South America in over 500 years. His address will be followed by a question-and-answer session moderated by President Lee C. Bollinger.

Deepening ASEAN-US Relations and ASEAN Integration
Thursday, September 21, 2006, 5:00–6:30 p.m.
Davis Auditorium, Schapiro Hall

A talk by H.E. Ong Keng Yong, Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in conjunction with the Weatherhead Policy Forum at the Weatherhead East Asian Institute

Previously scheduled WLF events this month include:

Making Globalization Work:
Monday, Sept. 18, 2006, 6:15 p.m.
Roone Arledge Auditorium, Alfred Lerner Hall, 2920 Broadway

Features Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel Laureate in economics and University Professor at Columbia; George Soros, chairman of the Open Society Institute; Nancy Birdsall, founding president of the Center for Global Development; and Tina Rosenberg, editorial writer for The New York Times. Lee C. Bollinger, president of Columbia University, will host the event. The forum coincides with the launch of Joseph Stiglitz’s new book, “Making Globalization Work.”

Is Economic Development Compatible with Ecological Preservation?
Thursday, Sept. 21, 2006, 11 a.m.
Low Memorial Library, 116th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam

An exploratory discussion concerning how nations can incorporate ecological preservation within their long-term economic development strategies. This event will feature Sir Michael Somare, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Robert G. Aisi, Ambassador of Papua New Guinea to the United Nations and Don Jay Melnick, Executive Director, The Center for Environmental Research and Conservation (CERC) and Columbia University’s Thomas Hunt Morgan Professor of Conservation Biology.

A panel of women world leaders from Iraq, Ireland, Nigeria, Canada, Pakistan, Jordan, Chile and Honduras will discuss the policy changes needed to achieve a more secure world. The panel will feature Mary Robinson, former U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, former President of Ireland, and Columbia University Professor in the Professional Practice of Public Affairs; Kim Campbell, former Prime Minister and Minister of Defense from Canada, among others. Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan and President Michelle Bachelet of Chile will contribute video messages.

About Columbia University

Founded in 1754 as King's College, Columbia University in the City of New York is one of the world's leading institutions of higher learning and research and a member of the Ivy League of U.S. colleges and universities. Columbia includes three undergraduate schools, 13 graduate and professional schools, a school of continuing education, four affiliated institutions, a world-class medical center, 22 libraries, and more than 100 research centers and institutes.

For more information regarding Columbia University's Heads of State Program, upcoming activities, and to arrange an interview with an expert from Columbia's World Leaders Forum Experts Bureau, please contact one of the individuals noted below:

KWR International, Inc. Keith W. Rabin email: wlf@kwrintl.com phone: +1-212-532-3005

Columbia University Tanya L. Domi: td207@columbia.edu phone: +1-212-854-5573