8.30 – 10.00am
Inter-Faith discussions with Prepare New York
– There has been a combined effort across the city to put the emphasis on interfaith dialogue for 9/11 tenth anniversary.
– There is a need to fight the general amnesia and to acknowledge that religious diversity is an asset for New York City.
– The organization offers training and material to address religious issues and discrimination on work places.
– It promotes an educative program to fight religious discrimination at school and to change the way teachers teach children and teenagers.
– It also focuses on improving the way health care is provided for it to be in acquaintance with religious believes and practices.
– Prepare New York is also involved in peace work abroad.
11.00am – 12.00pm
Round table with the United Nations Correspondents Association
12.30 – 2.00pm
Lunchon with the Arab Students Association of Columbia University
3.30 – 4.30pm
Meeting with Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute of Columbia University
– The institute dedicates its work on finding solutions abroad to fight poverty, to guarantee food security, to promote sustainable development, peace, and environment friendly policy.
– Jeffrey Sachs is also special advisor of the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.
– He expressed his views about the Arab spring. He told the fellows that the political future of the region was in their hands and that they should focus their efforts in bringing unity to the region around shared issues.
– He described new information technologies as the game changer since they are free and easy to use.
– At the core of this revolutionary movement he sees a generational change between the youth whose now protesting for political change and their parents.
4.30 – 5.30pm
Meeting with Ami Desai, Director of Foreign policy, Clinton Foundation
– The Clinton Foundation is focusing its work on three main concerns in the US and abroad: empowering women and girls, restoring sustainable development, improving health conditions
– This year the emphasis has been put on the fight against childhood obesity.
– The new generation in the US is the first one to have a lower life expectancy than their parents.
– The Clinton Foundation is trying to educate parents and to promote the idea amongst kids that being healthy is being cool.