John Prendergast, Cofounder of an Initiative to End Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity, to Speak at Pitt Feb. 23

PITTSBURGH—The University of Pittsburgh will present John Prendergast delivering a free public lecture titled “Eye on Sudan: The Promise and Perils of Secession” at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 23, in 3911 Posvar Hall, 230 S. Bouquet St., Oakland. Prendergast is the cofounder of the Enough Project, an initiative to end genocide and crimes against humanity. He will be a Visiting Fellow at Pitt’s Ford Institute for Human Security in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA) Feb. 21-March 4, 2011. The lecture is part of the Ford Institute Speaker Series.

Prendergast will discuss the uncertainties faced by the people of southern Sudan, following their peaceful vote to secede after two decades of war failed to bring independence. Despite Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir’s acceptance of the vote’s outcome, the prospect for peaceful secession remains unclear. Prendergast will discuss some of the challenges that the Sudanese people are facing. Among these challenges are the disputes involving the north-south border and how to share oil wealth; Sudan’s oil fields are in the south, and export facilities are in the north. He will also discuss the possibility of widespread fighting sparked by communal disputes in the regions of Abyei, South Kordofan, and Blue Nile.

Prendergast is a veteran human rights advocate who has worked on Capitol Hill, in the White House, and at the U.S. State Department. In the nongovernmental sector, he has worked at UNICEF, Human Rights Watch, the International Crisis Group, and the U.S. Institute of Peace.

The Ford Institute for Human Security promotes effective responses to severe threats faced by civilians as a result of violent conflict. The institute conducts research on the causes and consequences of political violence and works to advance the idea that governments have a sovereign responsibility to protect their people. The institute is a research center within Pitt's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.
 

For more information on the event or the Ford Institute for Human Security, contact Diane Roth Cohen at 412-648-7434 or drc51@pitt.edu.
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