New York, NY – September 7, 2004 – On Friday, September 10th, Virtue Foundation and the United Nations NGO Section/DESA will present the third annual multidisciplinary symposium commemorating the anniversary of September 11 entitled “Healing the World: The Ethical Dimension of Globalization and Interdependence in the Age of Terror,” at the United Nations Trusteeship Council Chamber in New York. Admission to the event is free and open to the general public, but security measures require attendees to RSVP with the Virtue Foundation and to bring a printable invitation available on its website at [email protected]

The daylong symposium will feature a long list of dignitaries and prominent speakers, including BBC Chief Correspondent Kate Adie; Ken Bacon, President of Refugees International; Mark Malloch Brown, Administrator, UNDP; John Chambers, Managing Director of Standard & Poor’s; David Cole, Georgetown University Law Center; Senator John C. Danforth, US Ambassador to the United Nations; Ambassador John Dauth, Australian Mission to the United Nations; Vishakha N. Desai, President of Asia Society; Amir A. Dossal, Executive Director of the UN Fund for International Partnerships; the Honorable Roy M. Goodman, President and CEO of the United Nations Development Corporation; Philip K. Howard, Vice-Chairman of Covington and Burling; Nay Htun, Executive Director for Asia and the Pacific, University for Peace; Gay J. McDougall, Executive Director of Global Rights; José Antonio Ocampo, Under-Secretary-General, Department of Economic and Social Affairs; Anthony D. Romero, Executive Director of the ACLU; Michael S. Rothman, Senior Energy Market Specialist, Merrill Lynch; Shashi Tharoor, Under-Secretary-General, Department of Public Information at the UN; and CNN anchor Paula Zahn.

The program will consist of two panel discussions, “The Aftereffects of 9/11: Balancing Security and Civil Liberties in the Age of Terror,” moderated by CNN’s Paula Zahn, and “Rebuilding Prosperity and Hope: Overcoming Poverty and Disparity Among Underdeveloped Nations,” moderated by Refugee International President Ken Bacon. There will also be several keynote speeches throughout the day, as well as a special duet performance by the international Israeli star David Broza and the young Palestinian artist Tareq Abboushi.

The symposium is presented in collaboration with The Consulate General of Switzerland in New York; The Permanent Missions of Australia, Singapore, Switzerland and Uruguay to the UN; the International Rescue Committee; Refugees International; FilmAid International; Standard & Poor’s; and the Nour Foundation.

Virtue Foundation is a public charitable organization conceived in the wake of 9/11 to inform and educate the public about today’s prevalent global issues while initiating an open dialogue on rights and responsibilities within the global community from an ethical, moral, and humanitarian perspective. The Foundation is also involved in various humanitarian endeavors, including the education and training of physicians and nurses, as well as the organization of medical expeditions to underprivileged regions of the world.