Last week at Columbia former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan discussed climate change during his delivery of the Gabriel Silver Lecture at Columbia’s World Leaders Forum. Annan is part of the first cohort of SIPA’s Global Fellows Program, a distinguished group of global leaders, each of whom has played a significant role in designing, shaping, or implementing solutions to critical global problems.

The following description of the event comes from the Columbia News Web site:

The Gabriel Silver Memorial Lectures were inaugurated in 1950 at the School of International and Public Affairs to foster international understanding and world peace. The first lecture was given by Dwight D. Eisenhower. Annan’s talk on climate change coincides with a range of Columbia-hosted events showcasing other leaders on the issue, including Sir Nicholas Stern, noted economist; Denmark’s minister for climate and energy, Connie Hedegaard; and the University’s own experts in climate science and policy.

The Columbia Global Fellows Program was established to bring to campus each year a distinguished group of global leaders, each of whom has played a significant role in designing, shaping or implementing solutions to critical global problems. In May, SIPA Dean John H. Coatsworth announced Kofi Annan as one of three inaugural Global Fellows; the others include Alfred Gusenbauer, former chancellor of Austria, and Tung Chee Hwa, former chief executive of Hong Kong.

You can view a full video of Mr. Annan’s speech by visiting this link.