Human security is a global issue that affects many. It is also the focus of the 2011 Borah Symposium.
The symposium, which normally takes place in April, will be focused on human security in the 21st century.
Oscar Arias Sanchez, winner of the 1987 Nobel Peace Laureate and former president of Costa Rica, will give the symposium’s keynote speech at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Student Union Building ballroom.
“Human security encompasses more than just physical safety,” said Romuald Afatchao, associate director for the Martin School of International Studies.
He added that human security includes economic, food, health, environmental, personal, community and political security.
Sanchez was scheduled to speak in Moscow last April, but postponed his appearance due to undisclosed health issues.
“We’re very happy to have him here now,” Afatchao said.
Sanchez ended decades of regional crisis in Central America with his peace plan, Esquipulas II Accords. In addition to the Nobel Peace Prize, he has received a number of other awards including the Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace Award and the Americas Award.
The rescheduled symposium will begin with a speech from José Campos titled “The Environment and Human Security,” at 11 a.m. Tuesday in the Summit room of the Idaho Commons.
Campos is the director general of CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center), part of a joint doctoral program with the University of Idaho College of Agriculture known as IGERT (Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Program).
“The reason (Campos’ speech is) so exciting is that this program is part of the U of I, he knows what he’s talking about,” Afatchao said. “He’s going to talk about environmental and human security specifically.”
Campos’ speech will be followed by a tree planting ceremony honoring Sanchez at 5 p.m. The ceremony will begin in the Commons food court and move outside to plant the tree.
The day will conclude with Sanchez’s speech at 7 p.m. in the SUB ballroom.
Keelcy Perez is involved in planning the 2012 Borah Symposium, and helped bring Sanchez to the university this fall.
“I think it’s an important thing for people to come because one, a lot of people live in a little world and don’t necessarily know about world issues, and two, it might raise awareness to issues people might not even have thought about,” Perez said. “It’s something outside of your normal area.”
Perez said she knows many students who attended the symposium in the past and have been inspired to change their majors to international studies.
“It makes people realize how many problems there are,” Perez said.
Afatchao emphasized that Moscow is very far removed from the international scene, and, as a result, many people do not realize what is happening on an international level.
“Moscow is very far from (Washington,) D.C., where a lot of this stuff takes place. People don’t realize how much goes on,” Afatchao said.
Sanchez’s speech is open to the public. Both Afatchao and Perez encourage everyone to attend.
“The opportunity to see, to hear someone who has an impact on an international level is a good reason to attend,” Afatchao said.