Each year, the Borah Foundation sponsors the Borah symposium that strives to bring together world leaders, diplomats, scholars, activists and our local communities to discuss the causes of war and the conditions for peace. The theme of the 2016 Borah Symposium was “Waging Peace.” The symposium started on Monday, April 4 and ended on Wednesday, April 6. The three day event focused on humanitarian action in the 21st Century.
The symposium kicked off on Monday, April 4 with a panel discussion on Refugees. Human rights activist and best-selling author John Prendergast addressed the audience on Tuesday, April 5. This year, for the first time, the faculty-staff-student committee extended the program to new geographical locations. We were pleased to announce that Dr. Samantha Nutt, founder and executive director of War Child Canada, would be speaking at Borah High School in Boise on Tuesday afternoon prior to joining Moscow and its neighboring communities for the symposium keynote address on Wednesday, April 6.
“This initiative, we trust, will promote more dialogue and increase greater awareness of pressing issues that affect all Idahoans and global citizens,” said Caroline Payant, director of the Master of Arts program teaching English as a second language and co-chair of the Borah committee.
The symposium, which was held at the Bruce M. Pitman Center, also included daytime events with academics and practitioners.
Schedule of Events, 2016
Monday, April 4 at 6:30 p.m.
- Location: International Ballroom, Bruce Pitman Center
- "Borah Symposium International Anthem"
- Presented by Dan Bukvich, Professor of Music at UI
Monday, April 4 at 7 p.m.
- Location: International Ballroom, Bruce Pitman Center
- Panel Discussion, "Refugees"
- Moderator: Kristin Haltinner, Assistant Professor, UI Department of Sociology & Anthropology
- Panelist: Jan Reeves, Director, Idaho Office for Refugees
- Panelist: Sayed Hassan Akhlaq, Philosopher, Writer and Human Rights Activist
- Panelist: Craig Redmond, Senior Vice President of Programs, Mercy Corps
Tuesday, April 5 at 12:30 p.m.
- Location: Vandal Ballroom, Bruce Pitman Center
- "Waging Peace Through Sustainable Development"
- Presented by Emmanuel Stefanakis, Principal, Sustainable Strategies International
Tuesday, April 5 at 7 p.m.
- Location: International Ballroom, Bruce Pitman Center
- Plenary Address, "The Holocaust, Modern Genocides and the Anti-Atrocities Movement"
- Presented by John Prendergast, Human Rights Activist and New York Times Best-Belling Author
Tuesday, April 5 at 7 p.m.
- Location: Auditorium, Borah High School, Boise, Idaho
- “The World is Your Backyard”
- Presented by Samantha Nutt, Award-Winning Humanitarian, Bestselling Author and Founder of War Child
Wednesday, April 6 at 11:30 a.m.
- Location: Vandal Ballroom, Bruce Pitman Center
- "Waging Peace: Applying Non-Combat U.S. Military Capabilities to Achieve National Security Goals"
- Presented by Colonel Greg Cook, U.S. Air Force (Retired)
Wednesday, April 6 at 7 p.m.
- Location: International Ballroom, Bruce Pitman Center
- Keynote Address: "Conflicted? The World of War"
- Presented by Samantha Nutt, Award-Winning Humanitarian, Bestselling Author and Founder of War Child