Special Advisor to U.N. Secretary General to visit central Ohio

A series of recommendations to end poverty by the year 2015 is the subject of two talks in central Ohio by Jeffrey Sachs, special advisor to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and Director of the U.N. Millennium Project.

Sachs will hold a press conference at 1:45 p.m. on Thursday (10/5) at Ohio State's Mershon Center for International Security Studies, 1501 Neil Avenue. At 3 p.m., he will discuss "The End of Poverty" at the Ohio Union West Ballroom, 1739 N. High Street. He will also speak at 7:30 p.m. at Ohio Wesleyan University's Gray Chapel, where he will be awarded an honorary degree.

Sachs "is an economist who can bring to life statistics that were, after all, lives in the first place. He can lookup from the numbers and see faces through the spreadsheets," U2 lead singer Bono says in his introduction to Sachs' book The End of Poverty.

Sachs was named the "most important economist in the world" by The New York Times Magazine, and the "world's most important economist" by Time magazine. Time also named Sachs one of the 100 most influential leaders in 2004 and 2005.

Sachs is also Director of The Earth Institute, Quetelet Professor of Sustainable Development, and Professor of Health Policy and Management at Columbia University.

A native of Detroit, Sachs received his B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard University.

Sachs' appearance at Ohio State is sponsored by the Mershon Center for International Security Studies, which fosters the interdisciplinary study of national security in a global context, and Undergraduate Admissions and First Year Experience, which focuses on giving first-year students the resources and support needed to successfully transition to college.

His appearance at Ohio Wesleyan is sponsored by the International Studies Program and the Eddy Lecture Series.

WHAT:Jeffrey Sachs, Special Advisor to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, Director of the U.N. Millennium Project, and Director of the Earth Institute, Columbia University

WHEN:Thursday, Oct. 5, 2006
1:45 p.m. press conference, Mershon Center for International Security Studies, 1501 Neil Ave.,
3 p.m. lecture, Ohio Union West Ballroom, 1739 N. High St.
7:30 p.m. lecture, Ohio Wesleyan University, Gray Chapel, 61 S. Sandusky St., Delaware

WHY:Sachs will speak on a topic of global concern – his blueprint to end poverty, a goal he says we can achieve in our lifetimes.