The Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian Studies Program (LACIS) at UW-Madison has recapped the”fun and informative” United Nations Association 70th Anniversary Luncheon held on Oct. 18, 2015. The event was co-sponsored by the UW Global Health Institute, the UW International Division, the African Studies Program and Edgewood College.
The UNA-USA Dane County Chapter is a locally affiliated branch of the United Nations Association of the United States of America. They meet monthly for most of the year, host public events and lectures and serve the needs of members and the wider community.
According to the blog post, “Though it was technically a luncheon, there were many more festivities than just lunch that occurred. Local businesses and organizations donated items for a silent auction to raise money for continued UNA-USA Dane County programming including support for local high school Model UN Chapters. In addition to the auction, the Dane County Chapter handed out its annual Global Citizen Award, which is bestowed upon someone who has donated his/her time and efforts to help those in need in the global community.”
This year’s Global Citizen Award recipient is long-time friend of LACIS, Cecilia Zarate-Laun, who founded the Colombia Support Network with her husband Jack in 1987.
The 2015 keynote speaker was retired U.S. ambassador John E. Lange. Lange, a Milwaukee native and UW Law School alum, is the former United States Avian Influenza and Pandemic Ambassador in the U.S. Department of State and is currently a Senior Fellow of Global Health Diplomacy for the UN Foundation. In addition to this work, Lange has worked on a variety of Africa-related projects.
“UNA-USA Dane County Chapter Hosts Fun and Informative 70th Anniversary Luncheon,” UW-LACIS blog, 12/4/2015.