EVENTS: SOUTH SUDAN COUNT DOWN TO JULY 9TH 2011

YOUNG PROFESSIONALS IN FOREIGN POLICY & THE ETHIOPIAN LAWYERS’ ASSOCIATION OF NORTH AMERICA

COUNTDOWN TO JULY 9, 2011: PROSPECTS FOR A PEACEFUL AND THRIVING INDEPENDENT SOUTH SUDAN

Discussion with: Francis Deng and Gabriel Abraham Wednesday, June 8, 2011 06:30 PM-08:30 PM Panel Discussion and Q&A FOUNDATION FOR THE GLOBAL COMPACT 801 Second Avenue 2nd Floor New York RSVP Required: hello@elnaonline.org

The Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed between the Government of Sudan and the Southern People's Liberation Front ended decades of civil war and paved the way for a peace process culminating with last January's referendum and South Sudan's anticipated independence. What difficulties has South Sudan faced in its transition to independence and what challenges lie ahead upon formal grant of statehood? What is the outlook for stability and democratic governance? What will be the nature of South Sudan's relationship with its neighbors and what will be the implications of its independence on the wider Horn of Africa region?

Francis Deng Since August 1, 2007 Mr. Deng has served as Special Adviser for the Prevention of Genocide and Mass Atrocities, to the United Nations Secretary-General, with the rank of Under-Secretary General. From 1992 to 2004 he served as Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General on Internally Displaced Persons. Mr. Deng also served as Ambassador of Sudan to Canada, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and the United States and has served as Sudan's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. He has also been a Wilhelm Fellow at the Center for International Studies of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a Research Professor of International Politics, Law and Society at Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies. Mr. Deng holds an LL.B from Khartoum University and an LL.M and a J.S.D. from Yale University and has authored and edited over 30 books in the fields of law, conflict resolution, internal displacement, human rights, anthropology, folklore, history and politics and has also written two novels on the theme of the crisis of national identity in the Sudan.

Gabriel Abraham Mr. Gabriel is Senior Project Manager at Deloitte Consulting with many years of experience in post-conflict environments. As an Advisor to South Sudan's Minister of Cabinet Affairs he is ensuring that key functions of government are in place. As principal advisor on the Referendum Taskforce established to address the needs of government during the transition to a nation state, he designed the vision and objectives for the Taskforce, coordinated with key ministers and donors to see the implementation of key government functions. Prior to his assignment in Southern Sudan, Mr. Abraham served as Chief of Party in Kosovo on the Local Government Initiative Project, and the Effective Municipalities Initiatives project. Prior to his assignment in Kosovo, Mr. Abraham served as acting Chief of Party on the Afghanistan National Development Strategy project. From 2003-05, Mr. Abraham provided advice to the governorate of Najaf, Iraq. Advisory services included training, household survey of all 155,000 households and the implementation of local council elections. Mr. Abraham has been an instructor at Tufts, Harvard and Columbia and earned a BSc from Haverford College and graduate degrees from Columbia.