The Virtue Foundation
Second Annual Multidisciplinary Symposium
Commemorating the Anniversary of September 11

Thursday, September 11, 2003

The Metropolitan Museum of Art
New York, NY

On the second anniversary of the unforgettable events of September 11, the Virtue Foundation had engaged in a one-day multidisciplinary symposiam for the purpose of taking a closer look at the chain of events which the unforgettable events

of September 11th have set off, as well as how these events have influenced the point of view from which the U.S. is being looked at by other nations around the globe. This symposium was made possible through a collaborative effort between the Virtue Foundation, UNESCO, The Rockefeller Foundation, and the Permanent Mission of Uruguay to the United Nations.

Among the invited guest speakers were former politicial figures such as James P. Rubin, Former Assistant Secretary of State, news anchors and writers such as Ann Curry, Anchor of NBC's "Today" Show, Christina Lamb, Writer of The Sunday Times, and Jessica Stern, Author and Public Policy Lecturer from Harvard University.

The host of the event was Forrest Sawyer, one of NBC's news anchors. At the event were two panel discussions and a number of keynote lectures. Speakers in the lectures included a number of prominent United Nations Ambassadors and other officials, such as Ambassador Joseph Verner Reed, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations; Ambassador John D. Negroponte, U.S. Representative to the United Nations, and Mr. Shashi Tharoot, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information at the United Nations.

We also heard live entertainment from world-renowned musicians Renaud Garcia-Fons and Clair Antonini. The purpose of the event was two-fold--to honor those who lost their lives during the tragic events of September 11th, and take a closer, deeper look at the sequence of, and prior knowledge of, events which lead up to the tragedy, the numerous unrelated details, and the unanswered questions therefrom, about the tragedy, the various possible motives behind those responsible for the tragedy, and all of the "emotions"--seemingly the reason for such unusually rapid cleanup progress at Ground Zero--that were stirred up in the people. We must ask ourselves deep questions about what is going on in the minds of our enemies--when terrorists, capable of overriding pre-programmed flight guidance systems designed to prevent high-g maneuvers (sharp turns) from the cockpits of two of the most modern jetliners in the world, then allow our Government to easily find their passports.

Driven primarly by the rapid advancements in technology and communications over the last few decades, the world has evolved into a global and interdependent community. In an unprecendented age where political and economic events in one region of the world bear significant and sometimes tragic repercussions thousands of miles away (as witnessed by the events of September 11), it is no longer possible for any nation to remain an island of prosperity in the midst of a sea of advirsity. Against the backdrop of a world marked by diminishing borders and clashing ideologies, the neccessity of collectively developing and formulating universal standards of ethical behavior has suddenly become an urgent priority that can no longer be ignored.

We started off at breakfast at 8:30 at the Temple of Dendur in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, after which there was a national moment of silence After the breakfast, we went over to the Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium, where Dr. Joan LaRovera, who is the director of international affairs for the Virtue Foundation, spoke about the mission of the Virtue Foundation. Afterwards, we listened to Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ambassador Joseph Verner Reed, who spoke about his colleagues who got killed in the bombing tragedy in Iraq. After that, we listened to Forrest Sawyer, the moderator of the morning panelist session. Forrest Sawyer is a veteran journalist, anchor and contributor for NBC and the 24-hour cable news network, MSNBC Mr Sawyer spent 11 years at ABC News, where he recorded numerous exclusives from around the world. He has received many honors throughout the years for his work, including the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award, seven National Emmy Awards, two Sigma Delta Chi awards two Edward R. Murrow awards, and an Associated Press Award. The other panelists were Kenneth H. Bacon, President and C.E.O. of Refugees International, an advocate for humanitarian action that monitors conditions of refugees and displaced people around the world, and works with the United Nations. The next panelist was Jagdish Bhagwati, a professor at Columbia University. He attended Cambridge University where he graduated in 1956 with a first in economics tripos. He then studied at M.I.T. and Oxford. The next panelist was James P. Rubin, Former Assistant Secretary of State, who served under the Clinton Administration as Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs, and Chief Spokesman for the State Department from 1997 until May, 2000. Next up was Jessica Stern, the foremost U.S. expert on terrorism, and author of the highly acclaimed book "Terror in the Name of God.". Jessica Stern is a lecturer in public policy at Harvard University, and a Faculty Affiliate, at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.

The topics which were discussed in the morning panel session, headed by Forrest Sawyer, were predominently about Iraq and Afghanistan, the war on terrorism, the security in the United States, the involvement of the United Nations, and many, many more topics associated with this topic. After the panel discussion, there was a Q&A where the audience was invited to ask questions regarding these topics.

The afternoon session started with opening remarks by Forrest Sawyer NBC/MSNBC News Anchor and a keynote speach by Ambassador John Negroponte, U.S. Representative to the United Nations. The panel discussion topic was "Bridging the Cultural Divide.--Overcoming Ethnocentrism and Xenophobia in the Age of Globalization." Among the panelists to take part in this discussion, which was headed by NBC Today's News Anchor, Ann Curry, were Gordon Conway, President of the Rockefeller Foundation, Ambassador Dumisani, Kumalo (South African Mission to the U.N.), Christina Lam, (Author and Journalist of the Sunday Times, London), Ambassador Richard Murphy, Council on Foreign Relations, and Jessica Stern from the JFK School of Government, Harvard University. Closing remarks were by Jones Kyazze (Director of U.N.E.S.C.O., N.Y.), and Dr. Joseph Salem, Executive Director of the Virtue Foundation.

Due to a committment, I was unable to remain for the afternoon session, but was very impressed by the way the Virtue Foundation puts these wonderful symposium panels and discussions with professionals who have vast knowledge in their respected fields, and can share very valuable knowledge to educate the public about specific topics. The Virtue Foundation has conducted other panel discussions entitled "Responsible Journalism", "Overcoming Ethical Quandary", "From Theory to Practice", "Challenges to Implementing a Global Ethic", "Medicine in the Twenty First Century.", "The Power of Trust" and "Rebuilding the Roots of Family and Community Relationships". Many of the panels are held throughout New York in places like The Rockefeller University, The Harvard Club, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Joseph Salim, the Executive Director of the Virtue Foundation, who told me that he would love to have more people come out and listen to many of these topics, which concern each and every one of us. He and his staff did a marvelous job of organizing the Second Annual Multidisciplinary Symposium, commemorating the Anniversity of September 11.

Some of the events are free of charge, others might have a small fee ($20-25). For the Virtue Foundation's upcoming events and more information, feel free to log onto their website, www.virtuefoundation.org.

The Vitue Foundation is an independent non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the research and development of a universal body of ethics that transcends such boundaries as race, culture, gender and religion, recognizing that the formulation and adoption of unversal standards of ethical behavior necessitates a greater awareness and understanding of the essential nature of human beings. The Foundation seeks to identify and explore the universal dimensions of the human spirit through a variety of multidisciplinary events by accomplished experts and professionals. The foundation highlights and reinforces all that we share in common in order to lay the groundwork upon which we can collectively build towards a global ethic.

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