Westport, CT, May 3 (U Thant Institute) -- On Sunday, May 23, 2010, The U Thant Institute was host its sixth annual Ambassadors' Luncheon at the Shore and Country Club in Norwalk, Connecticut. The keynote speaker, Nobel Peace Prize recipient Dr. Rajendra Pachauri,  gave his thoughts on The Economics of Climate Change in Southeast Asia. Each year the U Thant Institute holds a luncheon on an issue of particular concern to the United Nations. This year’s luncheon focusing on climate change wasl honor ambassadors from the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA).

As in previous years, this luncheon was not only introduce area residents to the Institute's work but was also allow them the rare opportunity to meet multiple United Nations ambassadors in an intimate setting.

Dr. Rajendra Pachauri was elected in 2002 as Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which was established by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme in 1988.  In 2007 on behalf of the IPCC , he received the Nobel Peace Prize, which was shared with former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore.

In its press release, the Nobel Prize Committee said: “..the Nobel Peace Prize for 2007 is to be shared, in two equal parts, between the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Albert Arnold (Al) Gore Jr. for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change."

On 11 December 2007, Dr. Pachauri (representing the recipient IPCC) and co-recipient Al Gore delivered their acceptance speeches at an awards ceremony in Oslo, Norway, on a day when delegates to a United Nations climate conference were meeting in Bali, Indonesia. Pachauri referenced the Hindu philosophy of "'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam', which means 'the whole universe is one family,'" must dominate global efforts to protect the global commons."
Returning to this theme throughout his speech, he quoted president of the Maldives in 1987 (Maumoon Abdul Gayoom): "...a mean sea level rise of two meters would suffice to virtually submerge the entire country of 1,190 small islands, most of which barely rise two meters above sea level. That would be the death of a nation."
Dr. Pachauri repeatedly emphasized his concerns regarding the implications of climate change for the world's poorest nations, referring to studies that: "...have raised the threat of dramatic population migration, conflict, and war over water and other resources, as well as a realignment of power among nations. Some also highlight the possibility of rising tensions between rich and poor nations and health problems caused particularly by water shortages and crop failures...”
In 2005, Dr. Pachauri conceptualized and launched the “Lighting a Billion Lives Initiative” to bring electricity to energy starved rural areas of India through solar energy. The initiative has taken solar energy to remote places like Sundarbans, West Bengal and Thar, Rajasthan.
Dr. Pachauri currently serves as Director-General of TERI (Tata Energy Research Institute) which does original work and provides professional support to governments and corporations around the world in the areas of energy, environment, forestry, biotechnology, and the conservation of natural resources.
He obtained an MS in Industrial Engineering, a PhD in Industrial Engineering and a PhD in Economics from  North Carolina State University  and also served there  as an assistant professor (August 1974 -- May 1975) and Visiting Faculty Member (Summer 1976 and 1977) in the Department of Economics and Business.
His wide-ranging expertise has resulted in his being invited to join various international and national committees and boards, as well as a number of academic and research institutes.
The author of  23 books and a number of papers and articles, Dr. Pachauri was appointed in 2009 as Director of the Yale Climate and Energy Institute.

Founded and led by Westport resident and daughter of the late Secretary-General, Daw Aye Aye Thant, the U Thant Institute is a non-governmental, non-profit organization that reflects and promotes the values and ideals of the Third Secretary-General of the United Nations, U Thant.  He envisioned a global society guided by a spirit of “One World” — a world safe for diversity and a place of peaceful co-existence where global citizens demonstrate the virtues of tolerance, cooperation, understanding and compassion

Inspired by his vision, the mission of the Institute is to advance peace by supporting educational programs related to conflict prevention, poverty alleviation and public health. The Institute organizes programs and lectures to heighten awareness of the richness of diversity and global interdependence.

The luncheon was support the U Thant Institute’s Friendship Across Cultures Program which promotes intercultural understanding through education. The Program has been developed to advance peace through education and promote intercultural understanding through  creation of a network of young students from middle schools around the world

The public is cordially invited to attend the luncheon in honor of Dr. Pachauri.   For further information and tickets, please contact the U Thant Institute at :  (203) 341-0477.