UN High Commissioner For Refugees To Examine Global Challenges At York University Open Forum

TORONTO, October 27, 1998 -- As winter draws near, more than 10, 000 ethnic Albanian refugees who fled their homes to escape fighting in the Yugoslav province of Kosovo are out in the cold. And that concerns United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata who will speak and take questions on the global challenges facing the UN in resolving the plight of refugees during an open forum at York University Friday, Nov. 6, 1998.

Hosted by York University's Centre for Refugee Studies, Ogata's address runs from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Senate Chamber (N940 Ross Building), 4700 Keele Street, Toronto.

"Mrs. Ogata's visit provides the many refugees and immigrants who have made Toronto their home a rare opportunity to encounter a fascinating woman and to witness first-hand her assessment of the world's treatment of refugees," said Professor Anne Bayefsky, Director of York University's Centre for Refugee Studies.

A career diplomat, Ogata has held office as UN High Commissioner for Refugees since 1991. As a professor of political science and international relations in Tokyo, she has published numerous works including: Refugees: A Multilateral Response to Humanitarian Crisis, and Defiance in Manchuria: The Making of Japanese Foreign Policy 1931 - 1932. Ogata has won numerous awards for her advocacy for refugee rights including the Rotary Award for International Understanding (Calgary, 1996) and the 1997 Business Council for the United Nations Medal (New York).

York University's Centre for Refugee Studies has been a Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) Centre of Excellence since 1991. The Centre's mandate is to advance the effective enforcement of refugee and international human rights standards through research, networking, education and training. Admission to the forum is free and the public is welcome.

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For more information, please contact:

Anne Bayefsky
Director, Centre for Refugee Studies
York University
(416) 736-5663

Sine MacKinnon
Senior Advisor for Media Relations
York University
(416) 736-2100, ext. 22087

Ken Turriff
Media Relations Officer
York University
(416) 736-2100, ext. 22086
YU/074/98