Lecture to focus on prospects for stability in war-scarred Darfur
Ambassador Dane F. Smith Jr., a veteran diplomat who currently serves as the U.S. Senior Adviser on Darfur, will discuss "Achieving Peace and Justice in Darfur" during a free, public lecture on Thursday, Nov. 17, at Florida State University.
Following his retirement from the U.S. Department of State, Smith served as a consultant in recent years on issues related to peace building, democratization and private-sector growth, leading teams examining effective humanitarian and development interventions overseas, especially in Africa. In December 2010, he was called out of retirement and named the U.S. Senior Adviser on Darfur, a region in western Sudan where a prolonged civil war claimed thousands of lives and forced millions into refugee camps, causing a humanitarian crisis.
Prior to his latest post, Smith had served in a number of positions within the U.S. diplomatic corps, many of them based in Africa. Among them, he was appointed by President Clinton as Special Presidential Envoy for Liberia, serving in 1995-1996, while concurrently directing the State Department's Office of West African Affairs. He also served as ambassador to Guinea from 1990 to 1993 and as president of the National Peace Corps Association from 1999 to 2003.
Earlier, Smith was deputy chief of mission in Sudan from 1986 to 1989 and in Botswana from 1984 to 1986. He also directed the State Department's African Economic Policy Staff from 1989 to 1990 and was chief of the Food Policy Division within the department's Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs from 1979 to 1981.
Smith's lecture, sponsored by the Ruth K. and Shepard Broad International Lecture Series and the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, will be held:
THURSDAY, NOV. 17
3:30 – 5 P.M.
BROAD AUDITORIUM
CLAUDE PEPPER BUILDING
636 W. CALL ST.
FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY
The lecture qualifies as a Global Pathways Certificate Event for Florida State University students who are working toward that goal.