Release date: Oct. 11, 2006

U.N. and Emory Present International "Cartooning For Peace" Seminar Oct. 16

Contact: Lailee Mendelson: 404-771-3509 (cell), lailee.mendelson@emory.edu

Emory University's Claus M. Halle Institute for Global Learning will present "Cartooning for Peace: The Responsibility of Political Cartoonists as Journalists?" at the United Nations (U.N.) headquarters in New York Monday, Oct. 16.

Cartoonists from around the world, including Denmark, Egypt, France, Iran, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Palestine and the United States, will discuss the roles and responsibilities of political cartoonists. U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan will offer remarks and Under Secretary General for Communications and Public Information Shashi Tharoor will open and moderate the one-day event.

The morning panel will examine "Should the Cartoonist Educate?" and the afternoon panel will explore the issue of "Should Responsibilities Abridge Rights?" The seminar will be Web cast live. The event will take place at the Dag Hammarskjšld Library Auditorium in the U.N., and was organized by the academic initiative section of the outreach division of the U.N.'s Department of Public Information (DPI).

The "Cartooning for Peace" seminar is the brainchild of Plantu, political cartoonist of the French daily newspaper, "Le Monde." The idea for the gathering was born in 1991, when Plantu met former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, who drew the Star of David for one of Plantu's drawings and signed it.

"At that time, Yasser Arafat could not say, 'I recognize the State of Israel,' and yet, with a blue felt tip pen he drew the Star of David on the Israeli flag," said Plantu. The following year, Plantu traveled to Israel and convinced then-Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Shimon Peres to sign the same drawing. It was the first time that signatures from both the Israeli government and the Palestine Liberation Organization had been affixed to the same document prior to the 1993 Oslo Accords.

"Since that time, I have thought a great deal about the role of newspaper cartoonists," Plantu said.

For more information on this and future "Cartooning for Peace" events visit the Office of International Affairs Web site.

"Cartooning for Peace" is part of the DPI's "Unlearning Intolerance" series, which explores different manifestations of intolerance, as well as means to promote respect and understanding among peoples. Four previous seminars have included "Confronting Anti-Semitism," "Confronting Islamophobia," "Fanning the Flame of Tolerance: The Role of the Media" and "Critical Perspectives in Combating Genocide." The series offers opportunities to discuss how intolerance, wherever it exists and for whatever reason, can be "unlearned" through education, inclusion and example.

• For media accreditation, visit www.un.org or contact: Gary Fowlie, chief of media accreditation and liaison for the U.N., at 212-963-6937.

• The seminar is open to members of the public who register in advance. Registration and ID pickup is located in the U.N. visitors' lobby, at First Avenue and 46th Street.

The Halle Institute promotes international awareness and understanding as Emory University's premier venue for visits by heads of state, distinguished policymakers, and public intellectuals. The Halle Program on Governance provides a forum for research and expert meetings on issues of importance to governance in both contemporary democracies and societies in transition. For more information on The Halle Institute, visit www.oia.emory.edu/halle or call 404-727-7504.

Emory University is known for its demanding academics, outstanding undergraduate college of arts and sciences, highly ranked professional schools and state-of-the-art research facilities. For nearly two decades Emory has been named one of the country's top 25 national universities by U.S. News & World Report. In addition to its nine schools, the university encompasses The Carter Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center and Emory Healthcare, the state's largest and most comprehensive health care system.

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