The registration deadline for the Committee on Teaching about the United Nations (CTAUN) conference has been extended from December 28 to January 7. The conference, titled “Advancing Social Justice: The Role of Educators,” will be held on Friday, 18 January 2013 from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm at the UN Headquarters in Midtown Manhattan (map). The admission fee is $65.00, CTAUN encourages all educators and other interested citizens to attend. Click here to register.

One of the keys to achieving lasting positive change in the world is reaching the youngest generations and to empower a new class of well-informed citizens. The problems facing the world community are incredibly complex and resolving them requires leaders with intelligence and a depth of awareness. Education is paramount to the creation of activists with the knowledge, skills, and empathy needed to tackle the world’s issues.

Accordingly, this year’s conference looks at the role of educators in advancing understanding of social justice issues. CTAUN believes that promoting social justice will foster greater “economic equality and political stability for the world’s citizens,” which is one of the UN’s most central goals. The conference will explore issues of social justice and human security, including human trafficking, forced labor, environmental justice, food security, and immigration/forced migration.

The keynote speakers are Thomas Pogge, author, Director of the Global Justice Program, and Leitner Professor of Philosophy and International Affairs at Yale University, and Rachel Lloyd, founder of Girls Educational and Mentoring Services (GEMS), author, and advocate for trafficked youths. Panel presentations will include representatives from the International Labor Organization (ILO), the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), UNICEF (Child Protection), and the US State Department, and other organizations.

For those interested in staying in Manhattan for the weekend, discounted hotel rates are available at ONE UN New York (formerly the Millennium Plaza) for $199 per night for a room with 2 people or $239 per night with 3 occupants. The special rates for conference participants are valid from Wednesday (16th) to Sunday (20th).

If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Mayfield at jennifer.a.mayfield@gmail.com or 914-388-2937