5/19/2006 - AFS will Gather Leading Members of the Diplomatic and Business Community in New York to Celebrate Global Intercultural Understanding

H.E. Jan Eliasson, the President of the Sixtieth Session of the UN General Assembly and former AFS Exchange Student from Sweden to the USA, will deliver the keynote speech.

NEW YORK, NY, May 17, 2006 – AFS International will celebrate intercultural understanding at a luncheon to be held at the United Nations this Friday, May 19. H.E. Jan Eliasson, the President of the Sixtieth Session of the United Nations General Assembly and AFS Student from Sweden to the USA, will deliver the keynote speech. More than 20 ambassadors and over 35 consul generals are expected to attend the event. The AFS International Board of Trustees, representatives of the Board of AFS in the USA, two former AFS presidents, and key AFS donors will also be present. Four World War II ambulance drivers, members of the group that started AFS exchange programs, will join the distinguished guests.

“This AFS luncheon is an extraordinary opportunity for the AFS leadership to meet many of the members of the international community who represent countries where AFS offers intercultural exchange programs.” said Francisco Cazal, the president of AFS International, “We are expecting over 140 guests to attend what promises to be one of the most memorable AFS events of the year. It is fitting that we celebrate AFS accomplishments among such an internationally diverse group which is representative of the AFS presence in the world.”

“I am honored to be a part of this event,” said Brian Atwood, chairperson of the AFS International Board of Trustees and Dean of the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota, “Intercultural learning is the most effective antidote to tensions among people and no organization does this work better than AFS.” Atwood has also served as administrator of the U.S Agency for International Development (USAID) during the administration of President William Clinton.

About AFS
AFS Intercultural Programs, Inc. (www.afs.org) is one of the world’s largest not-for-profit community-based volunteer organizations dedicated to building a more just and peaceful world through intercultural exchange. AFS has a network of 52 Partner organizations and runs programs in more than 50 countries involving over 11,000 students, young adults and teachers each year. Since 1947, more than 325,000 individuals and an equal number of host families have had the AFS experience. In addition, AFS has Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations.

Press Contacts:
For additional information please contact: Carlos Porro, Manager of Communications and Development, email: carlos.porro@afs.org, telephone: (212) 807-8686 ext.121