U.N.'s Sacirbey to Speak Oct. 12

U.N. Ambassador Muhamed Sacirbey speaks on "Building Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina" on Thursday, Oct. 12, at 7:30 p.m. in the Nott Memorial

As ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the United Nations, Muhamed Sacirbey is known for his commitment to human rights, freedom of religion, and ethnic diversity for the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Born in Sarajevo, Sacirbey left Yugoslavia as a political refugee with his family when he was 6 years old. The family lived in Europe and North Africa before settling in the United States in 1967. Sacirbey earned his bachelor's degree and a doctorate of jurisprudence at Tulane University and an MBA at Columbia Graduate School of Business before working as an investment banker.

When the Bosnians elected to pull out of the former Yugoslavia, Sacirbey became committed to helping to gain the new republic's admission into the United Nations. When the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was admitted to the UN in 1992, he was appointed as its ambassador and permanent representative. In 1995, he became foreign minister and played a key role in the Dayton Peace Talks.

His talk is part of the College's "Perspectives at the Nott" lecture series.