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HBCUS GO GLOBAL
September 23, 2024 UNDP Africa-OHBCUD-African Union-Nigerian Embassy Summit at 79th Session UN General Assembly (UNGA)
This high level annual international summit marked the 5th anniversary of the historic MOU signing between OHBCUD and UNDP Africa. This year's hybrid convening, held at the UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa offices in NYC, explored the theme of "Mobilizing Africa's Sixth Region: Helping Educate and Skill Africa for the 21st Century". Key officials from UNDP Africa, the African Union, Nigerian Embassy, USAID and the HBCU community provided analyses and recommendations.
Highlights from the ongoing successful UNDP-OHBCUD-AU International Distance Learning Initiative (IDLI) were provided by participating HBCU / MSI university officials along with remarks from Summit moderator,
Dr. Raymond Gilpin, UNDP Africa and Dr. Farid I. Muhammad, OHBCUD, Inc.
HBCU-UNDP Africa 2022 International Distance Learning (IDLI)
Video Highlights
This brief 6 minute video was designed to showcase Summer 2022 International Distance Learning success in year two of this historic initiative, having doubled the number of participating partner institutions and increased student enrollment as well. Students share reflections on their experiences.
Coming Soon! Please be on the lookout for 2024 IDLI student reflections in our upcoming blog!
HBCUS GO GLOBAL
September 26, 2022 UNDP Africa-OHBCUD-African Union Summit at 77th Session UN General Assembly (UNGA)
This 4th annual international summit explored the theme of "Diaspora for Development: Leveraging Africa's Sixth Region to Realize the Continent's Promise". Key officials from UNDP Africa, the African Union and the HBCU community provided analyses and recommendations. Closing remarks were also provided by Dr. Farid I. Muhammad, OHBCUD, Inc.
September 27, 2022 Day 2 of the UNDP Africa-African Union-HBCU Summit at the Margins of 77th UNGA
This historic Summit's proceedings were held at the African Union Mission to the UN, during the 77th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
HBCU-UNDP Africa 2022 International Distance Learning (IDLI) Video Highlights
This brief 6 minute video was designed to showcase Summer 2022 International Distance Learning success in year two of this historic initiative, having doubled the number of participating partner institutions and increased student enrollment as well. Students share reflections on their experiences.
HBCUS GO GLOBAL
September 29, 2021 UNDP Africa-OHBCUD Summit 76th Session UN General Assembly (UNGA)
This 3rd annual international summit was focused on Leveraging African Resources to Finance Sustainable Post-COVID Recovery. As can be noted, key officials from both UNDP Africa, the African Union and the HBCU community provided comments. Closing remarks were also provided by Dr. Farid I. Muhammad (video recording – HBCU event record – YouTube )
September 28, 2021 Agriculture as a Driver of Africa’s & African Diaspora Development (Howard University & Brookings Institute)
Conference focused on Food Security, Economic Transformation, Human Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – (video recording) Panel of international experts with closing comments made by Farid as CEO of IHRAAM and Chairman OHBCUD.
July 17, 2021 HBCU-UNDP Africa International Virtual Assembly
This conference was designed to showcase Summer 2021 International Distance Learning Courses on African Descendant Economic Transformation, Human Rights & Self-Determination
(Click here to view the recording).
SECOND ANNUAL UNITED NATIONS SUMMIT
75TH SESSION UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
SEPTEMBER 25, 2020
INNOVATIVE FINANCE STRATEGIES FOR ACHIEVING THE
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS FOR ALL PERSONS OF AFRICAN DESCENT
(International Virtual Conference)
Summit
THE HISTORIC INAUGURAL UNITED NATIONS SUMMIT: AFRICA THE GLOBAL AFRICAN DIASPORA: INTERNATIONAL SUMMIT OF COLLEGES, UNIVERSITIES, & MINISTERS OF EDUCATION
On September 23-24, 2019, at the margins of the 74th Session of the UN
General Assembly (UNGA), the UNDP, Headquarters Regional Bureau for
Africa, the Core Planning Group–Office of HBCU Development and International Cooperation, Inc, and International Human Rights Association of American Minorities (IHRAAM) , an UN/NGO in Consultative Status with
ECOSOC, organized the historic inaugural summit event titled “Africa and
the Global African Diaspora: International Summit of Colleges, Universities, and Ministers of Education.”
The Summit’s central theme and objective were to advocate for the creation of international partnerships among institutions of higher education across Africa, and the global African Diaspora, and to advance quality education for all persons of African Descent. This inaugural and historic event concluded with the joint signing of the MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MoU) BETWEEN THE UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (UNDP) AND CORE PLANNING GROUP–OFFICE OF HBCU DEVELOPMENT & INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION.
A copy of this precedent setting and visionary document is available for review (link to MoU).
There were over 460 registrants in attendance at UN Headquarters during the session held September 23, 2019. They reflected a nationally representative and broad spectrum of administrators and senior faculty delegates from Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs) of higher education across the USA. This included keynote speakers President Dr. Leslie Pollard of Oakwood University (Huntsville, AL) and President Dr. Rudolph Crew of Medgar Evers College (Brooklyn, NY). Additionally, many noteworthy UN government representatives, including Ministers of Education across African, Caribbean, South American countries were present. The Official Opening Ceremony for Monday September 23rd included keynote remarks being made by:
Honorable H. Okello Oryen, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, The Republic of Uganda;
Honorable Jackson Mthembu, Minister in the Presidency Republic of South Africa;
Dr. Farid I. Muhammad, Coordinator, Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCU) and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs) higher education, USA
Dr. Clarence Jones, Director, Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice, University of San Francisco; and
Ms Ahunna Eziakonwa, Regional Director for UNDP Bureau for Africa and Assistant Secretary General UNDP;
Master of Ceremonies, Dr. Ayodele Odusola, Resident Representative, UNDP South Africa
The remaining Panel Discussions included the following topics: (1) Challenges, Opportunities and Future of Higher Education in Africa and African Diaspora; and (2) Facilitating an Enduring Partnership Between African Universities and the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in America. A copy of the Agenda for the Monday September 23, 2019 Session is available for review and includes a complete list of the names and affiliations of major panelists (Sept 23rd Agenda). Similarly, a copy of the Agenda for the 2nd and off-site Side-Event held at the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) on Tuesday September 24, 2019, is also provided.
The keynote speaker at the 2nd 74th Session UNGA Side-Event held Tuesday September 24, 2019 at BMCC was Attorney Dominique Day. Attorney Day currently serves as a member of the U.N. Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent (WGEPAD). Similarly, the 2nd Side-Event also included two sets of expert panelists. The panel themes were as follows: (1) Creating International Partnerships to Achieve Quality Education and Training for all Persons of African Descent; and (2) Institutionalizing Financial Sustainability of Educational Organizations serving People of African Descent. The many noteworthy African and African-American expert panelists are listed in the sample Agenda for the September 24, 2019 Session (link to Agenda Sept 24th).
READ AND VIEW THE UN WEB TV BROADCAST OF THE SEPTEMBER 23RD UN SUMMIT BELOW.
SDG4: Advancing Quality Education for all Persons of African Descent.
“23 Sep 2019 – The technologically interconnected nature of today’s world creates new opportunities for institutions of higher education to work together, across the world, to achieve shared academic and educational goals. Through distance learning, colleges and universities can co-teach classes on any subject, with students based in any country, with instruction in any language. The same technologies can help education institutions share institutional knowledge and best practices that together strengthen their internal operations and build capacities to provide instruction of the highest quality. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), as mandated by the UN Secretary General and the General Assembly, is the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) integrator in the United Nations System. Contributing to this mandate with the scale and breadth of colleges and university systems provides new opportunities for accelerating progress on the SDGs. The African continent – and countries with a large African diaspora – host thousands of institutions of higher education, with over 200 Historically Black Colleges and Universities / Primarily Black Institutions in the United States, alone. The variety of academic subjects, number of courses, and number of students of African descent (which likely numbers in the millions) all provide opportunities, through academic partnerships, to strengthen educational institutions and outcomes. The overall objective of the event is to strengthening international partnership among HBCU, higher educational institutions in Africa and the African Diaspora to advance quality of education for all persons of African descent.”
Preserving the Legacy of HBCUs/PBIs
Provide participants with an overview of the historic legacy, mission, contributions and current challenges facing HBCUs and PBIs
Familiarize participants with relevant international human rights covenants, declarations and UN resolutions/reports which protect the collective and institutional rights of People of African Descent in the U.S.A.
Invite participants to become part of an ongoing and institutionalized process committed to the preservation and self-empowerment of HBCU and PBIs
Ensure that a collaboratively identified HBCU or PBI institution shall serve as the venue for an annual review of progress made toward the implementation of the UN General Assembly’s “Programme of Activities for the Implementation of the International Decade for People of African Descent” (UN/RES/69/19); as well as the recommendations of the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent on its Mission to the U.S.A. (A/HRC/33/61- 2016).