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PASCAL LAMY TO GIVE GUNNAR MYRDAL LECTURE

To speak on “Global Governance: Lessons from Europe”
Palais des Nations (Salle XX), Geneva
Tuesday, 22 February 2005, 6.00 p.m.

Geneva, 8 February 2005 - This year’s Gunnar Myrdal Lecture will be delivered by Pascal Lamy, former Trade Commissioner of the European Commission and current President of “Notre Europe”. The topic will be "Global Governance: Lessons from Europe". The lecture will take place on Tuesday, 22 February 2005 at the Palais des Nations (Salle XX) at 6.00 p.m.

Pascal Lamy, aged 57, holds an MBA in Economy and Political Science (Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales, Institut d’Etudes Politiques and Ecole Nationale d’Administration). He began his career in the French civil service in the Inspection Générale des Finances and in the Treasury. He then became an adviser to the Finance Minister Jacques Delors, and subsequently to Prime Minister Pierre Mauroy.

In Brussels from 1985 to 1994, he took up the post of Head of Cabinet for the President of the European Commission, Jacques Delors, including the role of Sherpa in the G7.

In November 1994, he joined the team responsible for the rescue of Credit Lyonnais, and later became CEO of the bank, led at the time by Jean Peyrelevade.

After the privatisation of Credit Lyonnais in 1999, Pascal Lamy became the EU Trade Commissioner in the European Commission led by Romano Prodi until November 2004. While Trade Commissioner, Mr. Lamy demonstrated a great sympathy for the interests of both transition and developing countries. He also worked to ensure that the EU placed significant emphasis on integrating less-advantaged countries into the services-led global economy. He was an advocate for increased cooperation between the EU and the UN. In 2002 he addressed the first UNECE International Forum on Trade Facilitation.

He is now devoting his time to academic activities (largely issues related to Europe, the economy and international trade). In particular, he is President of the foundation “Notre Europe” (where he succeeded Jacques Delors), he is associate professor at l’Institut d’Études Politiques in Paris, he is adviser to Poul Nyrup Rasmussen (President of the European Socialist Party), and to Pierre Mauroy (Chairman of Foundation Jean Jaurès) and he is also member of the Advisory Board of Transparency International (Berlin).

The Lectures are named in honour of Gunnar Myrdal, first Executive Secretary of the UNECE (1947-1957), who received the Nobel Prize in economics in 1974. The topic that Mr. Lamy has chosen for his lecture, global governance, would surely have been of interest to Gunnar Myrdal since much of his academic work was concerned with the role of international trade in promoting development and the role of institutions in shaping economic outcomes. This is the third in a new series devoted to major international economic problems. The UNECE 2003 Myrdal Lecture was given by Nobel prize winner Professor Douglass C. North, and the 2004 Lecture was given by Joseph E. Stiglitz, 2001 Nobel Laureate in Economics.


For additional information, please contact:

Economic Analysis Division
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
Palais des Nations
CH - 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland

Phone: +41(0)22 917 14 88
Fax: +41(0)22 917 03 09
E-mail: [email protected]

Ref: ECE/GEN/05/P01