Dr. Msiska, UN leader in the worldwide fight to stem the spread of HIV/AIDS, to speak ...( HOBOKEN N.J. -- A leader in the world...),Health

HOBOKEN, N.J. -- A leader in the worldwide fight to control the spread of HIV/AIDS, Dr. Roland M. Msiska of Johannesburg, South Africa, Director of the Southern Africa Capacity Initiative (SACI) of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), will deliver a lecture and conduct a discussion at Stevens Institute of Technology on two topics of global importance: Capacity Crisis for Service Delivery in Southern Africa and Opportunities to Stabilize Societies with Information and Communications Technologies.

Dr. Msiska's lecture and discussion will take place in Room 122 of The Babbio Center at Stevens Institute of Technology, 6th and River Streets, Hoboken, N.J., Jan. 25, 2007, 6:30 p.m. The evening will begin with a reception at The Babbio Center at 5:30 p.m. Members of the press are welcome to attend. For directions and parking information, please call the communications contact at the top of this release.

SACI (www.undp-saci.co.za) is a flagship project designed to assist countries in Southern Africa to respond to capacity erosion resulting from AIDS, brain drain, weakened capacity to govern and recurrent disasters in the region.

These countries also suffer from other illnesses, poverty, inappropriate retirement policies, poor educational systems and infrastructure weaknesses. Dr. Msiska will discuss how SACI has come to understand these challenges while sharing specific examples. He will present a conceptual framework for responses that link to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGS) and national development plans. While noting that existing mental models or worldviews have failed to see the full potential for utilizing Information and Communications Technologies (ICT's) in meeting these challenges, he will articulate potential solutions based upon the experience of SACI. Points of contact of these potential solutions with the ICT expertise at Stevens in areas of both Tec
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Contact: Patrick A. Berzinski
pberzins@stevens.edu
201-216-5687
Stevens Institute of Technology
21-Dec-2006