U THANT INSTITUTE

March 18, 2008: On the occasion of Mrs. Ban Soon-taek's visit to the Manhattan campus of the United Nations International School, U Thant Institute president Daw Aye Aye Thant and directors of the institute joined UNIS Executive Director, Dr. Kenneth Wrye, members of faculty and students in welcoming the First Lady of the United Nations. A tour of the Junior School followed by student presentations including the UTI Friendship Across Cultures program, recitals and other performances, afforded Mrs. Ban the opportunity to meet pupils and staff while experiencing a slice of daily life at the school. The enthusiastic greetings received from all quarters undoubtedly touched Mrs. Ban who, in turn, delighted children and adults alike with her warmth and grace. -- Samuel Garrick -- (Event photography by Jinwen Chen for Quantock)

January 22, 2008: Trustees, directors, executives and members joined President Aye Aye Thant in the Private Delegates’ Dining Room at the UN to celebrate the Institute’s fifth annual lecture luncheon commemorating U Thant’s "Vision for Peace". Master of Ceremonies was UTI's vice president for Information, Willard Hass; and event photography was provided by Suzanne Sheridan. The lecture topic: "National Reconciliation in Myanmar: The Role of the UN", gave guests the opportunity to hear the deeply insightful commentary "Development in Myanmar" by HE Ambassador Vanu Gopala Menon, Permanent Representative of Singapore to the UN. His comments were followed by a riveting keynote address by Mr. Ibrahim Gambari, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on Myanmar. Indeed, the report by Mr. Gambari contained his first public remarks since returning from his recent round of shuttle diplomacy with the military leaders of Myanmar. -- Samuel Garrick --

September 16, 2007: A tea party celebrating the Friendship Across Cultures programme was held at the Westport, CT home of UTI President Aye Aye Thant and husband, Tyn Myint-U. The event was attended by members and friends of the Institute including Ibrahim Gambari; George Delaney; Janet Filling; Anthony Fouracre; Alexandra Faiz; Lidana Jalilvand; Hlaa Phoo; Naoko & Yasunobu Ishigami; Roland & Barbara Paul; Aung Thein; Amanda Lanzarone; Sang Hwa Park and Sachi Liebergesell. A wonderful afternoon was had by all thanks to the warm hospitality of the hosts and the fortuitously clement weather. --Samuel Garrick--

June 13, 2007: Launching the U Thant Institute’s “Friendship Across Cultures” programme, president Daw Aye Aye Thant and members of the Institute were joined by programme partners and well-wishers including Mrs. Ban Soon-taek, wife of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; Professor Ibrahim Gambari, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on the International Compact with Iraq and Other Political Issues; Mrs. Sylvia Howard Fuhrman, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for UNIS; Daniel Toole, Acting Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF; Hélène-Marie Gosselin, Director of the UNESCO Office in New York, ambassadors and consular officials of the foreign diplomatic corps. The colorful event in the auditorium of the UN’s Dag Hammarskjöld Library featured poetry readings and songs from students of the United Nations International School and a traditional Korean dance performed by children of the Arcola Korean Institute. Friendship Across Cultures is an intercultural initiative conceived by Aye Aye Thant and supported by UNESCO and UNICEF with the inaugural participation of the Dae-chi Middle School in Seoul, the UN International School in New York and the Abderrahmane Kahouadji School in Algiers. The programme’s goal is to create a network of students from middle schools around the world to advance peace and promote international understanding through collaborative activities in literature, politics, arts and social science. -- Samuel Garrick -- (Event photography by Nik Rocklin for Quantock)

January 22, 2007: On the day of the 98th anniversary of U Thant’s birth, the U Thant Institute hosted a luncheon at New York’s Metropolitan Club to welcome Mrs. Ban Soon-taek, spouse of the new United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Daw Aye Aye Thant, founder and president of the U Thant Institute, was joined in receiving Mrs. Ban by the spouses of UN Ambassadors, UN officials, philanthropists, international business executives, UTI trustees, directors, members and other distinguished guests. The keynote speech was delivered by Dr. Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Director of the United Nations Development Fund for Women. The honorary chairwomen of the event were Mrs. Shauna Hinduja (Hinduja Group) and Mrs. Adele Smithers (Christopher D. Smithers Foundation.) Mrs. Fay Vassilakis (spouse of the Ambassador of Greece to the UN) and Mrs. Lee Hee-won (spouse of the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the UN) chaired the luncheon which was coordinated by Kins Group CEO, Mrs. Gloria Starr Kins and UTI vice president for Administration, Ms. Carrie Gallagher. The committee comprised Mrs. Loula Loi Alafoyiannis, The Honorable Leanna Brown, Mrs. Daisy Gallagher, Mr. Douglas Reid-Green, Mrs. Koko Hyukkoon Han and Ms. Jenny Han, Esq. The event was sponsored by the Hinduja Group, the Christopher D. Smithers Foundation, Inc., Mrs. Koko Hyukkoon Han, BASF, Inc., Euro-American Women’s Council, The Kins Group, Inc., Ms. Joanna Kourkoumelis, and Gallagher & Gallagher, Inc. Luncheon supporters included Ms. Janet Filling, Ms. Peggy Patterson, Ms. Kathleen Penley, Mrs. Naoko Ishigami, Mrs. Tsu-Wei Chang, Dr. Alicia Zizzo and Mrs. Vicky Tzolis. In her welcome address to Mrs. Ban, Daw Aye Aye Thant announced the UTI’s new program, “Friendship Across Cultures” which is aimed at uniting young people from different countries and cultures through education. Also announced was the Institute’s 2007 support of the Jayanthi Lama Nivasaya orphanage in Pembe, Sri Lanka. In response, Mrs. Ban used her maiden speech as First Lady of the United Nations to thank Daw Aye Aye Thant for the warm welcome she had received from the Institute. She then went on to share her recollection of the part that U Thant had played as a revered statesman in inspiring Mr. Ban Ki-moon to pursue his life-long career in diplomatic service. -- Samuel Garrick --

December 1, 2006: U Thant Institute celebrated its fourth annual lecture luncheon commemorating U Thant’s "Vision for Peace". UTI founder-president, Daw Aye Aye Thant was joined by her advisory trustees, directors, executive officers, Ambassadors of the Diplomatic Corps and other distinguished guests in the Private Delegates’ Dining Room at the United Nations. Master of Ceremonies was Anthony Fouracre, UTI's vice president for UN Affairs. A warm welcome was offered by UTI trustee, Ambassador Joseph Verner Reed and UTI board chairman, Dr. George J. Delaney. In her opening remarks, UTI president Daw Aye Aye Thant noted the significance of the lecture luncheon coinciding with World Aids Day and highlighted the institute’s work in health education. The president also used the occasion to unveil the institute’s launch plans for a water irrigation project in Pantanaw, Myanmar to be completed by the centenary of her father’s birth in 2009. The theme of this year’s lecture, "Promoting Oneness of the Human Community", was explored with insight, depth and candor by both guest speakers -- Dr. Shashi Tharoor, UN Under-Secretary-General for Communications & Public Information, and Dr. Jonathan Clarke, Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Council on Ethics & International Affairs. The afternoon was rounded off with readings from U Thant’s "Vision for Peace", offered this year by Pritha Subramanyam of the United Nations International School and Amanda Lanzarone, archive coordinator of Secretary-General Kofi Annan's selected official papers. -- Samuel Garrick -- (Event photography by Nik Rocklin for Quantock)

A pictorial record of more than a decade of international public service.