G-20 Policy Briefing

On September 23rd the Save Darfur Coalition hosted a policy briefing to engaging the media and advocates on Sudan and the G-20: What the World’s Richest Countries Can Do. The panelist discussed the important role the world’s largest economies can play in supporting peace and political reform in Sudan.  The discussion focused on the prospect of debt-relief for Sudan, and what the U.S. and other G-20 nations should watch to ensure proper measures are met before Khartoum’s debt is relieved.

Webcast recorded Wednesday, September 23rd at 3 p.m. EST.

Panelists

Sean Brooks serves as a policy associate at the Save Darfur Coalition, where he leads the coalition’s research efforts and works with civil society organizations in Sudan and the Arab world, as well as the international Darfuri diaspora community. He graduated from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) with a master’s degree in international relations and a concentration in Middle East studies. Before moving to Washington, he worked in the President’s Office of The American University in Cairo and volunteered at a refugee center assisting with refugees from Sudan and Somalia.

Rabbi Steve Gutow is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the public policy and community relations coordinating agency of the American Jewish community. In this position, Gutow has mobilized the Jewish community and advocated that the government end the genocide in Darfur, reform immigration policy, protect individual rights, maintain and enhance anti-poverty programs, and create a sustainable environment. Gutow has also worked diligently to foster a stronger bond among the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths. For his leadership, Gutow has been named among the 20 most influential American rabbis (Newsweek, 2009) and the 50 most influential American Jews (The Forward, 2007). Rabbi Gutow also serves on the Save Darfur Coalition board of director.

Isaac Leju-Loding is from Kajo-Keji, South Sudan, and came to the United States in 1989. He holds a degree in biological sciences from Penn State University. As a Member of the Pittsburgh Darfur Emergency Coalition, he works to raise awareness about the ongoing genocide in Darfur and advocates that Khartoum honor the terms of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement with South Sudan. Isaac is President of the Sudanese Community in Pittsburgh, and works among others to help Sudanese community members receive proper educational resources, medical care, legal aid and amicably settles disputes among members of the community. He also serves a liaison between the town council of Pittsburgh and community members. Isaac is a member in the Leadership of the African Union of Communities in Pittsburgh where he helps to coordinate efforts in various communities with other local and state agencies.

Mwangi S. Kimenyi is a senior fellow in the Africa Growth Initiative of the Global Economy and Development Program at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. He has been a faculty member of the Department of Economics at the University of Mississippi and the University of Connecticut and is the founding executive director of the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA). Kimenyi received his undergraduate degree at the University of Nairobi-Kenya, and completed graduate studies at Ohio University and George Mason University, where he obtained a doctorate degree in Economics in 1986.