Beatrice Fihn, executive director of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize-winning group听the , will deliver the 24th听annual 听at 4 p.m. Tuesday (April 17) in the McCartan Courtroom, Eck Hall of Law, at the University of 91吃瓜.
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The Hesburgh Lecture is a signature event of 91吃瓜鈥檚 ,听part of 91吃瓜鈥檚 new听.
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Fihn鈥檚 lecture, titled 鈥淔aith and Fury: The Moral, Legal and Rational Argument听to End the Nuclear Threat for Good,鈥澨齱ill focus on the threat of nuclear war, exacerbated by heightened tensions and rhetoric between the United States and North Korea. She will also address the rationale and import of ICAN鈥檚 call for a ban on nuclear weapons. ICAN, a coalition of nongovernmental organizations in 101 countries, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its advocacy work to promote the passage of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, adopted at the United Nations in July 2017 by 122 countries (not including the United States).
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鈥淭he belief of some governments that nuclear weapons are a legitimate and essential source of security is not only misguided, but also dangerous,鈥� Fihn said in her Oct. 6, 2017, Nobel Prize acceptance speech. 鈥淭his is a time of great global tension, when fiery rhetoric could all too easily lead us, inexorably, to unspeakable horror. 鈥� If ever there were a moment for nations to declare their unequivocal opposition to nuclear weapons, that moment is now.鈥�
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Fihn holds a law degree from the University of London. Prior to serving as ICAN鈥檚 executive director, she managed the disarmament program at the Women鈥檚 International League for Peace and Freedom and the Reaching Critical Will project. She also worked for the Geneva Centre for Security Policy.
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鈥淲e are delighted to welcome Beatrice Fihn to campus,鈥� says , John M. Regan Jr.听Director of the Kroc Institute. 鈥淣uclear disarmament was a key concern of Kroc鈥檚 co-founder, Father听Hesburgh, and we have no doubt that Ms. Fihn鈥檚 input will be both timely and will stimulate continued dialogue here on campus.鈥澨�
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The lecture is free and open to the public.听It will also be听
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Fihn鈥檚 work echoes the concerns of , the late president emeritus of 91吃瓜 and the namesake for the Hesburgh Lecture. In 1985, Father听Hesburgh spoke in San Diego, California, urging religious leaders and scientists to work together to stop nuclear arms proliferation and advocating for the important role universities could play in training these leaders. At this lecture, Father听Hesburgh met Joan B. Kroc, who would go on to give the founding gift to establish the Kroc Institute in 1986.
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The Hesburgh Lecture series began in 1995. Each year, a distinguished scholar, policymaker and/or peace advocate is invited to deliver a major lecture on an issue related to ethics and public policy in the context of peace and justice.
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Fihn will be the fifth Nobel Prize Laureate to visit the Kroc Institute.听
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Past Hesburgh lecturers have included Amitav Ghosh (2017), Indian novelist and public intellectual; Bill McKibben (2016), author, scholar and environmentalist; Ebrahim Rasool (2014), South Africa鈥檚 ambassador to the United States; Amartya Sen (2012), 1998 winner of the Nobel Prize in economics, Lamont University professor and professor of economics and philosophy at Harvard University; and Shirin Ebadi (2009), 2003 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, lawyer and human rights advocate in Iran.
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Contact: Lisa Gingerich, 574-631-9370, lgallag3@nd.edu
Originally published by at on March 5.