2026 Ruth Steinkraus-Cohen Memorial Lecture

About this event

To honor UN Day, the United Nations Association of Southwestern Connecticut holds its annual Ruth Steinkraus-Cohen Memorial Lecture on international affairs with this year's speaker, Director of the United Nations Information Center, Will Davis. This event is organized by the United Nations Association of Southwestern Connecticut in honor of its founder, Ruth Steinkraus-Cohen. About the Speaker Will Davis was appointed in August 2024 by UN Secretary-General Guterres as Director of the United Nations Information Center in Washington, DC. Mr. Davis has worked over twenty years in various UN positions as well as at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris. Mr. Davis also served as Director of Legislative Affairs at the U.S. National Security Council, and as Senior Advisor in the State Department’s Bureau of Legislative Affairs. Mr. Davis is an expert in the budgeting and appropriations process for the U.S. international affairs budget, which has given him a deep understanding of the relationship between the U.S. and the United Nations system. Mr. Davis holds a BA in political science and a MA degree in public policy from Duke University. He has taught at George Washington University’s School of International Affairs and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. About the Ruth Steinkraus-Cohen Memorial Lecture The Southwestern Connecticut Chapter of the United Nations Association has been promoting the ideals and work for the United Nations for more than 60 years. Its founder, Ruth Steinkraus-Cohen, worked tirelessly to support the UN. She established jUNe Day, in which Westport welcomes the staff and delegates of the UN, in 1965. The downtown bridge is named in her honor, and the member nations' flags fly each United Nations Day. The chapter plans to bring a topical and thought-provoking speaker each year to The Westport Library on United Nations Day.

Description from westportlibrary.org