Cleveland, OH-- Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations, will speak at Case Western Reserve University on October 23rd, 2006, opening three days of discussion and idea-sharing at the Business as an Agent of World Benefit Global Forum.

The three-day conference, Business as an Agent of World Benefit: Management Knowledge Leading Positive Change, will unite the efforts of the UN Global Compact, the Academy of Management, and Case's Weatherhead School of Management. Over 400 top business executives and management scholars from around the world will explore ways in which business can be a leading force in eradicating poverty, enhancing the environment, and advancing peace - while still prospering financially. An additional 3,000 participants worldwide are expected to join the Forum via satellite and Internet links.

Secretary-General Annan, who launched the Global Compact in 2000, will stress the importance of responsible business practices and the effects that businesses have on the global community. His keynote speech will precede messages from leading executives and scholars such as C.K Prahalad, University of Michigan; Peter Senge, MIT; Warren Bennis, Founding Chairman, The Leadership Institute; Patrick Cescau, Group Chief Executive, Unilever; and, Bertrand Collomb, Chairman, Lafarge, among others.

Mr. Annan joined the United Nations system in 1962 as an administrative and budget officer with the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva. Since then, he has served with the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA); the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF II); the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); and at UN Headquarters in New York. He was first appointed Secretary-General of the United Nations in 1996 and again in 2001.

For more information on the global forum, Business as an Agent of World Benefit: Management Knowledge Leading Positive Change, please visit www.bawbglobalforum.com.

Business as an Agent of World Benefit

Business as an Agent of World Benefit

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