US Ambassador Lecture at the University of Sarajevo
H.E. Maureen Cormack, Ambassador of the United States in Bosnia and Herzegovina held a lecture at the University of Sarajevo, on Friday 10 April 2015. The subject of the lecture was Policy Dialogue with Future Leaders. The lecture was followed by a Q&A session with students.
UNSA Rector Prof. Dr. Muharem Avdispahic delivered opening address and emphasized that the University of Sarajevo educates its students to be a part of Europe that is open to respect their human dignity and multiple identities. He also said that they, as future leaders, were facing the challenge of finding appropriate answers to the issues of global impact of the knowledge based economy.
“European and American traditions offer two approaches. In European understanding, the higher education is as a public good and responsibility. The American way of life cultivated the attitude that investment into education is regarded as an important investment into a better future of yours or your children. Indeed, a kind of contract between generations is present: parents invest into the future of their children with the understanding that the latter will take their responsibility to the same for the next generation. The fact that the debt for education overtook the total debt on credit cards reflects the extent to which this investment is seriously taken in the most powerful country in the world” said Rector Avdispahic.
H. E. Maureen Cormack, Ambassador in the lecture stated that the United States are a true friend of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and stated. She also said that since the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement, USA had invested over 1.7 billion US dollars in the reconstruction and revitalization of the country and that nearly 30,000 members of the US military supported the IFOR and SFOR to ensure peace and stability.
Ambassador Cormack presented five strategic priorities for the future activities of the US Embassy in BiH and said that they represent common challenges for everyone in BiH.
“The fundamental political reforms are crucial” she said adding that citizens must realize that the reform process are not the sole responsibility of diplomats and politicians, but that they themselves must make their voices heard and tell their elected representatives what they want and that they require their responsibility in relation to the performance requirements.
According to H.E. Cormack’s opinion, the fifth priority area that should be elaborated is preserving the natural beauties and historical heritage of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In this regard, she pointed out, that in January the project “Change task, be changed - Choose the Cause, Be the Solution” was launched which aims to encourage 20,000 volunteers to find a way to improve their local community.
During the lecture, Ambassador Cormack said that she hopes that the young people and the citizens of BiH will choose the task, regardless of whether it is cleaning local communities, creating new businesses, dealing with politics or education and that B-H needs all the talents “to become a country of good opportunities”.
