The Tanner Center

In a world wracked by hostility and violence, the Tanner Center is dedicated to providing University of Utah students and faculty with the inspiration and education needed to become advocates for peace, nonviolence, and human rights. The center seeks to provide avenues for the open discussion of important issues dividing the community, the nation, and the world.



Student



CO-SPONSORED SPEAKERS


In spring 2009, we co-sponsored the World Leaders Forum (with the Tanner Humanities Center) for an address by Cesar Gaviria, former president of Colombia and secretary general of the Organization of American States (OAS). Gaviria has been a staunch advocate for democracy in Latin America as well as a steadfast proponent of human rights and economic reform. As president of Colombia (1990-94), he promoted constitutional reform, the reintegration of armed rebels into civil society and significant economic growth. In his decade as secretary general of the OAS (1994-2004), he used his considerable skills as a conflict mediator to ease tensions across Latin America, initiated institutional change to reinvigorate the organization's inter-American agenda and fostered regional integration.

During the same semester, also co-sponsored (with the College of Humanities) a talk by Wangari Maathai, winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize. Maathai was the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate degree. It was while she served in the National Council of Women that she introduced the idea of planting trees with the people in 1976 and continued to develop it into a broad-based, grassroots organization whose main focus is the planting of trees with women groups in order to conserve the environment and improve their quality of life. However, through the Green Belt Movement she has assisted women in planting more than 20 million trees on their farms and on schools and church compounds. In 1986, the Movement established a Pan African Green Belt Network and has exposed over 40 individuals from other African countries to the approach. Some of these individuals have established similar tree planting initiatives in their own countries or they use some of the Green Belt Movement methods to improve their efforts. Wangari Maathai is internationally recognized for her persistent struggle for democracy, human rights and environmental conservation. She has addressed the UN on several occasions and spoke on behalf of women at special sessions of the General Assembly for the five-year review of the earth summit.

We are currently exploring partnerships with an array of organizations in the Salt Lake community to create forums on topics such as the future of nuclear weapons.