SPEAKER: Dr Bernard Kouchner
Co-founder of Nobel Prize-winning "Doctors Without Borders

Dr Bernard Kouchner is the French Minister for Foreign Affairs.

He co-founded Medecins Sans Frontieres, a Paris-based non-profit humanitarian organisation made up of voluntary medical personnel who contribute their time and expertise in assisting in situations of emergency or inadequate medical care in the developing world. He organised humanitarian operations to Somalia, El Salvador, Lebanon and Vietnam. In addition to those countries, he led field operations in Cambodia, Thailand, Uruguay, Peru, Guatemala and Honduras.

The first person to challenge the Red Cross's stance of neutrality and silence in wars and massacres, Dr Kouchner has played an important role in international humanitarian efforts for more than twenty years. As France's Minister of Health and Humanitarian affairs, he convinced the U.N. to accept "the right to interfere" resolution, and after devastating civil wars in the Balkans, served as Special Representative to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan in Kosovo.

Dr Kouchner continues to promote universal access to medical care, and takes part in international efforts in the fight against AIDS. He brings to the podium his in-depth experience with public health, human rights and international political involvement to discuss global issues.

Dr Kouchner has played an important role in the French political scene for the past twenty years, holding a number of ministerial positions in different French governments. Most recently he served as France's Minister of Health, and before that as Minister of State for Humanitarian Action and Minister of State for Social Integration. He was the Professor of Public Health at the Health and Development Department of the Conservatoire National des Arts Et Métiers (CNAM).

Dr Kouchner is the author of several books and co-founder of the news magazines L'Evenement and Actuel. He is the recipient of several human rights awards, including the Dag Hammarskjold Prize and the Prix Europa.