Dr. Rusty Butler, one of the mentors for the Utah International Mountain Forum (UIMF),
a coalition of student clubs at Utah Valley University (UVU), a member of the Mountain
Partnership, met December 19-20th 2022 with the President of the General Assembly,
Ambassador Csaba Körösi. One of the goals of the meeting was to discuss with the esteemed
United Nations diplomat UIMF preparations for the upcoming 67th session of the Commission
on the Status of Women (CSW67) next March. UIMF has advocated for Mountain Women
at the sessions of the UN Commission on the Status of Women since 2018.
(L to R) Alexander C. Jessop, UIMF member, President of the seventy-seventh session
of the United Nations General Assembly, Ambassador Csaba Körösi, Dr. Rusty Butler,
and Edith Mora, wife of Ambassador Csaba Körösi before the meeting.
Dr. Butler came by invitation of the President of the seventy-seventh session of the
United Nations General Assembly, Ambassador Csaba Körösi. Dr. Butler and Ambassador
Körösi had known each other since 2012 when UVU’s faculty and students hosted Ambassador
Körösi at the university campus in Orem, Utah, and jointly advocated for the sustainable
development of mountain communities.
UIMF members worked on advocating for the adoption of three mountain targets among
sustainable development goals (SDGs) with Ambassador Czaba Körösi and his counterpart
Permanent Representative of Kenya to the UN, Ambassador Macharia Kamau, co-chairs
of the Open Working Group on the Sustainable Development Goals (OWG on SDGs). Jester
Molina, President of UIMF, spoke at the session of the OWG on SDGs on December 11,
2013.
(L to R): Alexander C. Jessop, UIMF member, President of the seventy-seventh session
of the United Nations General Assembly, Ambassador Csaba Körösi and Dr. Rusty Butler
at the floor of the United Nations General Assembly
Dr. Butler discussed with Ambassador Körösi the inclusive,co-curricular, student-engaged
learning (SEL) model developed at UVU to advocate for sustainable mountain development
for communities, families, and women, and the UIMF delegation’s plans to participate
at CSW67 by hosting side and parallel events. SEL encourages students to work inclusively as a group to solve real-world issues
with a faculty member serving them as a mentor. SEL model was presented previously to Ambassador Körösi during his visit to UVU in
2012. Dr. Butler and Ambassador Körösi agreed that it is well matching and provides
an opportunity to jointly contribute to CSW67’s priority theme: “ïnnovation and technological
change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment
of all women and girls.”
(L to R): Permanent Representative of the Kyrgyz Republic to the United Nations,
Ambassador Aida Kasymalieva meets Dr. Rusty Butler and Alexander C. Jessop, UIMF member
Dr. Butler also met with the Permanent Representative of the Kyrgyz Republic to the
UN, Ambassador Aida Kasymalieva. The Kyrgyz Republic is a leading state at the UN
for the Group of Mountain States, advocating for the needs of mountain people. UIMF
and UVU have worked with the Kyrgyz Republic since 1999 to promote SMD in the state
of Utah, Kyrgyz Republic, and at the UN. Dr. Butler informed Ambassador Kasymalieva
about the contribution of the UVU and UIMF to the 2022 International Year of Sustainable
Mountain Development as declared by the United Nations under the initiatives of the
mountain states, led by the Kyrgyz Republic. UIMF and Osh Technological University
in Osh, Kyrgyz Republic, partnered in 2022 to host jointly through SEL an International
Mountain Day and a parallel event during CSW66. Both sides discussed the opportunity
to jointly contribute to the agenda of the CSW67 by advocating through education for
the mountain communities, women and girls.
Alitha Thompson, President, Utah International Mountain Forum
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Mountain Partnership About Dr. Butlers Visit to the UN
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