“Life, Death and Sustainable Welfare the United Nations Way”

Emeritus Professor Stephen Hill AM FRSN FTSE
Emeritus Professor
University of Wollongong

Date: Thursday, 16 July, 6.30–7.30 pm AEST
Venue: RSL Mittagong, Carrington Room
Entry: Members, $5; Non-members, $10 (cashless payments only)
All are welcome

Summary:  Stephen’s Lecture is the story primarily of his experience when working full time in the United Nations for eleven years, based primarily in Indonesia and part-time in Paris but covering much of Asia and the Pacific in a variety of roles – with particular responsibity for UNESCO and therefore, for the United Nations support for science, education and culture plus social science, communication, media freedom and World Heritage in an often ‘troubled world’. He and his UN staff were, at times, confronted by serious danger, for example, in Indonesia’s West Papua during and after two of his staff were taken hostage by Freedom Fighters for Independence, in community development in Mindanao, the Philippines, against a backdrop of direct terrorist threat, plus during a Revolution, a Tsunami and much more in Indonesia. Equally, however, he and his team were able to capture opportunities in such crises to make a sustained and empowered difference. As demonstrated in Stephen’s most recent book, “In Defence of Our Humanity”, at the heart of positive change was listening and responding in the peoples’ terms, and building a culture of community understanding, trust, and power for the people to take charge themselves.

Stephen Hill is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Wollongong (UOW). His career covers multiple disciplines, supporting an overall concern to make knowledge work for peoples’ emancipation and welfare.

Immediately before retirement, for eleven years, Stephen was the United Nations Regional Director for Science for Asia and the Pacific and, in parallel, Principal Field Director and Ambassador of UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) based in Indonesia and part-time in Paris within the UNESCO Director General’s Cabinet.

Before joining UNESCO full time, Professor Hill, spent 17 years as Foundation Professor of Sociology from age 30 (plus part-time professional rock and blues musician), after being a Research Scientist from the University of Sydney and Unilever, with Australia’s first PhD in Business Administration (from the University of Melbourne), and serving in interdisciplinary appointments in Chicago and Sussex as well as teaching Sociology at UNSW whilst also consulting and building UN networks and programs across Asia. Then for five years in the 1990s, he was appointed Director of the Australian Research Council’s National Centre of Excellence – UOW’s Centre for Research Policy, and, in parallel, chosen to be Australia’s official Foundation Chairman in APEC, the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Organisation. He is a prolific author of many articles and over twenty books, five in the last seven years, stretching from global economics to cultivating compassion, and life

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