Sachs Leaves Harvard for Columbia to Work More Closely With United Nations
Economist Jeffrey Sachs, a "leading voice" on aid to developing nations to fight HIV/AIDS, announced on Thursday that he is leaving his position at Harvard University, where he oversaw the Center for International Development, to become head of Columbia University's Earth Institute, a new organization that will work closely with the United Nations on environmental and health issues, the Boston Globe reports. Sachs said his decision to leave Harvard was not "based on any dissatisfaction" with the university but was made out of his desire to work more closely with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. "I view this as an extremely important opportunity, because the Earth Institute brings together physical scientists and social scientists, which I've long believed is vital to solving some of the biggest problems in the world," Sachs explained. For the last two years, Sachs, who headed a WHO committee that studied the impact of disease on the developing world, has worked with Bono of the Irish rock band U2 to lobby Western governments to increase their commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS in the developing world (Donnelly/Abel, Boston Globe, 4/5).
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