The Banyan Tree Leadership Forum with Senator Patrick Leahy

The CSIS Sumitro Chair for Southeast Asia Studies is pleased to invite you to hear remarks from The Honorable Patrick Leahy, U.S. Senator of Vermont and ranking minority member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Relations. Senator Leahy will address the strategic importance of the United States working to address war legacies in Vietnam, specifically unexploded ordnance and Agent Orange, in the context of the U.S. rebalance toward the Asia-Pacific region.

Senator Leahy will discuss the Fiscal Year 2015 Appropriations Act, which in addition to addressing the remaining impact of Agent Orange in Vietnam, contains an important provision regarding humanitarian assistance to people suffering from severe war-related disabilities. He has led extensive efforts to address the continuing problem of unexploded ordnance in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, as well as U.S. initiatives to decontaminate sites contaminated by dioxin and provide assistance to families affected by the chemical. Senator Leahy will make keynote remarks, followed by remarks from H.E. Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh, ambassador of Vietnam to the United States, and a panel discussion.

Senator Patrick Leahy has served as a Democratic Senator from Vermont since 1975. Senator Leahy is the ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, in addition to serving on other Appropriations subcommittees and the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee.

This event is made possible by the generous support of the Arsari Djojohadikusumo Foundation.