Accra, June 21, GNA - Former President John Agyekum Kufuor left Accra Friday night for two international engagements in New York, United States, and Sunningale, in the United Kingdom.

A statement issued in Accra by Mr Frank Agyekum, spokesman for Former President Kufuor, and copied to the GNA said the trip to the UK was at the invitation of the British Government, through the Department of International Development(DFID).

It said Former President Kufuor would be Guest Speaker at the DFID major conference on "The Politics of Poverty: Elites, Citizens and States", and that the Former President would specifically speak on the topic, "An African Statesman's view of the importance of understanding politics for delivering better outcomes" at the function.

The conference would look at the key policy lessons from DFID funded research from 2000-2010 on governance in fragile states at the National School of Government. It is part of efforts by DFID to ensure that funds allocated for poverty alleviation are judiciously applied.

From Sunningale, Former President Kufuor would address another major conference at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on "UN Peace-keeping: Looking into the Future", the statement said.

The conference to be opened by UN General Secretary Ban-ki Moon, would also be addressed by President of the General Assembly, Joseph Deiss, and the Under-Secretary of the UN, Lakhdar Brahimi.

The statement added that Former President Kufuor and the former President of Finland and Nobel Laureate, Martti Ahtisaari, who are panelists for the conference, are being recognized for their contribution to global peace by their participation. 21 June 10