In its third year, The People Speak, an annual series of the United Nations Foundation that brings thoughtful discussion and debate about foreign policy to communities across the United States, is aiming to support 4,000 debates and discussions between September 1 and November 30, 2005. The series, "Building a Safer World: Defining the U.S.-U.N. Relationship for the 21st Century," will focus on a theme critical to the U.S. role in the world. Participants may address: Poverty, Hunger, and Health; War and Conflict; WMD and Terrorism; and/or the Environment. 

The Open Society Institute’s Cooperative Global Engagement Program (CGEP) is a founding partner of this unique initiative, which is made possible by a nonpartisan coalition of organizations committed to fostering open-minded discussion on critical global issues. The People Speak was launched in October 2003 to raise the level of national dialogue about America’s role in the world. In 2004, The People Speak broadened the initiative by sponsoring more than 4,000 grassroots events and hosting 24 signature events with ABC News that featured foreign policy experts from across the political spectrum. In addition, CGEP partnered with Americans for Informed Democracy to produce a series of twelve videoconference dialogues between young leaders at universities in the U.S. and young leaders in the Muslim world and Europe. 

To organize a discussion or join one in your area, please visit The People Speak at www.thepeoplespeak.org. You can sign up to host an event, view other events in your area, and apply for a mini-grant to help fund your event. The website also includes an online library featuring publications, articles, and speeches that represent the entire spectrum of thought on this year's theme. The "resources" section contains discussion aids, a tool kit that includes everything needed in order to host an event, and publications and resources on the four discussion topics.