Former President John Agyekum Kufuor left Accra Friday night for two international engagements at New York, the United States and Sunningale, in the United Kingdom. At the invitation of the British Government through the Department of International Development(DFID), former President Kufuor will be Guest Speaker at the DFID major conference on the broad: ‘The Politics of Poverty: Elites, Citizens and States.’ The former President will speak on: "An African Statesman's view on the importance of understanding politics for delivering better outcomes". The conference will 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 will address another major conference at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on UN ‘Peace-keeping: Looking into the Future.’ The conference to be opened by the UN General Secretary Ban-ki Moon will also be addressed by President of the General Assembly Joseph Deiss and the Under-Secretary of the UN Lakhdar Brahimi 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. Former President Kufuor will return home on June 29. Source: Frank Agyekum, Spokesperson, Office of former President JA Kufuor