Date February 21, 2017

David Cameron, former British Prime Minister, to speak at Brown on March 20

Eight months after leaving office as the leader of the United Kingdom’s government, David Cameron will explore the future of the European Union, Britain’s place in the world following Brexit and the rise of populism across the globe.

David Cameron and British flag
David Cameron served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — David Cameron, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 2010 to July 2016, will visit Brown University on Monday, March 20, for the 94th Stephen A. Ogden Jr. ’60 Memorial Lecture on International Affairs.

In a lecture titled “Contemporary Global Challenges: Where Do We Go From Here?” Cameron will provide an unrivaled perspective on the future of the European Union and Britain’s place in the world following Brexit, along with unique insights on the rise of populist politicians and parties at a time of profound global change.

A question and answer session with Cameron, moderated by Brown President Christina Paxson, will follow the former Prime Minister’s lecture.

The event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required. Complete details on the event location, timing, access information and limitations will be provided upon registration. [Editor's Note: Tickets sold out on Wednesday, Feb. 22.]

After becoming the United Kingdom’s youngest Prime Minister in two centuries in 2010, Cameron led the country’s first coalition government in nearly 70 years and, at the 2015 General Election, formed the first majority Conservative government in the U.K. in more than two decades.

During his years in office, Cameron worked to turn around the U.K.’s economy, introduced a national living wage and protected the country’s publicly funded national health care system.

Internationally, he developed foreign policy in the post-Iraq era that addressed the challenges of the Arab Spring and a more aggressive Russia, while ensuring Britain played a role in the global fight against ISIS. Following hosting the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Cameron chaired the 2013 G8 Summit at Lough Erne in Northern Ireland, where he highlighted the global need for fair taxes, increased transparency and open trade. He later helped to rewrite the global goals on aid and sustainable development.

In 2016, Cameron resigned as Prime Minister after the U.K. voted to leave the European Union.

“For me, politics has always been about public service in the national interest,” Cameron said in a speech on the day he left office. “It is simple to say but often hard to do.”

Since leaving the position, he has continued to focus on issues he worked to advance while in elected office — supporting young people, championing medical research in Britain and promoting international development. He is chairman of patrons at National Citizen Service, the U.K.’s flagship youth development program, and President of Alzheimer’s Research U.K.

[Editor's Note: Members of the news media who wish to attend and cover Cameron's visit should contact Brian E. Clark at [email protected] or (401) 863-1638.]

The Stephen A. Ogden Jr. ’60 Memorial Lecture

Since 1965, the Ogden Lecture Series has presented the University and its neighboring communities with authoritative and timely addresses about international affairs. The series was established in memory of Stephen A. Ogden Jr., a member of the Brown Class of 1960, who died in 1963 from injuries he suffered in a car accident during his junior year. His family created the series as a tribute to Ogden’s interest in advancing international peace and understanding.

Dozens of heads of state, diplomats, and observers of the international scene have participated in the series, including Queen Noor of Jordan, former President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev, President of Brazil Fernando Henrique Cardoso, former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell, former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, media innovator Ted Turner, astronaut Sen. John Glenn, economist Paul Volcker, Bolivian President Evo Morales, former Prime Minister of Italy Romano Prodi, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, His Highness the Aga Khan, and human rights activist Kenneth Roth.