UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to attend a discussion with university presidents at Yale later this week on how to strengthen the role of science in addressing global challenges, a UN spokesman said here Tuesday.

    Martin Nesirky, the spokesman for the secretary-general, told a news briefing that "this Thursday and Friday, the secretary-general will be attending the Global Colloquium of University Presidents in Yale. There he will be participating in the discussion on 'The Roles of Science in Meeting Global Challenges'."

    The Global Colloquium of University Presidents was launched five years ago by Columbia University, New York University, Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University. It aims to foster greater dialogue among global education leaders on common concerns and challenges.

    Yale University is located in New Haven, Connecticut, the United States, and a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States.

    "Then, on Friday evening, Jan. 15, the secretary-general will speak at the Stanley Foundation retreat in Tarrytown, New York, on the Responsibility to Protect," the spokesman said.

    Agreed to by world leaders in 2005, the responsibility to protect -- sometimes known as "R2P" -- holds states responsible for shielding their own populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and related crimes against humanity, requiring the international community to step in if this obligation is not met.