UNU/UNESCO International Conference:
Globalization 2007
Speaker and Presenter Biographies
N'Dri T. Assié-Lumumba
Professor, Africana Studies and Research Center, Cornell University; Fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science
Dr. N'Dri T. Assié-Lumumba is Professor in the Africana Studies and Research Center at Cornell University. Professor Assié-Lumumba earned her Ph.D in Comparative Education (economics and sociology of education) from the University of Chicago in 1982. She is Chercheur Associé at Centre de Recherches Architecturales et Urbaines (CRAU) at Université de Cocody, Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire), and Research Affiliate of the Institute for Higher Education Law and Governance of the University of Houston (USA). She is co-founder and Deputy-Director of Pan-African Studies and Research Center in International Relations and Education for Development (CEPARRED), Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire). She has worked with many African organizations, development agencies of industrial countries, and international institutions. In 2003, she was a Visiting Professor in the Center for the Study of International Cooperation in Education (CICE) at Hiroshima University (Japan). In 2006, she was elected as a Fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science.
Mohamed Séghir Babès
Président, Conseil National Économique et Social d'Algérie
Mohamed Séghir Babès has extensive experience as a Public Administrator, having held various high-level positions in the economic and social sphere. He was an Advisor to the President of the Republic until 2005, and was elected Chairman of the National Economic and Social Council in June 2005. He was also appointed Chairman of the Association of African Economic and Social Councils in 2005. Early in his career he was appointed to various posts in Algeria, including Director General of Social Security, Secretary General to the Minister of Social Protection, Chairman of the Board of Management of the "Services" Participation Fund, Representative of the Head of the Government in the field of Economic Reform, and finally Minister of Health and Population. He has worked for the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec, the International Health Unit of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Montreal and the Francophone Energy and Environment Institute of Quebec. He is a Research Associate at the Quebec Institute for Advanced International Studies (Laval University of Quebec). He conducted several sessions of the "Africa" seminar within the framework of the Masters Degree Program in International Relations, while co-chairing the Chair of Maghreb Studies. In addition, he has played a defining role, with the collaboration of Pr Albert Legault and Pr Pierre Lemieux, in setting up the Algeria-Canada University Partnership dedicated to doctoral and post-doctoral research. Finally and in linkage with the NEPAD initiative, he is a member of the Panel of Eminent Persons of the African Peer Review Mechanism.
Brendan Barrett
Head of UNU-Online Learning; Co-founder, Media Studio, UNU
Brendan Barrett has worked with the UN since 1995, first with the United Nations Environment Programme and then with the UNU. From 1997 onwards he has been heavily involved in the area of online learning beginning with a three year project dealing with online environmental monitoring and education in collaboration with Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation and Iwate Prefectural Government. He was also involved with the Virtual University Initiative while at UNU-Institute of Advanced Studies including the establishment of the UNU-Global Virtual University in collaboration with UNEP GRID Arendal and Agder University College. In December 2002, Brendan took up the position of Academic Programme Officer and in March 2003 set up the UNU Media Studio together with Prof. Kimio Uno. Brendan is a member of the IUCN Commission on Education and Communication and a member of the Pacific Island Digital Opportunities Special Committee.
Maria C.E. (Rietje) van Dam-Mieras
Chair, Natural Sciences , Open University of The Netherlands, Visiting Professor at UNU on Education for Sustainable Development
Rietje van Dam-Mieras studied chemistry at Utrecht University, The Netherlands, graduated in 1973 and did her Ph.D. thesis at the same university in 1976. She worked at Maastricht University and the Open University of the Netherlands. In 1993 she was appointed professor (chair: natural sciences, especially biochemistry and biotechnology) at OUNL. From 1996 to 1998 she was the chair of the board of professors (rector) at the university. She has recently been nominated vice-rector at Leiden University from September 1, 2007, where she will also hold the chair in Sustainable Development and Innovation of Education. She has been, and is still, a member of numerous advisory and supervisory committees. She is a founding member of RCE Rhine-Meuse and is actively involved in the Regional Centres of Expertise initiative of United Nations University as visiting professor for RCEs at the United Nations Institute for Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS) in Yokohama and as a member of the Ubuntu Committee of Peers for RCEs.
Hans d'Orville
Director, Bureau of Strategic Planning, UNESCO
Prior to joining UNESCO in 2000, Hans d’Orville served as Director of Information Technologies for the Development Programme, Bureau for Development Policy, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Since 1975, he has held a variety of posts in the United Nations Secretariat and at UNDP. From 1987 to 1995, he served as Executive Coordinator of the InterAction Council of Former Heads of State and Government. Dr. d’Orville is a member of the Executive Committee, Africa Leadership Forum, and was advisor to the Independent Commission of Population and Quality of Life and the Independent Commission on Forests and Sustainable Development. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Konstanz (Germany).
Eva Egron-Polak
Secretary-General, International Association of Universities
Eva Egron-Polak was educated in the Czech Republic, Canada and France. Having studied Political Science, French Literature, and International Political Economy, research for her post-graduate degree, from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University in Canada, she focused on higher education policy making in the European Union during the 1980s. Prior to taking up her current position at IAU in 2002, she served for more than 15 years in various senior positions at the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, working primarily on international development cooperation and internationalization of higher education. Her last position at AUCC was as Vice-President, International. As Secretary-General of IAU she is engaged with most pressing issues in current higher education policy debates including internationalization and intercultural learning, access and participation issues, higher education governance, and the broad social responsibilities of higher education institutions more generally.
Hans van Ginkel
Rector, United Nations University
Hans van Ginkel is the Rector of United Nations University, Tokyo, and Under-Secretary-General of United Nations, since September 1997. He was elected President of the International Association of Universities (IAU, Paris) in August 2000 and served until July 2004. He was Vice-chair of the Board of Trustees, of the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT, Bangkok), Member of the Academia Europaea, Honorary Fellow of the Institute for Aerospace Survey and Earth Sciences (ITC, Enschede), and was the longest serving university rector in the history of the Netherlands at Utrecht University (1986-1997). Among his many distinctions and awards is "Knight in the Order of the Netherlands' Lion", received in 1994. Rector van Ginkel holds a Ph.D. degree from Utrecht University and honorary doctorates from universities in Romania, USA, Ghana, Slovakia, and Canada. His fields of interest are urban and regional development, population, housing studies, science policy, internationalization, and university management. He has published widely and contributed extensively to the work of various international educational organizations.
Antoni Giró i Roca
Rector of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
Antoni Giró i Roca is the Rector of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (Technical University of Catalonia). At UPC he has served as Head of the Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering, Vice-Chairman of the Council of Heads of Department, Vice-Rector for Research, and Vice-Rector for Academic Staff. He has taught at several universities in Catalonia including the Faculty of Chemistry at Rovira i Virgili University and the Faculties of Physics and Chemistry at the University of Barcelona. At the UPC he has taught at the School of Industrial Engineering, the Barcelona School of Informatics (where he was Vice-Dean and Dean), and the Faculty of Mathematics and Statistics. He has been Director General for Research and Vice-Chairman of the Committee for Research and Technological Innovation as well as Director General of Universities at the Ministry of Universities, Research and the Information Society in the Generalitat (regional government) of Catalonia, and was Chairman of the Catalan Physics Society from 1992 to 2002. He holds a Ph.D. in physical sciences from the University of Barcelona.
Peter F. Haddawy
Vice President for Academic Affairs and Professor of Information Management (Computer Science), Asian Institute of Technology
Peter F. Haddawy is Vice President for Academic Affairs at the Asian Institute of Technology and Professor of Computer Science and Information Management. He also holds a position as Senior Scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He was tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Director of the Decision Systems and Artificial Intelligence Lab there through 2002. He has been an Avery Brundage and a Fulbright Fellow and is the author of more than 90 refereed papers. His research has concentrated on the use of decision-theoretic principles to build intelligent systems. He is currently focused on decision-theoretic problem solving, probabilistic reasoning, preference elicitation, and applications in e-commerce and medical decision making. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Illinois-Urbana.
Salah Hannachi
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Republic of Tunisia; Dean of the African Diplomatic Corps
Salah Hannachi is Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Republic of Tunisia, and Dean of the African Diplomatic Corps. He holds a Ph.D. in Management in Quantitative Analysis from Columbia University in New York and has taught at the University of Tunisia. He has held various posts including General Director of the Tunisian Institute for Strategic Studies and Deputy Minister for International Cooperation and External Investment in the Government of Tunisia. In 1997 he became Ambassador to Japan and the following year was also appointed Ambassador to Australia. In 2000, he became an honorary advisor to the Association of Medical Doctors of Asia.
Mohamed H.A. Hassan
Executive Director, The Academy of Sciences for the Developing World
Mohamed H.A. Hassan is Executive Director of the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS), President of the African Academy of Sciences (AAS), Secretary General of the Third World Network of Scientific Organizations (TWNSO) and serves on a number of committees in other organizations worldwide. He is a former professor and dean of the School of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Khartoum, and has received the Order of Scientific Merit of Brazil and the Order of Merit of Italy. He is a fellow of TWAS, AAS, and the Islamic Academy of Science, an honorary member of the Colombian Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences and the Palestine Academy of Science and Technology, a corresponding member of the Belgian Royal Overseas Academy of Sciences, and foreign fellow of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences. He holds a Ph.D. in Plasma Physics from the University of Oxford, UK.
Ryokichi Hirono
Professor Emeritus, Seikei University
Ryokichi Hirono graduated from the University of Chicago and is now teaching International Development as Visiting Professor at the Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) in Tokyo. He holds various public positions at home and overseas, including membership on the Central Environment Council of Japan (Tokyo), the International and Editorial Advisory Board of the Singapore Economic Review, and the Journal of Human Development (New York). He sits on the board of various foundations and research institutes in Japan and overseas. Having been Assistant Administrator in charge of Policy and Evaluation at UNDP in the 1980s and having chaired the Committee for Development Policy, U.N. Economic and Social Council (New York) during the 1990s and early 2000s, Prof. Hirono has been active in assisting the work of many international organizations as expert and consultant, and is now serving as senior programme adviser to the United Nations University. He has taught at a number of universities overseas in addition to serving for decades on Japanese government advisory councils on environmental policy, foreign economic cooperation policy, forestry policy, international education cooperation policy, ODA policy and evaluation and overall macroeconomic policy. He is the author of over 500 books, reports and journal articles.
Charles Hopkins
UNU-Chair, UNESCO Chair Professor, York University
Charles Hopkins holds the UNESCO Chair on Reorienting Teacher Education to Address Sustainability, focusing upon the development of an international network of teacher preparation institutions collaboratively working on the reorientation of teacher education to address sustainable development. He is a senior advisor to UNESCO's Transdisciplinary Project, Educating for a Sustainable Future and the Chair of the Education for Sustainable Development Working Group of UNESCO Canada's Man and the Biosphere Committee (MAB). He is the executive director of the John Dearness Environmental Society and an advisor to Environment Canada's Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network (EMAN). Previously, he was Superintendent of Curriculum with the Toronto Board of Education. In earlier positions with the Toronto Board, he served as Regional Superintendent as well as founder and Principal of Canada's largest environmental field study center, The Boyne River Natural Science School. Hopkins was also the founder and Principal of the Toronto Urban Studies Center, North America's only school-board-owned urban study center.
Koichi Kabayama
Director, Printing Museum, Tokyo; Former Director, National Museum of Western Art; Professor Emeritus, University of Tokyo
Koichi Kabayama is Director of the Printing Museum, Tokyo. From 2001 to 2005, he was Director-General of the National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo, and for the decade prior to that he was Professor at the Faculty of Letters at the University of Tokyo. He became Vice-Professor at the Faculty of Letters, University of Tokyo, in 1976, and began his career as an Assistant at the Institute of Humanistic Studies at Kyoto University in 1969. He holds a Master's degree from the Graduate School of Humanistic Studies at the University of Tokyo.
Yoriko Kawaguchi
Member of the House of Councillors, Japan (former Minister of Environment and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan)
Yoriko Kawaguchi is a Member of the House of Councillors, Japan. She was formerly Minister for the Environment (2000) and Minister for Foreign Affairs (2002). She has served as Director-General, Global Environmental Affairs, Ministry of International Trade and Industry, as a Managing Director, Suntory Ltd., and as Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Japan, responsible for foreign affairs. She serves on the jury of the Zayed International Prize for the Environment (UNEP) and is Chair of the Asia-Pacific Forum for Environment and Development (APFED)2. She is a member of the Foundation Board of the Forum of Young Global Leaders, World Economic Forum, the President's Council on International Activities, Yale University, and of the Club of Madrid/UN Foundation High Level Task Force on Climate Change. She holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Tokyo and a M.Phil. in Economics from Yale University (U.S.).
Mary-Louise Kearney
Director of the Secretariat of the UNESCO Forum on Higher Education, Research and Knowledge
Mary-Louise Kearney is Director of the Secretariat of the UNESCO Forum on Higher Education, Research and Knowledge. She joined UNESCO in 1985 after 15 years in university teaching and educational consulting and was responsible for university cooperation and partnerships in the Division of Higher Education. In 1998, she was in charge of the organization of the World Conference on Higher Education (WCHE) and then became Director for the WCHE Follow Up in 1999. In 2000, she was appointed Director of the Division for Relations with National Commissions and New Partnerships dealing with mobilization of the 192 National Commissions worldwide. She is a Senior Research Fellow in Higher Education at Oxford University, UK, and a Vice President of the Society for Research into Higher Education. She is active in the International Federation of University Women and the International Federation of Business and Professional Women and has authored numerous publications and research papers on higher education. She holds degrees in Education (B.A., M.A., Hons.), and a Diploma in Teaching from Auckland University, New Zealand, and two doctorates (in Linguistics and in Education and Culture) from the Université de Paris III, la Sorbonne Nouvelle. She has qualifications in Spanish from the Universidad de Salamanca, Spain, and management and finance training from the European Institute of Business Administration (INSEAD), Fontainbleau, France.
Derek Keats
Executive Director, Information and Communication Services, University of the Western Cape, South Africa
Derek Keats is Executive Director of Information & Communication Services at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in South Africa, and has a mandate to use information and communications technologies (ICT) to strengthen UWC as a national institution of higher education in a global context. He is responsible for the ICT strategy of UWC, including infrastructure, business support, e-learning and new academic initiatives. He was a director of the Cape Information Technology Initiative, a non-profit organisation focused on developing the ICT cluster and incubating new ICT businesses in the Western Cape. His current research interests include e-Collaboration and lessons for international collaboration from Free Software (open source) and related initiatives; next-generation e-learning and other software systems research; Free and Open Source Software and Free/Open content. He is internationally recognized for his work in FOSS in Africa, and is most passionate about the potential of ICT-based collaboration to unify expertise within Africa to stimulate development. He established the African Virtual Open Initiatives and Resources project - a collaboration of universities, governments and the private sector - for this purpose. He holds a Ph.D. in Biology from Memorial University of Newfoundland and is a member of the IEEE Computer Society and a number of other national and international bodies.
Carl Lindberg
Special Advisor to the Swedish National Commission for UNESCO on Education for Sustainable Development
Carl Lindberg has been Special Advisor to the Swedish National Commission for UNESCO on Education for Sustainable Development since November 2005, prior to which he was a member of UNESCO's High Level Panel on Education for Sustainable Development. For 2003 and 2004 he was Chairman of the Swedish National Committee on ESD. In 1994 he assumed the position of Deputy State Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Science, a position he held for a decade. He was Political Advisor to members in the Standing Committee on Education and Science in the Swedish Parliament from 1989 to 1994, and Press Officer to the Minister of Education from 1985 to 1989. From 1984 to 1986 he was Vice President of the Swedish United Nations Association.
Christina Lloyd
Head of Teaching and Learner Support, Student Services, The Open University, UK
Christina Lloyd is responsible for the generic teaching and learner support provision within the UK Open University. This role involves working closely with the Deans of Faculty and Regional Directors and she is therefore in a pivotal position to influence the continuous improvement of learner support alongside and within the delivery of curriculum. She is a science graduate with teaching experience in biology and applied sciences, and also has staff training and development experience. She joined the Open University in 1989 and has held a number or regional and central roles. Her most immediate previous role was as regional director of the Open University in the West Midlands (2001-2003). Since 2003 she has been the UK Open University's Head of Teaching and Learner Support in Student Services at Walton Hall, Milton Keynes.
Andrei Marga
Professor of Contemporary Philosophy and Logic, Babes-Bolyai University; Council Member, UNU
Andrei Marga is Professor of Contemporary Philosophy and Logic at Babes-Bolyai University and a Council Member of UNU. He was the Rector of the Babes-Bolyai University from 1993 to 2004 and the Minister of National Education of Romania between from 1997 to 2000. He was a DAAD scholar at the Universities of Freiburg im Breisgau and Bielefeld from 1975 to 1976, and a DAAD fellow at the Universities of Erlangen, Munster, and Frankfurt am Main, and the Max Planck Institute, Starnberg (Germany) from 1980 to 1994. He was a fellow of the Woodrow Wilson Center (1991) and the National Endowment for Democracy (1996), both in Washington, D.C. Professor Marga was Vice-President of the UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education in 1998, member of the Committee of Higher Education and Research of the Council of Europe between 1995-2001, and Vice-Chair of CEPES-UNESCO Board since 1998. Professor Marga is the President of the Academic Council of the Babes-Bolyai University, Vice-President of the Danubian Universities Association, and member of the Council of the Magnacharta Observatory (Bologna), the Executive Board of the European University Association (Brussels), the International Advisory Commission of the University of Economics (Budapest), and the Kuratorium of the Institut fur Kulturgeschichte Sud-Ost Europa (Munchen), among others, and is the recipient of numerous international honours. He holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Babes-Bolyai University.
Narciso Matos
Executive Director, Foundation for Community Development, Mozambique
Narciso Matos is the Executive Director of the Foundation for Community Development in Mozambique. He studied at Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM) in Mozambique and Humboldt University in Germany, and has worked at several academic and administrative levels at the former insitution. He was Dean of the Faculty of Science, and from 1990 to 1995 was Vice Chancellor. He served as a member of the Mozambique's Parliament from 1986 to 1995, five of those years in the Parliament's Committee for International Relations. From 1995 to 2000 he was Secretary General of the Association of African Universities and was also member of the Advisory Group on Higher Education for the Director-General of UNESCO. From 2000 to 2007, Matos was Program Director of the International Development Program at Carnegie Corporation of New York where he oversaw the foundation's work in sub-Sharan Africa with a focus on strengthening higher education in select African universities, enhancing women's opportunities in higher education, and revitalizing public and university libraries.
Koïchiro Matsuura
Director-General, UNESCO
Koïchiro Matsuura began his diplomatic career with a posting to Ghana in 1961 covering ten West African countries, leading to a lifelong passion for the cultures and people of Africa. He worked in development cooperation throughout his career, and in political affairs with a focus on North America. In the 1970s he served as Counselor at the Embassy of Japan in Washington, DC, and later as Consul General in Hong Kong. As Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1992-1994, he was Japan's Sherpa for the G-7 Summit. In 1999, while serving as Japan's Ambassador to France and chairing UNESCO's flagship World Heritage Committee, Mr Matsuura was elected by Member States to his first term as Director-General of UNESCO. After a first term marked by programme and reform accomplishments, as well as the addition of new countries, including the United States, to membership in UNESCO, he was re-elected to a second term in October 2005. Mr Matsuura has authored books in Japanese, English and French on UNESCO, international relations, the intersection between diplomacy and development cooperation, Japan-US relations, Japan-France relations, and a history of the G-7 Summit.
Goolam Mohamedbhai
President, International Association of Universities
Goolam Mohamedbhai is the President of the International Association of Universities and formerly Vice-Chancellor of the University of Mauritius. He is currently Chair of the Regional Scientific Committee for Africa of the UNESCO Forum on Higher Education, Research and Knowledge and has chaired several university associations, including the Association of Commonwealth Universities (2003-2004), the University Mobility in the Indian Ocean Rim (2001-2004), and the University of the Indian Ocean (1998-2005). He obtained his Bachelor's and Doctorate degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Manchester, UK, and did postdoctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley, under a Fulbright-Hays award.
Pornchai Mongkhonvanit
President, International Association of University Presidents; President of Siam University
Pornchai Mongkhonvanit is the President of the International Association of University Presidents and President of Siam University. He is Chair of the Advisory board of the Association of Universities of Asia and the Pacific (AUAP), Advisor and Former Chair of the Board, National Metal and Materials Technology Center of Thailand, the former President of the Association of Private Higher Education Institutions of Thailand, and the former President of the Thailand Chapter of the Phi Delta Kappa Honor Society. He is the recipient of numerous honours, including: the Medal of Highest Honor, Kyung Hee University, Korea; the Medal of Honor, International Association of University Presidents; an Ed. D. Honoris Causa from Angeles University, Philippines; the Medal of Honor, Soka University, Japan; and a Distinguished Alumni Award, Kasetsart University and St. Gabriel's College, Thailand. He is Honorary Professor at the Autonomous University of Guadalajara, Mexico and Guizhou University, China. He holds a Master of Business Administration in Finance Investment and Banking from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a degree from the National Defense College of Thailand, and has studied at the Graduate School of Education, Institute of Educational Management, Harvard University.
Ingrid Moses
Chancellor of the University of Canberra
Ingrid Moses has been Chancellor of the University of Canberra since January 2006. She previously served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of New England, Armidale, NSW. Her Ph.D., research, consultancies and publications have been in higher education, earning her two honorary D.Litt. awards (UTS, CSU-S) for her work in higher education, and Fellowships with the SRHE (UK), the Australian College of Educators, and the Australian Council for Educational Leaders. She is a Life Member of the Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia Inc. In 2003 she was awarded by the Australian government a Centenary Medal for her contribution to rural education. She is the immediate past president of the International Association of University Presidents and a member of: the Advisory Board of the International Leadership Institute of the United Nations University where she served on Council for six years (chairing for two); the International Advisory Committee of the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education (UK); the Second and Third Regional Women's Advisory Council to the Deputy Prime Minister; and the Bologna Process Steering Group, advising the Minister for Education, Science and Training.
Masafumi Nagao
Professor, Center for the Study of International Cooperation in Education, Hiroshima University
Masafumi Nagao is Research Professor at the Center for the Study of International Cooperation in Education at Hiroshima University (Japan) where his primary work is to conduct research relating to the evaluation of aid programs and projects in the field of education. From 1999 to 2006 he served as the leader of a JICA team to support a secondary mathematics and science teacher retraining project in South Africa. He is a member of the Advisory Committee of JICA on evaluation and also serves on the School Evaluation Committee of Japan's Ministry of Education. Prior to joining this center, from 1987 to 1998, Mr. Nagao worked for the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, one of the largest grant-making foundations in Japan, as a Chief Program Officer and Program Director. From 1975 to 1987, he served as Economic Affairs Officer in the Technology Transfer Division of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva. He received a B.A. in economics from Carleton College in Minnesota and an M.A. in economic policy from Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo. He has published many papers on educational cooperation, school evaluation and evaluation of aid projects. He has just co-edited a book on "Mathematics and Science Education in Developing Countries: Issues, Experiences and Cooperation Prospects" (Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press, 2007).
Yoshihiro Natori
Senior Fellow, United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies
Yoshihiro Natori has worked for the Education for Sustainable Development Programme at UNU-IAS since July 2006. He has previously worked for the Ministry of the Environment, Japan, at the National Parks Administration as a national park ranger, and at the Global Environment Department and Wildlife Division. He served at the Japanese Embassy in Kenya as the Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan to UNEP and Habitat (1987-1990), at the UNEP Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific as the Deputy Regional Director (1999-2001), and at the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies as the Project Leader of the Long-term Perspective and Policy Integration Project (2001-2003). He studied social engineering (regional planning) at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan.
Baldwin Sipho Ngubane
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Republic of South Africa
Baldwin Sipho Ngubane is Ambassador to Japan. He was Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology from 1999 to 2004 before which he was Premier of KwaZulu-Natal Province. From 1994 to 1996 he was Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology in the Government of National Unity, and in 1993 he led the KwaZulu Government delegation to the constitutional negotiations. He is active in the South African Red Cross Society and has been Regional Councilor since 1978. He is a board member of the National Committee for the Rights of Children, the Community Based Development Programme, the Grassroots Early Childhood Education Project, and the Community Peace Foundation. He holds an M Prax Med from Natal Medical School and a Doctorate Technologiae (Honoris Causa) in the Faculty of Agriculture, Health and Natural Sciences.
Norman H. Okamura
Telecommunication Specialist, Social Science Research Institute, University of Hawaii
Norman Okamura is the Director of the Telecommunications and Information Policy Group and Chair of the Graduate Certificate Program in Telecommunications and Information Resource Management of the School of Communications and Journalism at the University of Hawaii. Together with Christina Higa, he is the co-Principal Investigator of the Pan-Pacific Education and Communication Experiments by Satellite (PEACESAT), the State Telehealth Access Network (STAN), and the Pacific Partners Networks. Prior to his return to the University of Hawaii in 1992, he served as the Administrator of the State of Hawaii Information and Communication Services Division (1984-1992) of the Department of Budget and Finance; Senior Manager with the Honolulu Office of KPMG Peat Marwick (1992); Assistant Professor and Research Projects Administrator of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning (1978-1984); and Educational Associate with the Curriculum Research and Development Group, College of Education, (1975-1978) of the University of Hawaii. The Telecommunications and Information Policy Group is a partner and participant of the Asia Pacific Initiative in regional distance learning.
Eun-kyung Park
Director, RCE of Yonsei University
Eun-kyung Park is a cultural anthropologist, who has done research on Chinese ethnic groups abroad, specifically in Southeast Asia and Korea. After coming back to Korea from graduate work in the US, she taught anthropology, family relations, Korean traditional culture and society at Ewha Woman's University and Yonsei University for 22 years. At present she is the Eminent Person of the Asia-Pacific Region for SEPD (Sub-regional Environmental Policy Dialogue). Throughout the preparatory process of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (2001-2002) and UN CSD meetings, she represented the Korean government. Dr. Park has participated in the governmental policy making process through the National Economic Committee for the President, the National Commission for the Balanced Development, and the Presidential Commission for Sustainable Development. Recently Dr. Park was appointed to the Presidential Commission on Human Resources. She currently chairs the Committee of Women at Seoul Metropolitan Government where she also serves as chair of the Committee of Sustainable Development. She is President of the National YWCA of Korea and was twice President of the World YWCA. She did graduate study at the University of Michigan (M.A. and Ph.D. coursework) in Anthropology with a second M.A. in Southeast Asian Studies. She holds a Ph.D. from Ewha Woman's University.
Balakrishna Pisupati
Research Fellow and Team Leader of Biodiplomacy Programme, United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies
Balakrishna Pisupati is currently the Coordinator of UNU-IAS Biodiplomacy Programme based in Yokohama. He holds a Ph.D. in Genetics and has 17 years' experience working on environmental policy and conservation issues. Before joining UNU-IAS he was the Head of The World Conservation Union (IUCN) Regional Programme for Asia. Dr. Pisupati has published widely and authored more than 20 books in conservation and policy related issues. He acts as an advisor to several governments in Asia on policy development and implementation. He is the invited Fellow of Linnean Society, London and the American Association of Advancement of Sciences, USA. His current intrests include undertaking policy research and guidance on linking conservation and economic planning and design of policies to realise the Millennium Development Goals.
Vesselin Popovski
Senior Academic Programme Officer & Director of Studies on International Order and Justice, United Nations University
Vesselin Popovski holds an M.A. in International Relations from the London School of Economics and a Ph.D. from King's College. He is a former Bulgarian diplomat (1988–96) and served in Sophia, New York and London. From 1999 to 2002 he lectured at Exeter University, King's College, Westminster University (UK) and Huron University (USA). He has conducted field training of Russian lawyers for the European Union and International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights in Vienna (2002–04).
Dzulkifli Bin Abdul Razak
Vice Chancellor, Universiti Sains Malaysia
Dzulkifli Abdul Razak is Vice-Chancellor and President of Universiti Sains Malaysia (where he was formerly Deputy Vice-Chancellor). He was the founding director of the National Poisons Centre of Malaysia (1995), which now also acts as the World Health Organisation (WHO) Collaborative Centre for Drug Information (since 1998). He is the Chair of the Malaysian Vice-Chancellor's Council and the Malaysian Examination Board; the Chairm of METEOR SB, the parent organisation for Open University of Malaysia; and a board member of Selangor Islamic University College (KUIS). He is also currently a Director of the National Productivity Corporation of Malaysia, a Co-Chair (Government sector) of the Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT), and was recently appointed a member of the Malaysian Biotechnology Implementation Council and the National Innovation Council. He serves as the President of the Association of Southeast Asia Institutions of Higher Learning (ASAIHL) and is a board member of the International Association of Universities. He is a board member of the ASEAN University Network, the Association of Commonwealth Universities, and University Mobility in Asia and the Pacific. He is a consultant to the World Health Organisation and since 1965 has served as a member of the WHO Expert Advisory Panel on Drug Policies and Management. He has published extensively in the fields of science, education, health, and current affairs, and is the recipient of numerous national and international honours.
Jairam Reddy
Director, United Nations University International Leadership Institute
Jairam Reddy is Director of the United Nations University International Leadership Institute in Amman, Jordan, the former Rector of the University of Durban-Westville, and the former Chair of the President Committee on the Renewal of South African Higher Education. He has held academic positions at the Universities of London (England), Temple and Washington (USA), Western Cape and Durban-Westville (South Africa). He was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Durban-Westville from 1990 to 1994. In January 1995 he was appointed to chair the National Commission on Higher Education of South Africa on whose report much of the White Paper on Higher Education and the Higher Education Act are based. He was appointed by the Secretary General of the United Nations to serve on the Council of the United Nations University, Tokyo, Japan for the period 1998-2004 and was elected to chair the Council for a two year term from 2000-2002. He holds the degrees of Master of Science of the University of Manitoba, Canada, and Doctor of Philosophy of the University of the Western Cape, South Africa. He was awarded a Senior Fulbright Scholarship to undertake studies in Higher Education at Michigan State University in 1999.
Jozef Ritzen
President of Maastricht University
Jo Ritzen is President of Maastricht University and formerly Minister of Education, Culture, and Science of The Netherlands. Between the assumption of these positions he was the World Bank's Special Adviser to the Human Development Network, Vice President of the bank's Development Economics Department, and Vice President of the bank's Human Development Network which advises on innovative approaches to improving health, education and social protection. He has held academic appointments with Nijmegen University and Erasmus University in The Netherlands, and the University of California-Berkeley and the Robert M. LaFollette Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the United States. He has written or co-authored eleven books. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from Erasmus University in Rotterdam where his dissertation on education, economic growth, and income distribution earned him the Winkler Prins Prize.
Emile Rwamasirabo
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Republic of Rwanda
Emile Rwamasirabo is the current Ambassador of the Republic of Rwanda to Japan. He had his elementary and secondary education in Rwanda; after completing his undergraduate medical education in Dakar University, he went ahead with surgical post-graduate studies in general surgery and then fellowships in urology and surgical oncology in the University of Lille (France). He practiced surgery in France and then taught and practiced urology in Makerere Medical School (Uganda) and the National University of Rwanda. Soon after the 1994 genocide, he was appointed to re-open the main country hospital, Kigali Central Hospital. From 1998 to 2004 he became the Rector of the National University of Rwanda and as such he stood to various higher education international executive boards such as the AAU, the AUF, and the ANSTI.
Jan Sadlak
Director, UNESCO-European Centre for Higher Education
Jan Sadlak is Director of UNESCO-European Centre for Higher Education (UNESCO-CEPES) in Bucharest, Romania. He holds an MA degree in economics from the Oskar Lange Academy of Economics in Wrocław, Poland, and a Ph.D. in educational administration from the University of Buffalo/SUNY, USA. He is a member of the governing boards and scientific councils of various organizations, including the European Center for Strategic Management of Universities – ESMU, and editorial boards of the leading journals in the field of higher education and science policy. He is a member of the European Academy of Arts, Sciences and Humanities – Academia Europensis, France, and a Fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science, USA. He received high rank academic and national distinctions, including four honorary doctorates from universities in Romania, the Russian Federation, and Ukraine. He is the author of books and articles on higher education and science policy on topics such as reform and transformation in higher education and research in Central and Eastern Europe, organization of doctoral studies and qualifications, private higher education, "world-class university", quality assurance and university ranking, ethical dimension of higher education and academic values.
Mala Singh
Visiting Professor in the Centre for Higher Education Research and Information at the Open University, United Kingdom
Mala Singh is a Visiting Professor in the Centre for Higher Education Research and Information at the Open University, United Kingdom. She was Interim Chief Executive Officer of the Council on Higher Education in South Africa and the founding Executive Director of the Council's Higher Education Quality Committee. She has been the Executive Director of the Centre for Science Development in the Human Sciences Research Council, and of the Division for Humanities and Social Sciences in the National Research Foundation in South Africa. She was formerly a professor and head of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Durban-Westville, founding president of the Union of Democratic University Staff Associations, coordinator of the National Commission on Higher Education Task Group on Governance, and a board member of the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education. She was a member of the Task Force of the UNESCO Global Forum on International Quality Assurance, Accreditation and the Recognition of Qualifications and vice chairperson of the Regional Scientific Committee for Africa, UNESCO Global Forum on Higher Education, Research and Knowledge. She is a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa.
Antonio Augusto Dos Santos Soares
Manager, Distance Education Programme for Sustainable Development, Banco do Brasil
Antonio Augusto dos Santos Soares has worked at Banco do Brasil since 1973, where he has held a wide variety of positions in many business areas. He is currently the Manager of the Distance Education Programme for Sustainable Development. The programme has more than 20,000 students, both Banco do Brasil employees and people of communities where the Programme has been established. Antonio co-ordinates the "Education Reconciliation Program" that aims to systemize education at all levels, including professional and continuing education, in Brazilian states with low indices of human development. He also co-ordinates educational support programs for Brazilians who work temporarily in other countries. He represents Banco do Brasil in the Governmental Companies Forum designed to support education programs, and co-ordinates, with the Education Ministry of Brazil, the pilot program of the Open University of Brazil which has already 12,500 students.
Luc Soete
Director, UNU Maastricht Economic and Social Research and Training Centre on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT)
Luc Soete is Professor of International Economics (on leave) at the University of Maastricht (The Netherlands). He previously worked at the Centre for Development Studies, University of Antwerp (Belgium), the Institute of Development Studies and Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex (UK), and the Department of Economics, Stanford University (USA). He is a member of the Dutch advisory board on science and technology. He holds a D.Phil. degree in Economics from the University of Sussex. His research interests are focused on the impact of technological change (in particular, new information and communication technologies) on growth and development.
Paulo Speller
Rector of the Federal University of Mato Grosso, Cuiabá
Dr. Paulo Speller is professor in the Institute of Education at Federal University of Mato Grosso (Brazil) since 1980. He achieved his Ph.D. degree in Government at University of Essex (United Kingdom). From 1978 to 1980, he has worked as volunteer to Mozambique Ministry of Health coordinating the National Training Program of Health-Care Workers to communal villages, sponsored by UNICEF. At UFMT administration board he has been Advisor for International Affairs (1988-1992); Director of the Institute of Education (1992-1996) and Rector (2000 to present). In 2002 he was Vice-Chairman of National Association of University Presidents (Andifes) and chaired the same association during 2003 and 2006-2007. Since August 2006, Professor Speller has been a Full Member for Latin America and the Caribbean International World Conference on Higher Education (WCHE) Follow-up Committee which is coordinated by the Division of Higher Education/Unesco. In May 2007 he has been nominated for a two year term as full member of Economic and Social Development Council (CDES), coordinated by the Brazilian Presidency of the Republic.
Katsunori Suzuki
Senior Visiting Fellow, United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies
Katsunori Suzuki is Senior Fellow at the United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies where his major focus is on Education for Sustainable Development. He graduated from Tokyo University, Japan with a Bachelor of engineering in 1976, and joined the Environment Agency (now the Ministry of the Environment) of Japan where he worked on environmental impact assessment, pollution control, and global environmental issues. At UNU-IAS, his major activities include awareness raising and advocacy for ESD, the promotion of regional and local initiatives through Regional Centers of Expertise on ESD, the development of supporting tools for RCEs such as webportals, on-line learning modules, and GHESP Resource projects, and the facilitation of networks in higher education institutions between scientists, researchers and educators.
Mona Taji
Higher Education Specialist, Higher Education Reform for the Knowledge Economy Project
Mona Taji last worked with the World Bank-funded Higher Education Development Project in Jordan. She managed the Competitive Fund sub-projects in the public universities, besides acting as rapporteur/organizer for the Higher Education Development Forum, supporting the Minister for Education, and undertaking the preparation of the project documents for the forthcoming Higher Education Reform for the Knowledge Economy Project, Jordan. She previously undertook consulting work and worked on a number of development projects in Jordan, for the British Council and the office of H.M. Queen Nour. She earned her M.A. in 1994, and her Ph.D. degree in 1995, from McGill University, in administration and policy studies in education. Her Ph.D. thesis was on globalization and higher education policy reforms in Jordan.
Kazuo Takahashi
Visiting Professor, Division of International Studies, International Christian University
Kazuo Takahashi was Professor at International Christian University, Division of International Studies and the Graduate School of Public Administration until March 2007. He holds B.A. and M.A. degrees from ICU and a Ph.D. from Columbia University. He is a visiting professor at UNU and at the Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (Tokyo), and President of the Society of Researchers of International Development, IDCJ. He is the Co-chair of the Club of Tokyo for the Global Water Resources Management. His current research topics include global public goods, peacebuilding, water resource management and social trust.
Hatsuhisa Takashima
Special Assistant to the Minister for Foreign Affairs; Special Visiting Professor, Faculty of Law, Gakushuin University; Special Advisor to the Rector, United Nations University
Hatsuhisa Takashima was appointed the Special Assistant to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan on August 1, 2005 after serving Ministry as the Press Secretary and Director-General of Press and Public Relations for three years. He was the first ex-journalist to become a governmental spokesperson in Japan. He was also the first person from Japan to be appointed to the post of the Director of the United Nations Information Centre in Tokyo in September, 2000, upon his retirement from NHK (the Japan Broadcasting Corporation) for which he had worked for 37 years as the journalist and administrator. At NHK he occupied various positions including Washington Correspondent, London Bureau Chief, Foreign Editor, Editor-Anchor of "News 21" Program, Director-General of News Department, Chief Commentator and Executive-Controller General. Since April, 2006, Mr. Takashima has taught journalism and diplomacy at his alma mater, Gakushuin University, in Tokyo. At the United Nations University, he has been assisting the Rector in the field of public and press relations since April, 2006. He holds a B.A. in Politics from Gakushuin University.
Hideyuki Tokuda
Chairperson/Professor, Faculty of Environmental Information and Graduate School of Media & Governance, Keio University
Hideyuki Tokuda is a Dean of the Graduate School of Media and Governance and a Professor in the Faculty of Environmental Information, Keio University, Japan. He joined the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University in 1983, and is an Adjunct Associate Professor since 1994. In 1990, he joined the Faculty of Environmental Information at Keio University and has been a professor there since 1996. He was Executive Vice President and CIO of Keio University between 1997 and 2001. He is a member of the IEEE, ACM, IPSJ, IEICE, and the Japan Society for Software Science and Technology. He was an executive board member of the Information Processing Society of Japan, the Japan Society for Software Science and Technology, Japan Universities Association for Computer Education, the Japan Distance Learning Association, and the International Medical Information Center. He is currently an advisor of IPSJ's SIG on Ubiquitous Computing Systems, a general chair of UbiComp2005, a chair of IEICE's SIG on Network Robots, general chair of the Network Robot Forum and a technical chair of the Ubiquitous Networking Forum. He is a recipient of the Motorola Foundation Award, the IBM Faculty Award, and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Award in Japan. He holds B.S. and M.S. degrees from Keio University, Japan, and a Ph.D. degree in Computer Science from the University of Waterloo, Canada.
Nelum Deepika Udagama
Head of the Department of Law, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka; Founding Director, Centre for the Study of Human Rights, University of Colombo
Dr. Udagama, having received her initial education in Sri Lanka, proceeded to the USA for post-graduate studies in international law and human rights law. She earned both a Masters Degree and a Doctor of Juridical Science Degree from the University of California at Berkeley, USA. She also spent a year at the Human Rights Centre at the Harvard University School of Law as a Fulbright Senior Scholar. Upon her return to Sri Lanka in 1991, she established the Centre for the Study of Human Rights at the University of Colombo in order to promote human rights education in the country. This was a pioneering effort to promote a human rights culture in the country. She also introduced human rights law into the law curriculum of the university and promoted human rights education in schools and through community organizations. Similarly, programs were conducted for the armed forces, police, administrators, journalists, lawyers and other professionals. She has served as a member of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (2003-2006) and currently serves as a member of the Law Commission of Sri Lanka. From 1998 to 2001 she was the alternative member from Sri Lanka on the UN Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and was appointed as the Sub-Commission's Co-Special Rapporteur on the impact of globalization on the enjoyment of human rights.
Hebe Vessuri
Senior Researcher and Head, Department of Science Studies, Venezuelan Institute of Scientific Research; Council Member, UNU
Hebe Vessuri is Senior Researcher and Head of the Department of Science Studies at the Venezuelan Institute of Scientific Research and a member of the governing Council of UNU. She began her professional career in Canada, teaching anthropology at Dalhousie University, the University of Victoria and Simon Fraser University between 1966 and 1971. She then returned to Argentina to direct the Center of Social Research in the National University of Tucumán. She won a teaching and research position at the Faculty of Agronomy and Zootechnics of the University and directed the Socio-economics Department until 1975. In 1976, Dr. Vessuri moved to Venezuela, shortly thereafter starting a new career in the sociology of science and technology at the Center of Development Studies (CENDES) of the Central University of Venezuela. She directed the Area of Science and Technology at CENDES between 1980 and 1987 and was responsible for the Science Council (CONICIT)-CENDES agreement for research and training in science policy. From 1987 to 1991, she worked at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Brazil within the Science & Technology Policy Department. In 1988, she was appointed Full Professor and in 1989, head of the Department. In 1991, she returned to Venezuela to head the Department of Science Study at the Venezuelan Institute of Scientific Research (IVIC), a position she holds to date. She was a member of the Executive Committee of the International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences (IUAES) between 1976 and 1978, Vice President from 1978 to 1983, IUAES representative to the International Social Science Council (ISSC) between 1978 and 1983, and member of the ISSC Program and Budget Committees in 1979-1982. She was the Secretary of the Commission on Science, Technology and Development of the Latin American Social Science Council (CLACSO) between 1981 and 1985 and was a member of the Board of the Committee of Conceptual and Terminological Analysis (INTERCOCTA)-UNESCO in 1986-1989. She was First Executive Secretary of the UNESCO-sponsored Latin American Network of Graduate Programmes of Planning, Management and Social Studies of Science and Technology from 1991 to 1992. She was appointed to the UNESCO International Council of Science and Technology for the period 1992-1994. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Oxford.
Gabriela Warkentin de la Mora
Director, Department of Communication; UNESCO Chair in Communication, Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico
Gabriela Warkentin de la Mora is the Head of the Communication Department at Universidad Iberoamericana and Director of the university's Radio Station, ibero90.9radio. She also holds the UNESCO Chair in Communication, as well as the Channel 22 Chair "Cultural and Educational Television" and the Radio Educación Chair "Sound Art and Exploration". From September 2007 she will be the Ombudsman for Channel 22, one of the leading public television broadcasters in Mexico. She hosts a weekly radio show in Mexico City, has a weekly radio column at the Mexican Radio Institute, and a weekly cable TV show. She is a member of the editorial committee for the Revista Iberoamericana de Comunicación; a member of the Editorial Board of the forthcoming Journal of Global Mass Communication; a former member of the Editorial Council of the Instituto Federal de Acceso a la Información (Federal Institute for Access to Information); founding member of Red Periodismo de Calidad (Quality Journalism Network); a member of Red de Lenguaje Ciudadano (Citizen Language Network); and a member of various other Mexican and International associations on communications. She is a partner-consultant for Praxis Intercultural and for Pórtico Información y Análisis, institutions specialized on information processing and scenario development. She completed undergraduate studies in Communications at Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City, has done graduate coursework on Comparative Literature at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, and is a Communications Ph.D. Candidate at Universidad de Navarra, Spain.
David Wiley
Director, Center for Open and Sustainable Learning Associate Professor, Department of Instructional Technology, Utah State University
David Wiley is Director of the Center for Open and Sustainable Learning and Associate Professor of Instructional Technology at Utah State University. He was formerly a Visiting Scholar at the Open University of the Netherlands and a Nonresident Fellow at the Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law School. His research interests include open and sustainable education and intellectual property law. He holds a BFA in Music from Marshall University and a Ph.D. in Instructional Psychology and Technology from Brigham Young University.
Shinichi Yamamoto
Professor and Director of the Research Institute for Higher Education, Hiroshima University
Shinichi Yamamoto is Professor and Director of Research Institute for Higher Education, Hiroshima University in Japan. His main concern is the analysis of various functions of higher education system, including university research, administration and management. After graduation from the University of Tokyo in 1972, he served in the Ministry of Education (Monbusho) for 20 years, where he got rich administrative experiences in school education, university and research management, and international affairs. He then joined academia in 1992 as a faculty member of the University of Tsukuba before moving to Hiroshima University in 2006. From 1998 to 1999 he was a research fellow at the National Science Foundation of the United States. He has been involved in OECD's activities, including research training, and university funding, and at the Committee on Science and Technology Policy since the 1990s. He is currently a member of the Overall Review Committee for Program II and Program III of UNESCO.
Yozo Yokota
Special Adviser to the Rector, UNU
Yozo Yokota has worked as Legal Counsel at the World Bank and as a professor at International Christian University and the University of Tokyo. He is currently a professor at Chuo University, Special Advisor to the Rector of the United Nations University, and a member of the ILO Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations. He is the author of many books including The 20th Century and International Organization, Introduction to International Law, Legal Structure of International Organization, The Law of International Relations and Human Rights in Japan and in the World.
Hiroyuki Yoshikawa
President, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science & Technology, Japan
Hiroyuki Yoshikawa graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1956 and researched manufacturing technology at the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN). In 1963 he received a Doctor of Eng. from the University of Tokyo. He was appointed Associate Professor in the Faculty of Engineering there in 1966. He became Professor in 1978, Dean in 1989, Vice President in 1991, and President of the University of Tokyo in 1993. In 1997 he became President of the Open University and since 2001 has been President of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology. From 1997 to 2003 he was President of the Science Council of Japan and President of JSPS. From 1992 to 2002 he was President of ICSU. He has honourary doctorates from the University of Strathclyde, the University of Twente, the University of Birmingham, and NTNU-Norway. He is a member of the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering, the Royal Swedish Academy of Science, and the Academy of Engineering of the Czech Republic. In 1997 he was a laureate of the Japan Prize.
A.H. Zakri
Director, United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies
A.H. Zakri is Co-Chair of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Board, a UN undertaking to assess the state-of-health of the world's ecosystems, and also a Vice-President of the Third World Academy of Sciences. He previously served as Secretary General of the Society for the Advancement of Breeding Researches in Asia and Oceania (1981–1989) and Chairman of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice of the Convention on Biological Diversity (1997–1999). Prof. Zakri was Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (1992–2000) and Founding President of the Genetics Society of Malaysia (1994–2000). A Fellow of several scientific academies, in 1998 he received the Langkawi Award, a national laureate for outstanding contribution in the field of environment in Malaysia. He holds a Ph.D. degree from Michigan State University (USA).
Rapporteurs
Wendy S. Elliot
Biodiplomacy Programme Associate, United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies
Wendy S. Elliott is the Biodiplomacy Programme Associate at the United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies. Before joining the Institute, she worked as an Environmental Officer, Department of Physical Planning and Environment, Nevis. As an environmental officer in St. Kitts and Nevis, she worked on establishing the National Biosafety Project, developing the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan and implementing environmental education programmes. Wendy holds degrees in Pure and Applied Sciences (Zoology and Chemistry) and Natural Resource Management. Her research interest lies with Small Island Developing States, Biodiversity and MDG Achievement.
Andreina Lairet
eCourse Producer, Media Studio, UNU
Andreina Lairet joined the UNU Media Studio in March 2007 after completing an M.A. degree in Visual Arts at Nihon University, Tokyo. Before moving to Japan in 2003, Andreina worked in various media related projects, including the development and coordination of web portals both in Caracas and Buenos Aires. Besides working on web projects, Andreina has also participated on film projects and written for magazines and newspapers. She completed her B.A. in Media Studies in 2001, at the Andres Bello Catholic University in Caracas, Venezuela.
Yoko Mochizuki
Education for Sustainable Development Specialist, United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies
Yoko Mochizuki is an Education for Sustainable Development Specialist at the United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS). Prior to joining UNU-IAS as a Postdoctoral Fellow in 2004, she was an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Department of Human Development, Teachers College, Columbia University, and taught courses in Comparative Sociology of Education. Her current work focuses on the theory and practice of ESD within the context of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. She also teaches a course on globalization and education reforms at Keio University in Tokyo as an adjunct lecturer.
David Mutekanga
JSPS-UNU Postdoctoral Fellow
David R. Mutekanga is a JSPS Post Doctoral Fellow at the UNU–IAS in Yokohama. He holds a Ph.D. in Environment Management, and Masters and Bachelors degrees in natural sciences. He is a Lecturer and Head of Science Laboratory Technology at Mbarara University of Science and Technology in Uganda. He has extensive experience in environment policy research and advocacy and has worked and interacted with environmental NGOs in Africa. Currently he is doing research on the roles of Regional Centers of Expertise (RCE) as tools for implementing the UN Decade on Education for Sustainable Development with special focus on Africa.
Morten B. Pedersen
JSPS-UNU Postdoctoral Fellow
Morten B. Pedersen is a JSPS (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science) - UNU Postdoctoral Fellow for 2006-08. He holds a Ph.D. in Politics and International Relations from Australian National University, as well as M.A.s in Southeast Asian Studies from University of Hull in the UK and in Political Science from University of Aarhus, Denmark. From 2001 to 2006, he worked as Senior Analyst for the International Crisis Group and Consultant on Myanmar politics and development issues for the UN, the World Bank and the Conflict Prevention and Peace Forum. He has also participated widely in international conferences and policy briefings for international organizations and governments, and has contributed to two reviews of European Union policy on Myanmar.
Nicholas Turner
Research Assistant, Peace and Governance Programme, United Nations University
After completing a Bachelors Degree in Computer Science and Business Administration at the University of Kent in the UK, Mr. Turner obtained his MA in International Relations from the same University. Previously he worked at Qinetiq, a defence research and trading company in the UK, and also in the NES Study Abroad Centre in Tokyo as Chief of European Affairs. His specific research interests lie in human rights and ethics.
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Page last modified 2019.04.16.
