UNU Global Seminar Series

Seminar participants will explore a variety of issues related to current educational issues and to explore the question of What is a desirable education? (what, and how we should learn?), in order to live with human dignity in today’s world.

Human resources development for tomorrow: Teaching and learning
Dr. SHIRAKAWA Hideki
Nobel Laureate in Chemistry Abstract | Full text

Problems in ‘Transition from school to work’ in Japan
Prof. HONDA Yuki
Associate Professor, Graduate School of Education, the University of Tokyo
Abstract | Full text | Presentation

NGO advocacy and quality education for disadvantaged children in developing countries
Mr. ZHAO Zhonghua
Programme Director, Save the Children UK in China
Abstract (English, Japanese) | Full text | Presentation

Knowledge, intellect, and education from a historical perspective
Prof. TAKEUCHI Yo
Professor, Faculty of Letters, Kansai University
Abstract | Full text

An increasingly globalized world requires the re-examination of the concepts of the nation state, indigenous culture and language, and indeed the very notion of self-identity. This seminar will introduce the idea of dynamic multiculturalism and examine aspects of culture, language, and human rights as they shape, and are shaped by, an ever more interconnected world.

Multiculturalism and Its Transformation: from Multicultural Cooperation to Multicultural Competition
Prof. Masami SEKINE
Professor, Faculty of Law, Keio University
Abstract (Japanese)

Lecture 1
On the International Diffusion and Multicultural Diversification of English
Prof. Nobuyuki HONNA
Professor, School of International Politics, Economics and Communication, Aoyama Gakuin University
Presentation (Japanese) | Abstract (English/Japanese)

Lecture 3
Identity and Education of Koreans in Japan
Prof. Koomi SUNG
Associate Professor, Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Nagoya City University
Presentation (Japanese) | Abstract (Japanese)

Lecture 5
Globalization of Human Rights in a Multicultural World: Universalism Versus Cultural Relativism Dr. Obijiofor AGINAM
Academic Programme Officer, Director of Studies on Policy and Institutional Frameworks, Peace and Governance Programme, United Nations University
Presentation | Abstract

The Millennium Declaration, adopted by the United Nations in 2000, identifies several basic values—freedom, equality, solidarity, tolerance, respect for nature and shared responsibility—as being indispensible for international relations in the 21st century.

Against this background, the 2008 seminar will take up the question of what we, as individuals and as members of civil society, can do to bring about the realization of these public values of justice, peace and equality. Eminent scholars from Japan and overseas will deliver a series of lectures on aspects of the issues involved and the seminar participants, through their group discussions, will seek to deepen their understanding of how the construction of global solidarity will be even more crucial for mankind in the decades to come.

The peace and welfare of the Global Community will only be realized through the effective linkage of strategy, theory, and perspectives from the field. The goal of this year's Global Seminar Kobe-Awaji Session is to consider and discuss the new challenges for the UN with a strong emphasis on perspectives from the fields and the linking of strategy, theory, and the field.

The UN’s declaration of the “Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014)” provides an important opportunity to think further about the needs of our current globalized world as well as local society in the twenty-first century. This seminar will focus on issues of capacity building in order to achieve sustainable development.

Lecture 1
Action By All toward Sustainable Society: Our Role in Achieving Sustainable Development
Prof. Hiroyuki YOSHIKAWA
President, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)/ Executive Director, Japan Foundation for United Nations University
Presentation

Lecture 1
How to Think Globally
Prof. Charles HOPKINS
Professor, York University, Canada
Presentation

Lecture 3
Sustainable Food and Agriculture for Local Communities and Local Living
Prof. Tomio YUKI
Folklore Researcher/ Docent, Miyagi University of Education
Presentation

Lecture 1
Reconsidering ‘Intimacy’ and ‘Relationship’
Prof. Hitoshi KANNO
Professor, Social Studies Education, Miyagi University of Education
Handouts

This seminar will look at various facets of sustainable development issues and international development policies. Day 1 will present a keynote speech about the findings of the United Nations Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and poverty reduction. On Day 2 participants will be encouraged to understand development initiatives and challenges in developing countries, and to think about the relations between sustainability and poverty reduction. Day 3 will look at development issues from global environment and economic perspectives as well as considering potential working solutions to achieve sustainable development from the perspectives of foreign aid and education for sustainable development.

Linking Local Actions, Research and Policy Making in Hokuriku to Meet the Challenges of Sustainability
Anne McDonald
Director, United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies, Ishikawa/Kanazawa Operating Unit
Presentation

Case Studies from the Field, Development Assistance in Sub-Sahara Africa
Kimiaki Jin
Director, East Africa Division 2, Africa Department, JICA
Text

Media's Role in Raising Global Consciousness about Poverty
Fumiko Endo
Journalist, The Yomiuri Shimbun
Presentation

Impact of Poverty to rural sustainability in Java and Japan
Hiroshi Tsujii
Professor, Department of Bioproduction Science, Ishikawa Prefectural University
Text | Presentation

What is Effective Assistance? Human Security Perspectives
Michiya Kumaoka
Trustee, Japan International Volunteer Center
Presentation

Today, we enjoy the benefits of science and technology more than ever before: our lives have become more convenient, easier and richer in so many ways. The rapid growth of information communication technologies, in particular, is a driving force for globalization, and has dramatically shaped the ways in which we interact and perceive the world. But advances in science and technology have not benefited the world’s population equitably. What is more, concurrent with these advances, we must confront a number of emerging global problems (such as climate change, poverty, HIV/AIDS, terrorism, and others) that have raised the awareness of human security: peoples’ aspiration to enjoy freedom from fear and want. In tackling today’s global problems and concerns, what role should science and technology play in the quest to achieve better lives for all of humankind?

Building a Society Based on Respect for Life
Keiko Nakamura
Director General, JT Biohistory Research Hall
Abstract (Japanese | English), Full text (JP)

Technology and the South-North Divide: Critical Perspectives on Development in the Global South
Obijiofor Aginam
Academic Programme Officer, United Nations University
Presentation (EN)