The UNU Global Seminar is an annual programme designed to enhance international awareness among college students and young professionals in Japan through active interaction with scholars and experts working in the UNU's global networks. Japanese and foreign students attending Japanese universities (undergraduate or graduate level) and recent graduates are invited to apply. Seminar participants must understand both English and Japanese languages.

Additional information and application forms are available online (http://archive.unu.edu/globseminar) or can be obtained by contacting UNU (telephone: 03-3499-2811; e-mail: gsokinawa@hq.unu.edu). Applications must be submitted to the UNU Global Seminar Secretariat no later than 11 October 2002. Approximately 70 students will be selected from among the applicants to participate. The participation fee is 30,000 yen, which includes seminar materials, meals, and lodging; this fee may be waived for foreign students not receiving a scholarship for their study in Japan.

Keynote speakers for the 2002 UNU Global Seminar - Okinawa Session will be Prof. Yoshikazu Sakamoto (The University of Tokyo) and Prof. Ramesh Thakur (Vice-Rector, UNU).

Individual sessions will focus on "The Changing Nature of Conflicts in the Post-Cold War Era," "Experience in Post-War Reconstruction in Okinawa," "Politico-Economic Environment for Peace-Building," and "Humanitarian and Social Preconditions for Peace-Building." Scheduled lecturers include Prof. Gen Kikkawa (Kobe University), Ms. Ruri Miyara (former member of Himeyuri Student Corps), Prof. Masaya Ishihara (Okinawa International University), Dr. Benjamin Reilly (Democratic Governance Advisor, UNDP), Ms. Akiko Yuge (Director, Tokyo Office, UNDP), Prof. John Clammer (Sophia University) and Ms. Kiyoko Karatsu (Japan Representative, Japan Liaison Office, Oxfam International). There will also be a session on "Guidance for Employment in International Organizations."

The Opening Ceremony and Keynote Lectures on 19 December will be held at the Okinawa Women's Comprehensive Center "Tiruru." These are open to the public, with Japanese/English interpretation provided. Media representatives are cordially invited to attend. (Click here for the preliminary programme - in PDF file)

The 2002 UNU Global Seminar - Okinawa Session is being jointly organized by the UNU and the Okinawa Prefectural Government with support from the Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The Okinawa Session is one of a series of UNU Global Seminars held throughout Japan each year. More information about this and other sessions is available online at http://archive.unu.edu/globseminar/.