UNITED NATIONS UNIVERSITY
PUBLIC FORUM SERIES
February 1995 - June 1997
New York
The United Nations University's Public Forum series is intended to disseminate the results
of research undertaken by the UNU in an effort to stimulate discussion on policy
alternatives, and to provide the opportunity for the exchange of views between
practitioners and scholars to identify possible areas of research for the University.
These events are held at United Nations Headquarters in New York and are open to the staff
of the United Nations Secretariat and agencies, the diplomatic community, the media,
non-governmental organizations and academic institutions.
The information set forth below provides a brief overview of each of the fifteen events held to date.
EVENT: The Sustainable Management of Renewable Natural Resources
SPEAKERS: Juha I. Uitto, Academic Officer, UNU
Christine Padoch, Associate Scientific Coordinator, UNU Project on People, Land Management and Environmental Change (UNU/PLEC)
Uzo Mokwunye, Director, UNU Institute for Natural Resources in Africa (UNU/INRA)
Ralph J. Daley, Director, UNU International Network on Water, Environment and Health (UNU/INWEH).
DATE: 18 June 1997
VENUE: Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium, UN
The Forum focused on the University's work in promoting the sustainable management of renewable natural resources, including biological diversity, freshwater, and land. The approaches developed through and the policy results of UNU research and capacity-building activities since the Rio Earth Summit were presented. The discussion also dealt with future directions of the UNU programme in light of the priority concerns of the international community.
EVENT: The New Globalism and Developing Countries
SPEAKERS: John H. Dunning, Professor, University of Reading and Rutgers University
Khalil A. Hamdani, Senior Economist, UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
Louka T. Katseli, Professor Department of Economics, University of Athens
Linda Lim, Associate Professor of International Business and Director of the Southeast Asia Business Program at the University of Michigan Business School
DATE: 9 May 1997
VENUE: Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium, UN
A United Nations University Public Forum was held at United Nations Headquarters on 9 May 1997, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., on The New Globalism and Developing Countries. The primary purpose of the Forum was to discuss the outcome of a study undertaken by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) which focused on the expansion of foreign direct investment, the internationalization of production, and the implications for developing countries. A volume emanating from the study was recently published by the United Nations University Press.
EVENT: The Reintegration of Transition Economies Into the Global Market System
SPEAKER: Mihaly Simai, Professor, Institute for World Economics of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences; former Director of UNU/WIDER
DATE: 24 March 1997
VENUE: Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium, UN
A UNU Public Forum on The Reintegration of Transition Economies Into the Global Market System was held at UN headquarters on Monday, 24 March 1997, from 1:00 to 2:45 p.m. Professor Mihaly Simai of the Institute for World Economics of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and former Director of the United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU/WIDER), was the guest speaker.
Professor Simai's presentation focused on a UNU/WIDER research project entitled "The Evolving New Market Economics in Europe and Asia: Integration Into the World Economy." The study examined the conceptual underpinnings of reintegration and the changing internal and external factors related to the reintegration process of transition economies. A number of specific issues were examined, including the following: the political and economic dimensions and consequences of the changes taking place in Central and Eastern Europe, China, and Vietnam; the institutional efforts in the transition economies; the impact of these changes on the competitive global market system; the favorable and adverse effects of the reintegration process; and the role of international organizations -- such as the World Bank, the Inter-Monetary Fund (IMF), and the United Nations -- in this process.
EVENT: The United Nations System in the 21st Century (UN21)
SPEAKERS: Jean Marc Coicaud, Senior Academic Officer/UNU
Atul Kohli, Princeton University
Thomas Weiss, Brown University
James Jonah, Permanent Representative of Sierra Leone to the United Nations
Alvaro de Soto, Assistant Secretary General of the Department of Political Affairs
DATE: 9 January 1997
VENUE: Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium, UN
A UNU Public Forum on the United Nations System in the 21st Century (UN21 Project) was held at United Nations Headquarters on Thursday, 9 January 1997, from 3:00 to 5:30 p.m. The Forum was organized as a follow-up to the Tokyo Symposium held at UNU Headquarters in November 1996. The primary objectives of the Forum were to make widely known the outcome of the deliberations in Tokyo, and to promote an exchange of views relevant to the project among representatives of the diplomatic community, officials of the UN Secretariat, and academics.
The Forum began with a statement of introduction by the Rector. Dr. Jean Marc Coicaud, Senior Academic Officer/UNU, continued the discussion with an overview of the project's first year of work. Two presentations followed: Professor Atul Kohli of Princeton University reported on the progress of the "Research Group on States and Sovereignty," and Professor Thomas Weiss of Brown University focused his presentation on "United Nations Military Operations in the 1990s."
Following the presentations, Ambassador James Jonah, Permanent Representative of Sierra Leone to the UN, and Mr. Alvaro de Soto, Assistant Secretary General of the Department of Political Affairs, offered their comments regarding the project and the presentations. A question-and-answer period open to all audience members concluded the discussion.
EVENT: International Intervention in Haiti
SPEAKERS: Larry Minear, Co-Director, Humanitarianism and War Project, Brown University
Robert Maguire, Haiti Representative, Inter-American Foundation
William O'Neill, International Human Rights Lawyer
DATE: 23 October 1996
VENUE: Church Center of the United Nations (CCUN)
A UNU Public Forum on the international intervention in Haiti was held at United Nations Headquarters on Wednesday, 23 October 1996, from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. The primary purpose of the Forum was to discuss the results of the joint UNU/Brown University study on the response of the international community to the multifaceted dimensions of the Haitian crisis over the past ten years, and to disseminate the project report, Haiti Held Hostage: International Responses to the Quest for Nationhood.
The panel discussion was moderated by Jacques Fomerand, Head of the United Nations University Office in North America. The panel speakers were: Larry Minear, Co-Director of the Humanitarianism and War Project at Brown University; Robert Maguire, Haiti Representative for the Inter-American Foundation and Haiti Program Coordinator of the Georgetown University Caribbean Project; and William O'Neill, international human rights lawyer and former Director of the Legal Department of the OAS/UN International Civilian Mission in Haiti.
EVENT: The United Nations System in the 21st Century (UN21)
SPEAKERS: Atul Kohli, Princeton University
Volker Rittberger, University of Tubingen
Heizo Takenaka, Keio University
Muthiah Alagappa, East-West Center
Michael Doyle, Princeton University
DATE: 16 May 1996
VENUE: Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, United Nations
A UNU Public Forum on The United Nations System in the 21st Century (UN21) was held on Thursday, 16 May 1996, from 3:00 to 5:30 p.m. in the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium at the United Nations. The Forum focused on a five-year project launched by the UNU in Tokyo in November 1995, whose primary objective is to explore possible alternative models for international organizations, the United Nations most central among them, that would best meet the needs of the international community in the coming century. The event provided an opportunity for the project's research organizers to present interim reports on the progress of their research groups to members of the UN Secretariat and agencies, the diplomatic community and academia for feedback and comments.
EVENT: Targets and Criteria for Viable Socio-Economic Development
SPEAKER: Toru Yanagihara, United Nations University
PANEL: Samuel Insanally, Mission of Guyana to the UN
Sakiko Fukuda-Parr, Human Development Report Office, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Leo Goldstone, World Statistics
DATE: 29 April 1996
VENUE: Conference Room 5, United Nations
A UNU Public Forum on A New Development Strategy: Targets and Criteria for Viable Socio-Economic Development was held at United Nations Headquarters on Monday, 29 April 1996, from 1:00 to 2:45 p.m. at the United Nations (Conference Room 6). The Forum focused on an interdisciplinary study recently initiated by the UNU of major development indices and socio-economic development criteria. The outcome of the dialogue is intended to assist in the identification of possible research areas and directions that could be undertaken by the University through this project.
The panel discussion was moderated by Dr. Jacques Fomerand, Director of the United Nations University Office at the United Nations, in New York (UNUONA). Dr. Toru Yanagihara, a Visiting Scholar at the UNU's headquarters in Tokyo and coordinator of the project, was the guest speaker. Three panelists took part in the discussion: Ambassador Samuel Insanally of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Guyana to the United Nations; Ms. Sakiko Fukuda-Parr, Director of the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) Human Development Report Office; and Mr. Leo Goldstone, Director of World Statistics, Ltd., and a consultant for UNDP.
The UNU project has been designed to span approximately two years. At the first phase of the project, thematic research groups will be organized to study economic development indices, social development indices and the interrelations between the two. Then, targets and criteria for viable socio-economic development will be explored. Finally, an action plan for development based upon these indices will be proposed at a symposium held towards the end of the first phase. The project's second phase will be concerned with application and empirical studies in various regions in the developing world, including Africa, South Asia, East Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and in the transition economies. Area study groups will use the indices proposed by the thematic research groups and critically review the past country-based data found in the reports of United Nations agencies and other international organizations. The second symposium will seek to present the empirical results of applying the proposed indices, with a view to examining their universal applicability and identifying issues for further investigation.
EVENT: Women and Mainstreaming: Towards A Research Agenda
SPEAKERS: Valentine Moghadam, formerly of the UNU's World Institute for
Development Economics Research (UNU/WIDER)
Martha Duenes-Loza, UN International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW)
John Mathiason, Division for the Advancement of Women, Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development (DAW/DPCSD)
DATE: 22 March 1996
VENUE: Conference Room 5, United Nations
A UNU Public Forum on Women and Mainstreaming: Towards A Research Agenda was held at United Nations Headquarters on Friday, 22 March 1996, from 1:00 to 2:45 p.m. at the United Nations (Conference Room 7). The primary purpose of the Forum was to discuss gender mainstreaming, and to explore the ways and means to facilitate the integration of gender concerns in development, human rights, and peace and security. The outcome of the dialogue is intended to assist in the identification of possible research areas and directions that could be undertaken by the University.
The panel discussion was moderated by Professor Takashi Inoguchi, Senior Vice Rector of the UNU. The panel speakers were: Dr. Valentine Moghadam, formerly of the UNU's World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU/WIDER); Mrs. Martha Duenes-Loza, Acting Director of the UN International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW); and Mr. John Mathiason, Deputy Director of the Division for the Advancement of Women in the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development (DAW/DPCSD).
The presentations were followed by a question-and-answer period which was open to all audience members. This segment of the event lasted approximately thirty minutes and included questions on a variety of issues, including the ways to construct networks of researchers engaged in the study of gender-related issues, the identification of distinct features of gender mainstreaming, the impact of more women in the political science profession on agenda-setting, and the theoretical status of gender.
EVENT: Multilateralism and the United Nations System (MUNS)
SPEAKER: Robert W. Cox, York University
DATE: 27 February 1996
VENUE: Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, United Nations
A UNU Public Forum was held at United Nations Headquarters on Tuesday, 27 February 1996, from 1:15 to 2:45 p.m. in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium. Dr. Robert W. Cox, Professor Emeritus at York University and Coordinator of the UNU's programme on Multilateralism and the United Nations System (MUNS), was the guest speaker.
Dr. Cox's presentation included an overview of the basic orientation and objectives of the MUNS programme -- a five-year project which was recently concluded at a conference held in Costa Rica in December 1995. The MUNS programme's critical approach takes a "bottom up" view, privileging the concerns of the less powerful while not ignoring the constraints imposed by the more powerful. The programme has also made its normative commitments explicit: greater social equity, greater diffusion of power among countries and social groups, protection of the biosphere, moderation and non-violence in dealing with conflict, and mutual recognition of the values of different civilizations.
Dr. Cox's presentation was followed by a question-and-answer period which was open to all audience members. This segment of the event lasted approximately 45 minutes and included questions on a variety of issues, such as the role of the international civil service in multilateralism, short- and long-term prospects for multilateralism, the impact of globalization on state sovereignty, and the role of corporations, and more generally the private sector, in civil society.
EVENT: The United Nations System in the 21st Century (UN21)
SPEAKERS: Diogo Freitas do Amaral, President of the General Assembly
Celso Luiz Nunes Amorin, Brazilian Mission to the UN
Hisashi Owada, Japanese Mission to the UN
Rene Valery Mongbe, Mission of Benin to the UN
Gertrude Mongella, Fourth World Conference on Women
Benjamin Rivlin, City University of New York
DATE: 18 December 1995
VENUE: Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, United Nations
A UNU Public Forum on the United Nations System in the 21st Century (UN21) was held on Monday, 18 December 1995, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. at United Nations headquarters in New York. The Forum focused on a five-year project launched by the UNU in November 1995, whose primary objective is to explore possible alternative models for international organizations, the United Nations most central among them, that would best meet the needs of the international community in the coming century.
The forum was chaired by the Rector of the UNU, Professor Heitor Gurgulino de Souza. Professor Diogo Freitas do Amaral, President of the General Assembly, opened the panel discussion. Other panelists included Ambassadors Hisashi Owada (Japan), Celso Luiz Nunes Amorin (Brazil), Rene Valery Mongbe (Senegal), Mrs. Gertrude Mongella, Secretary-General of the Fourth World Conference on Women, and Dr. Benjamin Rivlin, Director of the Ralph Bunche Institute on the United Nations at the City University of New York.
A question-and-answer period which lasted approximately one hour followed the panel discussion. The discussion focused on a wide range of issues, including development, the UN's role in the exchange of information, UN reform, global public goods, and global citizenship.
EVENT: Defining and Measuring Sustainability: The Biogeophysical
Foundations
SPEAKER: Walter Shearer, Senior Economic Affairs Officer, UN
DATE: 7 November 1995
VENUE: Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, United Nations
A UNU Public Forum on Defining and Measuring Sustainability: The Biogeophysical Foundations was held on Tuesday, 7 November 1995, from 1:15 to 2:45 p.m. in the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium. Dr. Walter Shearer, Senior Economic Affairs Officer at the United Nations, was the guest speaker.
Dr. Shearer's presentation was based upon a recent study jointly undertaken by the UNU and the World Bank with the primary aims of exploring the prospects of establishing a scientifically rigorous definition and set of measures for sustainability, and providing useful policy considerations for the international development community. The motivation for the study derives from the age-old concern about humanity's impact on the environment and the ultimate carrying capacity of the earth.
A volume emanating from the study has been published by the UNU and the World Bank. The contributions to the volume are organized into the following sections: (1) major issues that affect all ecosystems in relation to biogeophysical sustainability, including the key concepts and terminology of sustainable development, limits to the sustainable use of resources, cumulative effects, and atmosphere and climate; (2) case studies of locations where the environment and society's reactions have been examined in great depth by specialists; and (3) reports on a variety of managed ecosystems for which leading scientists provide their expert opinion on the current status of biogeophysical indicators of sustainability.
EVENT: Global
Employment: An International Investigation into the Future Work
SPEAKERS: Mihály Simai, United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU/WIDER)
DATE: 23 June 1995
VENUE: Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, United Nations
A UNU Public Forum was held at United Nations Headquarters on Friday, 23 June 1995, from 1:15 to 2:45 p.m. in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium. Mihály Simai, Director of the United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU/WIDER) was the guest speaker. Dr. Simai's presentation entitled, Global Employment: An International Investigation into the Future of Work, was based upon a volume of the same name, which was edited by Dr. Simai and recently published by the UNU Press.
Dr. Simai's presentation summarized some of the major findings of a UNU/WIDER conference on the political and economic aspects of global employment, which was organized to serve as a contribution to the intellectual preparations for the World Summit for Social Development. As Dr. Simai explained, the conference sought to find the correct diagnoses of new problems created by unemployment, develop new ways of generating productive employment, and formulate policy responses relevant in the 1990s and beyond.
Dr. Simai focused his comments on a wide range of issues, including the changing and increasingly interconnected labour markets of the OECD countries, the new market economies in Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, and the heterogeneous economies of the South. In addition, the impact of socio-economic and technological factors, and the new division of labour in shaping the internationalization of labour markets were also discussed. Some of the key issues examined in the second volume, including regional aspects of global employment and country-specific labour market policies, were also presented.
Dr. Simai's presentation was followed by a question-and- answer period which was open to all in attendance. This segment of the event lasted approximately 45 minutes and included questions on a variety of issues, such as employment and the roles of education, gender and technology, as well as the labour market policies of China, India and several African countries. Other topics addressed were the internationalization of the labour market, the creation of employment through international cooperation and the role of international organizations.
60 people attended the Forum. Attendees included staff from various UN departments and missions. Scholars and professors from research institutes and universities also were in attendance. There was a high concentration of representatives from the UN Development Program (UNDP) and the missions of developing countries. Approximately 30 people requested copies of the volume. Many expressed interest in acquiring the second volume as well.
EVENT: The United Nations System: The Policies of Member States
SPEAKER: John Trent, University of Ottawa
DATE: 1 June 1995
VENUE: Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, United Nations
A newly published volume entitled, The United Nations System: The Policies of Member States, will be launched at a UNU Public Forum held on Thursday, 1 June 1995, from 1:15 to 2:45 p.m. in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium. John E. Trent, Professor in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Ottawa, and former Secretary-General of the International Political Science Association, served as the guest speaker.
The publication emanates from a comparative study, which Professor Trent undertook with Chadwick Alger and Gene Lyons, focusing on national policies toward the United Nations. The book examines the historical development of international organizations, reviews the recent proposals for UN reform, and considers eight case-studies of policies toward the United Nations. The project was conducted within the framework of the United Nations University's Programme on Multilateralism and the United Nations System (MUNS) which seeks to study the interaction between the changing structure of world order and the process of international organization. The volume is published by the United Nations University Press.
EVENT: Peace and Security in Latin America: The Role of the United Nations and Regional Organizations
SPEAKER: Olga Pellicer, Instituto Matiasromero de Estudios Diplomaticos
DATE: 5 April 1995
VENUE: Conference A, United Nations
A UNU Public Forum on Peace and Security in Latin America: The Role of the United Nations and Regional Organizations was held on Wednesday, 5 April 1995, from 1:15 to 2:45 p.m. at the United Nations, Conference Room A. Ambassador Olga Pellicer of the Instituto Matiasromero de Estudios Diplomatics was the guest speaker.
Her presentation focused a study undertaken by the United Nations University as part of its programme on the United Nations System, Global Governance and Security. A book emanating from the study and compiled by Ambassador Pellicer, tentatively entitled International Security in Latin America and the Caribbean: The Contemporary Debate, will be published in early 1996. The volume provides an in depth analysis on international security thinking in this region during the post-Cold War period. It is the outcome of a seminar sponsored by the UNU in collaboration with ITAM in May of 1994.
EVENT: Liberia 1994: ECOMOG and UNOMIL -- Response To A Complex Emergency
SPEAKERS: John Mackinlay, Marshall European Center for Security Studies
Abioudun Alao, Brown University
DATE: 6 February 1996
VENUE: Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, United Nations
Dr. John Mackinlay and Dr. Charles Abioudun Alao presented the findings of their report, entitled Liberia 1994: ECOMOG and UNOMIL -- Response To A Complex Emergency, at UNU Public Forum held on 6 February 1995 at United Nations Headquarters. The report is based upon a nine-month study undertaken by the authors from May 1994 to January 1995 as part of the United Nations University's programme on the United Nations System, Global Governance and Security.
The authors began their presentation with an overview of the Liberian civil war, the international and regional response to the emergency, and the Cotonou peace agreement. Three endemic problems were cited and elaborated upon by the authors as the major contributors to the ultimate failure of the peace process: (1) the armed factions; (2) civil disruption; and (3) the war damaged economy. The authors explained the failure of the Cotonou agreement by pointing to the fundamental flaws in the agreement, the failure of the disarmament process, the lack of impartiality on the part of ECOMOG, and the absence of an operational coordinating system. Dr. Mackinlay concluded the presentation by citing some of the important lessons to be drawn from the Liberian experience. Prescriptive comments for future action were offered.
The presentation was followed by a 20-minute question-and-answer period. Questions were raised on the role of leadership in the Liberian peace process, financial resources and logistical support, regional peacekeeping efforts, the role of NGOs, spillover effects on neighboring countries, and the operational coordination among the various parties involved.