About the United Nations University
Currently, the University works in four programme areas, each related to an area of major global concern. The areas are: peace and governance, environment, science and technology, and development.
UN University Lectures
The UN University Lectures are published versions of different series of public lectures sponsored by the United Nations University Centre in Tokyo.
The first series began in May 1985 with a lecture by Jaime L. Cardinal Sin, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Manila, in the Philippines. Speaking on "Human Rights and Poverty" in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States, Cardinal Sin was one of several distinguished individuals to present new perspectives and personal insights on key issues related to the University's work on pressing global problems of concern to the United Nations. Titled the Annual Lecture Series, four presentations were made in different countries.
A second series of public lectures, The UNU Public Forum Series, was launched in September 1992 with a presentation on "Some Thoughts on Geophysiology" by Dr. James Lovelock, creator of the Gaia Theory. This series, which uses the United Nations University Headquarters Building in Tokyo, Japan, as its venue, is intended to help strengthen UNU ties with the academic, corporate, governmental, and international communities in Japan. Distinguished and noted individuals are invited to present new perspectives and insights on significant issues that have particular relevance to the University's global programmes and activities. A significant feature of the series is the opportunity it affords the audience to interact with a speaker on a topic under discussion.
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The United Nations University, 1996
The views expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the United Nations University.
The United Nations University 53-70, Jingumae 5-chome Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150, Japan Tel: (03) 3499-2811 Fax: (03) 3499-2828 Telex: J25442 Cable: UNATUNIV TOKYO
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University Lectures (The UNU Public Forum Series)
1. The Evolving Gaia Theory by James Lovelock (Presentation: September 1992), 1993;
2. Building a Post-Rio North-South Compact: The Role of the United States and Japan by James Gustave Speth, former President, World Resources Institute (Presentation: October 1992), 1993;
3. Coastal Zone Space: Sites for Conflict by Edward D. Goldberg, Professor, Scripps Institution of Oceanography (Presentation: January 1993), 1993;
4. The Impact of Technology on Human Rights by C.G. Weeramantry, Judge, International Court of Justice (Presentation: May 1993), 1994;
5. Rethinking Development: The Strategic Role of Population Issues by Nafis Sadik, Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) (Presentation: September 1993), 1994;
6. The Most Important Chart in the World by Kirk R. Smith, Senior Fellow and Programme Area Coordinator, Programme on Environment, East-West Center (Presentation: 4 June 1993), 1994;
7. Mexico and the Pacific Basin: Facing the New World Challenges by H.E. Mr. Carlos Salinas de Gortari, President of the United Mexican States (Presentation: 21 December 1993), 1994;
8. International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction: Working against Time by Tsuneo Katayama, Professor and Director, International Center for Disaster-Mitigation Engineering, Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo (Presentation: 13 October 1993), 1994;
9. Why the Quest Was Uncertain by Jean-Jacques Salomon, Director, Centre Science, Technologie et Société, Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (Presentation: 11 July 1994), 1995;
10. The Danube: Environmental Management of an International River by Libor Jansky, Professor, Comenius University (Presentation: 2 September 1994), 1995;
11. UN Reform from the Standpoint of the United States by Benjamin Rivlin, Director, Ralph Bunche Institute on the United Nations, City University of New York (Presentation: 25 September 1995), 1996;
12. Man-Induced Desertification by Monique Mainguet, Director, Laboratoire de Géographie Zonale pour le Développement, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne; Klaus Mersmann, Engineer, Laboratoire de Géographie Zonale pour le Développement, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne; and Marjolein Visser, Engineer, Département de production végétale, Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques et Biologiques Appliquées (Presentation: 7 November 1995), 1996;
13. Environmental Policy and Trade by Heinrich Freiherr von Lersner, former President of the German Federal Environment Agency (Presentation: 16 November 1995), 1996.
14. Mobilization of the Conscience of Mankind: Conditions of Effectiveness of Human Rights NGOs by Peter R. Baehr, Professor and Director, Netherlands Institute of Human Rights (SIM), Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands (Presentation: 18 September 1996), 1997;
15. NGOs: The People's Voice in International Governance? by Leon Gordenker, Professor Emeritus, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA (Presentation: 18 September 1996), 1997;
16. The Mediterranean Crises by François Doumenge, Director, Institut océanographique, Musée océanographique, Monaco, and Secretary General, International Commission for the Scientific Exploration of the Mediterranean Sea (CIESM), Monaco (Presentation: 15 July 1996), 1997;
17. Climate Change: Is It a Positive or Negative Process? by Arie S. Issar, Professor, Holder of the Alain Poher Chair for Water Resources in Arid Zones, Water Resource Center, Jacob Blaustein Institute for Desert Research, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boker Campus, Israel (Presentation: 14 November 1996), 1997;
18. European and ASEAN Integration Processes: Similar Models? by H.E. Mr. Pierre Gramegna, Ambassador of Luxembourg to Japan and H.E. Mr. Lim Chin Beng, Ambassador of the Republic of Singapore to Japan (Presentation: 8 May 1997), 1997.
