 The newsletter of United Nations University and its network of research and training centres/programmes |
ESPAÑOL | FRANÇAIS | UPDATE ARCHIVE | UNU WEBSITE | |
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No. 44: December 2006-February 2007 |
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UNU-WIDER study shows richest
2% own half the world's wealth
The richest 2% of adults in the world own more than half of global household wealth according to a pioneering study by UNU World Institute for Development Economics Research. MORE
ADDRESS AT UNESCO CONFERENCE
UNU
expert calls for research
"relevant to developing world"
Many developing country
universities are at risk if they are not quickly geared to help address regional
problems through research, warns the head of UNU-IAS, Prof. A.H. Zakri. MORE
OVERSPENDING "MENTAL
CAPITAL"
Mental
health problems threaten
knowledge economy – report
A new study by UNU-MERIT says
that high levels of stress and mental health problems are damaging
the "mental capital" on which the knowledge economy
depends. MORE
Jayantha Dhanapala is
new chair of UNU Council
Sri Lankan diplomat Jayantha Dhanapala was elected chairman of the UN University Governing Council at its 53rd session held in Tokyo in November. MORE
Trade and Investment Rule Making: the
Role of Regional and Bilateral Agreements
A framework for assessing the impact of regional trade agreements on rule making.
Measuring
Vulnerability to Natural Hazards: Towards Disaster Resilient Societies
The state of the art in vulnerability assessment – first step
towards disaster-resilient societies
The
Politics of Participation in Sustainable Development Governance
How to overcome obstacles to participation in
sustainable development governance.
Two new courses from
Global Virtual University
Global Virtual University has announced two new courses to teach educators to develop and moderate online learning, and to design online courses or study programmes. MORE
Food and Nutrition Programme
gets new streamlined structure
Dr. Patrick Stover of Cornell University will lead UNU Food and Nutrition Programme, taking over from Dr. Cutberto Garza, who directed the programme from 1997 to 2005. MORE
Define 'precautionary principle' to
avoid clashes over biotechnology
Averting trade conflicts over the safety of products derived from biotechnology requires a better understanding of the “precautionary principle,” according to UNU-IAS. MORE
New publication on
vulnerability assessment
The complex problems of modern vulnerability assessment are the focus of the latest edition in the SOURCE series of publications issued by UNU-EHS. MORE
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Europe calls on UNU to help
develop regulations on e-waste
UN University has won a European Commission (EC) contract to help develop new policy options on waste electrical and electronic equipment. These will incorporate current thinking on the life-cycle impacts of e-waste and address the role of legislative clarity and better regulation in protecting the environment. MORE
Traditional fuels promoting
desertification, expert warns
A soil expert says developing country households must stop burning crop residue and animal dung, soil nutrients needed to forestall desertification and hunger. MORE
Public lectures on business,
ethics and the right to health
Four experts will give public lectures on business, ethics and accountability in public-private health care at a UNU workshop in Bonn December 5. MORE
| 2006
calendar of events & meetings |
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Memorial lecture series
honours Charles Cooper
UNU-MERIT will honour the founding director of the former UNU Institute of New Technologies with the launch the Charles Cooper Annual Memorial Lecture on January 19. MORE
UNU Council member wins
Venezuelan science award
For the second year running, Venezuela's National Science, Innovation and Technology Award has a United Nations University connection. MORE
POPs effects felt far from source,
expert tells symposium
Tests on marine life in Asian oceans show that the toxic effects of POPs are evident far from the source of the contamination, an expert told a recent UNU symposium. MORE
Child soldiers: if not
prosecution then what?
Some 300,000 combatants under 18 are illegal recruits in over 30 conflicts globally, experts say in a new book that explores accountability for war crimes by children. MORE
Integration key to stability in
Africa, says Rwandan leader
Regional and continental integration are playing an important role in bringing peace and stability to strife-prone countries of Africa, according to Rwandan President Paul Kagame. MORE
UNU and CERN agree on
future collaboration
UNU and the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), have signed an agreement to promote closer collaboration over the next five years. MORE
Study urges stronger role for
women in peace processes
Enduring peace depends on women taking a greater role in peace processes and reconstruction of post-conflict societies, according to a study by INCORE. MORE
Truly an economics
Nobel Peace Prize
Awarding the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize to the founder of Bangladesh's Grameen Bank reflects a growing recognition that investing in the poor makes economic sense. MORE
Non-violence can work wonders
– even in the Middle East
Sixty people gather at UNU International Leadership Institute in Jordan to discuss how nonviolent action might help bring peace to this war-blighted part of the world. MORE
Weighing Israel's
way of war
It requires moral courage to look in the mirror for faults. Israel retains a large reservoir of international good will but that good will is neither uncritical nor inexhaustible. MORE