UNITED NATIONS UNIVERSITY FORUM ON UN AND GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT TO BE HELD AT HEADQUARTERS, 14-15 NOVEMBER
Press Release
UNEP/16
UNU/187
UNITED NATIONS UNIVERSITY FORUM ON UN AND GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT TO BE HELD AT HEADQUARTERS, 14-15 NOVEMBER
19971105 NEW YORK, 5 November (UNU) -- The United Nations University (UNU) is organizing a symposium, in cooperation with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), on "The United Nations and the Global Environment in the 21st Century: From Common Challenges to Shared Responsibilities", which will be held on 14 and 15 November, in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium at United Nations Headquarters. This event will serve as the annual meeting for the University's five-year project on "The United Nations System in the 21st Century (UN21)", which was launched in 1995.The UN21 Project seeks to make a contribution towards assessing key concepts and strategies pertaining to the role and functions of international organizations, most notably the United Nations, in meeting the needs of the international community in the twenty-first century. The project is structured around five research groups which look at the following primary actors in world affairs: (1) States; (2) Civil Society; (3) Market Forces; (4) Regional Arrangements; and (5) International Organizations. Each year, the groups' research efforts focus on a common annual theme. These are: Peace and Security (1996); the Environment (1997); Development (1998); Human Dignity (1999); and Global Governance (2000).
The upcoming symposium will centre its attention on the issue of the environment. In this connection, the event will examine some of the difficulties the United Nations is now facing, and identify the issues essential for the future of the United Nations in the area of the environment. Some of the themes to be explored include the following: sustainability and degradation in third world cities; assessments of the work of UNEP, the Commission on Sustainable Development, and the World Bank; the transnational politics of environmental non-governmental organizations; the role of regional arrangements in addressing environmental problems in Eastern Europe, Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa; market forces, sustainable development and energy; freshwater; and global food security.
For more information, contact the United Nations University Office in North America, 2 UN Plaza, Room DC2-1462, New York, NY 10017, Tel: (212) 963- 6387; Fax: (212) 371-9454; e-mail: unuona@igc.apc.org
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