Today is B-Day, when British voters decide whether to leave or stay in the European Union. For anyone fond of buzzwords the choice is simple: Brexit or Bremain? Yet the data feeding into the referendum are more complex and, as shown time and again, woefully open to manipulation. One of the main arguments revolves around migration, specifically whether the economic impacts of migration benefit or harm the UK in terms of wages, employment and public services. Those pushing for Brexit say that EU l...
Clinical trials are an essential part of developing new drugs — but how can we limit or prevent ethical violations? How can we ensure effective governance, checks and balances, amid a proliferation of stakeholders? Part-time PhD fellow Farida Lada gives the background on her research and journey ahead of her defence on 22 June 2016. She explains why she chose the topic and why she felt she needed a PhD to advance her career. ••• You are about to defend your thesis ‘On guarding the welfare ...
Each year we join the institutional and policy meetings of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM). At this year’s event, the topics mainly focused on promoting justice through research and practice — but the most poignant session for me was on cultural competency in public policy education. At first, coming from the Dutch and UN system, I thought our institute would be doing rather well. We’re based in a free and democratic country and our staff and s...
A joint post by Kristjana Sigurbjörnsdóttir, UNU-GEST and Ortrun Merkle, UNU-MERIT. On 19 June we mark the first anniversary of the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. Established in 2015 the day aims to “raise awareness of the need to end conflict-related sexual violence and urge the international community to stand in solidarity with the survivors of sexual violence around the world”. Sexualised violence continues to be rampant in many conflicts, p...
“This forum comes at a time when we need to disrupt the status quo in terms of how we do science and technology for development,” Dr. Gillian Marcelle, Trinidad & Tobago. “When you think about the industrial revolution, that is the biggest change we probably ever had. The SDGs could be the next revolution — they could constitute a new social contract for humanity to take a different road,” Prof. Nebojsa Nakicenovic, Serbia. These words — on the need for ch...
Alumnus and affiliated researcher Dr. Carlos Cadena Gaitán is one of seven emerging leaders worldwide shortlisted for the ‘Inspired Leadership Award 2016’. The award will be presented at ‘The Performance Theatre’ – featuring 150 global CEOs and change-makers from across business, policy and civil society – in London, UK on 17-18 June 2016. Dr. Carlos Cadena Gaitán is the co-founder of La Ciudad Verde, a Colombian activist think tank that promotes sustainable cities through citizen participation ...
Haiti is back in the news, following reports of vote rigging in its recent presidential elections. As the population struggles with further instability, part-time PhD fellow Corinne Bossé shares her research on this troubled Caribbean nation — research focusing on diaspora engagement, higher education and economic development. ••• Years after the earthquake of 2010, Haiti’s infrastructure remains crippled; it also has to cope with a massive outflow of highly educated people who would other...
I was born of a mixed family in the south of Italy, in the city of Benevento. That day it was raining cats and dogs, as on most days when important things happen to me – from graduating to getting married to finding a new job. Benevento (meaning either ‘Good wind’ or ‘Good event’) was named by the Romans after they had finally defeated the local tribe, the Caudini....
The UN Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism, issued in January 2016, called for a comprehensive response to a growing threat. As a result the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (UNDPKO), like all other UN agencies, will be required to consider how it can contribute to a UN response in this area. As we celebrate the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, it is important also to celebrate how they can make a difference to new global challenges....
As Africa’s economic outlook continues to improve it is now more crucial than ever to ensure that the next generation of African scholars and policy experts can meet the challenges of the 21st Century. Our CoLA initiative seeks to establish a network of young African researchers with the aim of giving them exposure to specialist resources and knowledge, while also helping them with their doctoral dissertations. UNU Editor Howard Hudson spoke with course coordinators Dr. Mindel van de Laar (ML) a...