“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...
The seventieth anniversary of the United Nations made 2015 a watershed year for international efforts to renew and strengthen two of the world body’s most high profile sets of activities: peacekeeping and peacebuilding....
In the list of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their associated targets, the word ‘science’ appears 10 times; ‘technology’ shows up 31 times and finally ‘innovation’ reveals itself 17 times. Clearly, Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) are seen as important instruments that can help the world attain the SDGs — and why UNU-MERIT and partners will join the first ever STI Forum at UN Headquarters, New York. Date & Time: 6 June 2016, 6:15-7:30pm Location: Conference Room A in...
At the outset of the 2011 Syrian revolution, Syrian women played an active role in protests and grassroots mobilisation. They played leadership roles in local committees. They organised and participated in demonstrations and sit-ins. However, with the militarisation of the uprising, women have been sidelined and their voices marginalised in military and political decisions. ...
Climate change is one of the most pressing global challenges for the international community. Linked to a growing list of natural disasters – from droughts and desertification to floods and melting ice caps – climate change poses an existential threat to all of humanity. Against this backdrop, a coordinated international response is not only warranted but desperately needed. Acting as the main forum for dialogue and collective action, the United Nations (including all agencies, funds and program...
UN Day, 24 October, marks the anniversary of the entry into force of the UN Charter in 1945. Seventy years on we take a critical look at the internal and external challenges of the ‘UN family’ – with a particular focus on coordination and leadership. Reforming the UN System – Diego Salama Eight years ago, while interning at the UN Information Centre in Lima, my director invited me to a Country Team meeting. It was my first chance to meet all the UN heads of agency in Peru, and I remember how exc...
How can young people help themselves, both practically and professionally? How can developing countries cut youth unemployment and realise their full potential? How can the United Nations University make a difference? We asked Ibrahima Kaba, a PhD fellow from Guinea in West Africa, and Diego Salama, a research assistant from Bolivia in South America, for their views ahead of the first ever World Youth Skills Day. In November 2014, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 69/145, de...
UNU is delighted to be supporting the Climate Summit 2014 hosted by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on 23 September in New York. UNU will be hosting a thematic session on “The Economic Case for Climate Action” with global leaders and world renowned experts from China, India, Mexico, and the United States. UNU’s session will take place 17:15 – 18:30 (EDT) on 23 September and can be followed on livestream via: http://webtv.un.org/ Extreme weather events and rising sea levels will increasing...