More than 30 participants, including mid-level managers, professionals and researchers in water and agriculture, met in Beijing for five days to be trained in the practical applications of AquaCrop, a new crop-water productivity model recently developed by FAO, which focuses on simulating the attainable yield in response to water, which is the key driver for agricultural production. Eleven female and twenty male representatives from institutions from India, PDR Laos, DPR Korea, South Korea, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Nepal, and the host country China attended the training workshop.

Please download the full summary report here.

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The responsibilities of JPFs range widely, encompassing all aspects of UNU-ONY's work, including events, marketing, partnership-fundraising, policy research, general office work and administrative support.

Qualifications required:

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Advanced level of English required (spoken and written)
• Ability to work in a team
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office
• Strong writing and research skills
• Knowledge of at least two official UN languages desirable (preferably French or Spanish)
• Master's degree within relevant subjects preferred

Individuals with multimedia and programming experience are particularly encouraged to apply and highlight their skills.

The deadline for sending in application materials is November 15 2009.

For more information and application instructions, view the Junior Professional Fellows Programme Flyer 2010

On the same day, the delegation met with the President of Senegal, Mr. Abdoulaye Wade who granted his personal support and the support of his government to the establishment of the new UNU institute in Dakar. The President of Senegal and the Rector of UNU hope the new institute will bring together African researchers from across continent, and that the institute will become a centre of excellence in research and training.

Click here to view the signing ceremony.

CRED-UCAD website.

UNU-MERIT website.

UNU rector Prof. Dr. Konrad Osterwalder is the recipient of the 2009 Matteo Ricci International Award. Established in 1998 by the Faculty of Political Science of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan, the award recognizes the unique contributions of individuals to bridge cultural and intellectual divides for the betterment of mankind.

The award ceremony that took place 27 October 2009 marks the fourth time the Matteo Ricci International Award has been bestowed. The previous recipients are Archbishop Giuseppe Pittau (former rector of Sophia University), Fra' Andew Bertie (Grand Master of the Soverign Military Order of Malta), and Father Gianpaolo Salvini (economist and editor of La Civiltà Cattolica).

Rector Osterwalder delivered a Lectio Magistralis at the award ceremony, continuing a tradition that began in 1989 with the institution of a Cathedra Magistralis (Professorial Chair) in the university's Faculty of Political Science. Other eminent figures who have delivered a Lectio Magistralis include Jacques Delors (president of the Commission European Community, 1985-1994), Javier Pérez de Cuéllar (secretary-general of the United Nations, 1982-1991), Helmut Kohl (chancellor of the German Federal Republic, 1982-1998), and Romano Prodi (president of the European Union Commission 1999-2004).

The rector's Lectio Magistralis, delivered in Italian, was entitled The United Nations University: For a Dialogue Between Cultures (L'Università delle Nazioni Unite per il dialogo tra le culture). The speech recognized the role of dialogue, justice, dignity, risk and responsibility as defining features of humanity. In this spirit, he pointed to the United Nations University's founding charter which has among its objectives a focus on the "coexistence between peoples having different cultures, languages and social systems" and those "universal values related to the improvement of the quality of life." Rector Osterwalder affirmed that the United Nations University is uniquely placed to encourage a dialogue of trust among cultures, necessary to arrive at viable responses to sustainable global development.

Key points of the speech included:

• New global challenges faced by research centers and international institutions


• Rawls' interpretation of the concept of global justice


• The unique role of UNU in encouraging dialogue and global partnerships based on common trust amongst various cultures, necessary for viable strategies for sustainable global development.

Speech:
The United Nations University: For a Dialogue Between Cultures
L'Università delle Nazioni Unite per il dialogo tra le culture

Presentation:
The United Nations University: For a Dialogue Between Cultures
Fiducia, sfida del mondo globale

Click here to visit the UNU Centre website.

UNU-ONY Junior Professional Fellow, Alexey Dorofeev, will present his paper, entitled "Public-Private Partnerships in the Global Perspective: Outstanding Methods, Constraints and Challenges," at the International Conference for Administrative Development: Towards Excellence in Public Sector Performance. The conference will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on 1-4 November.

The conference commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Institute of Public Administration and aims to promote a culture of excellence in public sector performance through the presentation and discussion of recent relevant trends and issues.

Dorofeev's paper presents a comparative study of partnerships between the public and private sectors, focusing on the United States (Kansas City, Missouri) and Russia (St. Petersburg). His paper draws comparisons between the two sites and provides practical implications to public administrators worldwide.

Alongside his work at UNU-ONY, Dorofeev is currently pursuing his Masters of Public Administration at Park University in Kansas City, Missouri.

For more information on the International Conference for Administrative Development, click here.

The panel discussion is another step on the way to the UN Climate Change Negotiations in Barcelona, 2-6 November and Copenhagen, 7-18 December 2009.

Dr Warner, Head of the Environmental Migration, Social Vulnerability and Adaptation Section at UNU-EHS, explores in her presentation directions for a future policy dialogue about climate adaptation and human security and gives recommendations for decision-makers.

The special event on Climate Change: Impacts and Threats is the second event of a three-part series of special events on climate change that focus on the state of the climate change negotiations.

The panel discussions, which are being organised under the auspices of the UN General Assembly´s Second Committee, feature some of the world´s leading solution-oriented thinkers on climate change.

Visit the official website of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Division for Sustainable Development.

Download the presentation here.

View the original article here.

Alejandra Bravo is a world's leading scientist in the field of biological control of insect pests using Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins. Insects are one of the main problems in agriculture and human health since they cause important crop-losses and transmit infectious diseases as dengue and malaria. Chemical insecticides pollute the environment and are toxic to other organisms, including humans. In contrast Bt toxins are highly specific against insects and biodegradable. Despite the worldwide use of these toxins in agriculture and in human health, their mechanism of action was not completely understood until recently.

Professor Bravo's pioneering research has demonstrated the molecular events that result in toxicity providing a model of the action of these toxins, globally known as Bravo's model. Among her most interesting improvements of the toxin is the isolation of dominant negative toxins that block toxicity of wild type toxin and that will be useful to develop antitoxins to circunvent Cry-toxic action in specific endangered environments. Most important are her modifications in the Cry toxins that allow to evade insect-resistance to Cry toxins and that represent an important alternative to control insect resistance in the field.

Prof. Bravo has received many awards, including recognition of Mexican Academy of Sciences. Alongside her research, she is engaged in a social program for the control of mosquitoes, vectors of human diseases, with Bt based products and has played key roles in Bioethical Committees and contributed as expert advisor in UNU-BioLac, that promotes biotechnology and development in Latin America.

For official information on the award, click here.

Ronald Findlay, Professor of Economics at Columbia University, addresses questions such as these and more when he delivers the UNU-WIDER Annual Lecture titled 'The Trade-Development Nexus in Theory and History' on 21 October, 15:00 - 17:00 at the Marina Congress Center, Katajanokanlaituri 6.

Professor Findlay has co-authored the widely acclaimed book, Power and Plenty: Trade, War, and the World Economy in the Second Millennium.

"[A] splendidly ambitious new book...an excellent reference book for anyone wanting a better understanding of economic developments in the last millennium." (Economist)

Findlay's lecture will take a historical view of global trade over the last 1000 years and explore the links between international trade and economic development.

The lecture will be in English. To register for the lecture, send an email to: annuallecture@wider.unu.edu with your full name and contact details. Coffee will be served after the lecture.

For more information and for the original press release, click here.

Twenty two UNU Fellows from sixteen countries completed the traditional six month specialized geothermal courses this year. They come from Albania 1, Algeria 1, China 2, Costa Rica 1, Djibouti 2, El Salvador 1, Iran 1, Kenya 3, Mexico 1, Mongolia 1, Nicaragua 1, Rwanda 2, Tanzania 1, Uganda 2, Yemen 1, and Zambia 1. They were trained in: Reservoir Engineering 7, Geothermal Utilization 4, Chemistry of Thermal Fluids 4, Geophysical Exploration 4, Geological Exploration 2, and Drilling Technology 1. This is the first time that there has been a UNU Fellow from Zambia.

Since the first UNU Fellows of the UNU-GTP came for training in 1979, 424 scientists and engineers from 44 countries have completed the annual six month courses. Of these, 44% have come from countries in Asia, 26% from Africa, 15% from Central and Eastern Europe, and 15% from Latin America. Amongst these 72 have been women (17%).

At the graduation ceremony speeches were given by Dr. Ingvar B. Fridleifsson, Director of the UNU-GTP, Minister of Industry, H.E. Katrín Júlíusdóttir, and Uwera Rutagarama, a reservoir engineer from the Rwandan Ministry of Infrastructure, who spoke on behalf of the graduating class. Minister Katrín Júlíusdóttir presented the graduates with their UNU Certificates.

Capacity Pool 7 out now!

The new Capacity Pool is out! It is dedicated to the topic of Climate Change and includes an article on Capacity Development in the Area of Water and Climate Change and an interview with the Avinash Tyagi, WMO, on the UN-Water Task Force Water and Climate Change.

Please download the new Capacity Pool here.

Just Published: Water Related Migration, Changing Land Use and Human Settlements (Knowledge No. 4)

This publication is a report of Topic 1.2 of the 5th World Water Forum in Istanbul, Turkey (17-18 March 2009), which was jointly organized by UNU-EHS, the GAP Administration and UNW-DPC and which contributed to developing a better understanding of the process of rural to rural, rural to urban and cross-border migration in the face of water scarcity.

Please download the publication here.

Click here to visit the UNW-DPC website.

Outdoor events will be held in the courtyard of UNU Headquarters from the morning and will include a farmers' market selling local produce, an open café, a mini-theatre showing films from the UNU Media Studio, as well as exhibitions, workshops and performances.

In addition to the UN Week celebrations, Aoyama Commons, a neighbourhood association of businesses and organisations in the area, will extend activities over the weekend of October 24 and 25 on the theme of "Feeling Satoyama in Town" with dozens of activities for children and adults to be held at UNU Headquarters and nearby locations.

The 2009 UN Day Symposium
The Emergence of Human Security: 15th Anniversary

Human Security is an idea that was first articulated in the 1994 Human Development Report. It places individuals and their needs at the centre of policy-making and provides a philosophical basis for identifying threats to people's security, including natural disasters, poverty, disease, inequality, and violence, and searching for responses to these threats. Japan is one of the founders of the concept and no other country has made larger combined intellectual, financial, and operational contributions to the idea. The UN Day 2009 symposium at UNU will examine Human Security 15 years after its emergence, elaborate how the concept has evolved and explore the forthcoming challenges.

The keynote speech will be delivered by Dr. Izumi Nakamitsu, director of the Policy, Evaluation and Training Division of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations at the United Nations.

Five distinguished panellists will then address a range of questions: Where does the concept of Human Security stand 15 years after its emergence? What has gone right -- and wrong? What examples best illustrate how focusing on individuals rather than states has achieved effective implementation of operational UN mandates, strengthening peace, development and sustainability? What are the current challenges to Human Security? Are they the same as 15 years ago? Which types of threats have been under-estimated or should be given higher priority? What can we anticipate in the next 15 years, and will the concept of Human Security still be relevant in 2025?

The symposium will not only elaborate the concept of Human Security academically, but will look at functional and operational issues as well. It will provide a forum to discuss ideas for the forthcoming UN Secretary-General's Report on Human Security in 2010, a platform to disseminate the latest knowledge on the concept, and a means to encourage public engagement with UN activities.

To register for the symposium and for more information, click here.

Click here to visit UNU-MERIT website.

UNU International Courses - 2010 Session

10 May to 18 June 2010

United Nations University will organize the tenth regular session of its six-week UNU International Courses (UNU-IC) at UNU Centre in Tokyo, Japan, from 10 May through 18 June 2010. The UNU-IC programme is designed for postgraduate students and young professionals (with a college or university degree) in various occupations in Japan and abroad who wish to pursue careers in international fields in public-service or private organizations, including the United Nations, multinational corporations and non-governmental organizations as well as national foreign service organizations. The courses are designed to provide analyses of global issues from both theoretical and empirical perspectives.

The UNU International Courses are taught in a cooperative fashion by a team of scholars and practitioners comprising both in-house and outside experts. One of the unique features of the UNU-IC is that many of the practitioners come from United Nations organizations. Another important characteristic is the direct access to teaching faculty and the support provided to course participants by the UNU in-house academic staff who serve as academic counsellors. The UNU-IC also draw on the research projects undertaken at the UNU Centre in Tokyo and at various UNU Research and Training Centres and Programmes (RTC/Ps) located around the world. The courses, though advanced in nature, are open to graduate students and professionals in various occupations who are not necessarily specialists in the field.

Core Course

UN System: Pressing Issues and Sustainable Solutions

Optional Courses

1. Peace and Human Rights
2. Global Change and Sustainability
3. International Development and Cooperation

Core Course: This is compulsory for all students. There shall be one lecture of 120-minute duration (60 minutes of lecture and 60 minutes of Q&A) and two sessions of tutorials of 90-minute duration per session.

Optional Sessions: Students are allowed to choose one or two courses. There will be eighteen 90-minute sessions per course (three sessions per week over the six-week course period). The courses will involve considerable reading and study, but will be scheduled to allow students to have sufficient preparatory and review time for each session.

Daily Schedule: There will be three sessions of courses each day (10:00-12:00, 13:00-15:00 and 16:00-18:00), though no one course will take the entire three sessions of one day. The final schedule will be available in May 2010.

Click here for more information.

The three PhD researchers did field work in China, Germany, Peru and Ghana. They focused on risk management and adaptation strategies to environmental threats and mitigation measures. Their research findings aim to be of practical use to support vulnerable communities exposed to these threats and to be used as guidelines and background information for decision-makers.

"Congratulations to all our three researchers, their work is a great success and is an important contribution to our institute and to the countries where the research was carried out", said Dr Fabrice Renaud, Director a.i. of UNU-EHS.

UNU-EHS currently directly supervises and/or hosts 37 international PhD researchers who conduct their studies within the institute´s projects. Working together with in-house scientists and experts at partner institutions, the PhD candidates benefit from an interdisciplinary setting.

About her research at UNU-EHS, Ms Shen said: "UNU provided me with an excellent research environment with international colleagues whom I could exchange my research ideas and experiences with. Especially, being embedded in a PhD programme, I had the chance to receive constant feed-back and inspiration from the other PhD scholars. I also appreciated my tutor Dr Katharina Marre. She has always been there for me whenever I needed a guiding and helping hand. I am very grateful for her constant intellectual inspiration and support."

Ms Oft described her experience at UNU-EHS: "I am grateful to Dr Koko Warner, she has always provided important advice and input for my research and thesis writing. My colleagues at UNU have played a very important role professionally and personally. I could always seek advice and suggestions. Having the other PhD candidates around for mutual motivation and exchange was helpful. I could always ask how to present first ideas, how to prepare a questionnaire for the field, which methods to use and so on. Personally, it was also very important to have my friends and colleagues at UNU. We would plan BBQs or cultural events. That helped to relax next to research and work."

Ms Mensah was one of the first PhD students at UNU-EHS: "I was fortunate to share the experiences of a small team as it grew to a much larger dynamic workforce with greater responsibilities. Interacting and cooperating with the range of various minds was an experience that went beyond developing my academic education but also my personal growth. Academically, my standards and goals became more refined as I understood my potential contributions in being part of the working world. Personally, I met fantastic people, had very interesting conversations, and had the opportunity to expand my view of the world and in the process, this enriched my life."

With their focus on environmental hazards, adaptation and coping strategies, the three researchers perfectly fit the mission of UNU-EHS which is to improve human security by reducing vulnerability and environmental risks through research.

Ms Shen investigated and compared the different flood risk perception and communication cultures amongst key institutional stakeholders working in risk management in China and Germany. She found significant differences in management strategies and communication patterns.

"In China, officials trust that flood risks can be controlled using technical and scientific methods. In Germany however, authorities believe in uncertainty regarding the management of floods despite of the engineered protection measures. Revealing and knowing these patterns in thinking and approach can support better flood risk prevention," Ms Shen explained.

Ms Oft´s research targeted Piura in Peru and asked how micro-finance tools can build resilience. "I examined how local farmer households prepare for the recurring event of El Nino and other climatic shocks such as droughts and temperature changes. The results show that building resilience depends on many factors. Disaster risk management, knowledge and communication, good governance, institutions, capacity building, as well as financial mechanisms play a crucial role," Ms Oft clarified.

She found that several initiatives and specific strategies for risk reduction and climate-risk management are being implemented at national, regional and local levels. However, these approaches are mostly carried out in isolation from one another. To build resilience, it is essential to promote synergies and cooperation amongst institutions and organisations. Another outcome of Ms Oft´s research is a raised consciousness for the importance of micro-credit and micro-insurance services for rural households to deal with environmental threats.

The dissertation of Ms Mensah looked at the connection of upland catchment rivers quality and land use of communities in Ghana. Rivers are in danger of silting and being polluted with fertilizers used in agriculture. She examined the sediment load in the streams. "Increasing agricultural productivity is seen as an essential component of development programs to reduce poverty and provide human security. In Ghana, the environmental implications to freshwater have not been assessed. My main objective was to assess the implications of increased land-use activities on in-stream nutrients and impacts on the quality of water for domestic use and on aquatic ecosystem health."

The outcomes of her study show that with increasing productivity, there were significant increases in nutrient loads in-stream and changes to biological communities. "With Ghana's objectives for increased agricultural productivity, the results of the study demonstrate the need for incorporating integrated water resource management into development agendas," Ms Mensah said.

The outcomes of the three dissertations add to the work of the institute and UNU-EHS is proud of the researcher Ms Shen, Ms Oft and Ms Mensah and wishes them all the best for their future.

Titles Dissertations:

Mensah, Adelina (2009): The Influence of Land-Use Activities on Nutrient Inputs into Upland Catchment Streams, Ghana. Bonn.

Oft, Philine (2009): Can Resilience be Built Through Micro-finance Tools? A Case Study of Coping and Adaptation Strategies to Climate-related Shocks in Piura, Peru. Bonn.

Shen, Xiaomeng (2009): Flood Risk Perception and Communication within Risk Management in Different Cultural Contexts - a Comparative Case Study between Wuhan, China and Cologne, Germany. Bonn.

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Click here to visit UNU-MERIT's website.