Environment and Sustainable Development - United Nations ...

announcements introducing the UNU system were
broadcast to television viewers worldwide via CNN
International. In the print media, University academic staff
published nearly 250 articles in scholarly and popular
journals, and more than 300 articles about UNU were
printed in the press. The Internet is also gaining in
importance as a means of disseminating timely
information, and specific attention was given in 2002 to
updating and upgrading the UNU website.
Information about UNU’s work was further
disseminated to target audiences through numerous public
lectures, conferences, symposiums, workshops and other
events. The U Thant Distinguished Lecture Series,
launched in 2001, was continued in 2002 with lectures by
former US President William J. Clinton on 21 May and
1970 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr. Norman E. Borlaug
on 1 October. The President of the United Nations General
Assembly, His Excellency Dr. Han Seung-soo, also
presented a lecture at UNU Centre, on 29 May.
The UNU Global Seminar series for university students
and young professionals expanded into the Tohoku region
in 2002, its 7th location in Japan. Two new dissemination
vehicles were also launched in 2002: six sessions of the
UNU/IAS Tokyo Roundtable series were convened during
the year, and UNU/ILA released the first three videos of its
Global Leadership Film Series.
Organizational Developments,
Finance and Administration
• Following consultations with Director-General Koichiro
Matsuura of UNESCO and a recommendation by the
Governing Council of the UNU, UN Secretary-General
Kofi Annan reappointed Professor Hans van Ginkel to a
second five-year term as Rector of the United Nations
University, effective 1 September.
• Ms. Eve Thompson, a UNU/ILA alumnus and member of
the Academy’s advisory committee, previously with
CARE International’s Southern and West Africa
Regional Management Unit, took office as ad interim
Director of UNU/ILA in July.
• Prof. Armando Haeberer took office as the new Director
of UNU/IIST on 1 November.
• In June, UNU/INWEH moved into its new headquarters
building in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. In 2002, the
Network reviewed and reshaped its strategic plan to align
more closely with host-country interests and with the
anticipated level of future core funding.
• UNU Centre facilitated a UNU system-wide consultation
process leading to the elaboration of capacity
development “Principles and Guidelines,” and began
creating an alumni database to facilitate networking
among former UNU fellows, programme coordinators
and UNU academic staff.
• Under the leadership of the UNU Rector, UNU/INRA
undertook three initiatives to widen its sources of
funding. These were the appointment of Dr. Bjorn
Lundgren, Chairman of the UNU/INRA Advisory Board,
to lead an effort to develop a funding strategy; creation of
a three-person Task Force to provide guidance to the
activities of UNU/INRA and develop a strategy that
would enable Africa to benefit from the activities of
UNU; and discussions centred on the establishment of an
“Operational Unit” of UNU/INRA in each country for
dealing with a specialized subject.
• UNU/IAS underwent its first external evaluation; the
three-member evaluation panel submitted its report to the
UNU Rector in October.
• The Government of Norway announced a contribution of
US$2 million towards the creation of a new UNU unit
responsible for developing the Global Virtual University
(GVU). The new unit, to be located at UNEP/GRID-
Arendal, will be implemented by a core partnership
between UNEP/GRID-Arendal, Agder University
College and UNU.
• The UNU-UNESCO staff exchange programme was
initiated in accordance with a mutual agreement between
the two sister agencies.
• As contributions to the UNU Centre strategic goal of
strengthening South-South cooperation in its capacity
development activities, two new programmes were
started: (a) Within the framework of the UNU-ANSTI
(African Network of Scientific and Technological
Institutions) Joint Fellowship Programme, UNU will
provide M.Sc., Ph.D. and staff exchange fellowships
through ANSTI to African academics for tenure at
African universities, and (b) UNU will support students
from Amazonian countries other than Brazil in the 30-
month Master’s degree programme in Development
Planning for the Humid Tropics at the Center for
Advanced Amazonian Studies of the Federal University
of Para in Brazil.
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