AC/UNU News Letter
January-February 2000

Content:

Thanks for Timely Response
UNU and Global Governance 
Mystery
Locum Tenens
Meeting
Distinctive Features of UNU work

Thanks for Timely Response

My mother’s an apple pie maker;
My father he fiddles for tin,
The Treasurer writes pleas  for the Council. Oh boy, how the money rolls in!

Since publishing our last Newsletter, the American Council has received donations from many Council members- almost enough to carry us through the year 2000.

Adelaide Schlafly, as we hope you already know, is and has been the biggest financial supporter of the American Council. We are much obliged and have few words that are expressive enough.

In addition to her support to the Council, Adelaide Schlafy has been a major contributor to UNU/INRA.
If we could grant honorary doctor’s degrees, Adelaide would be at the head of the list - Doctor of Generosity.


UNU and Global Governance 
On January 19 - 20 the United Nations University held a meeting at the Tokyo headquarters to discuss, “On the Threshold: The United Nations and Global Governance in the New Millennium.”
Council members had an insight into the deliberations by reading and commenting on the paper submitted by Jerry Glenn and Theodore Gordon on behalf of the Council. One member wrote, “I read the draft of your thought provoking paper. You have made such a superb coverage that there is little I can say.”
There follows what Jerry had to say. His report about the meeting.

REPORT FROM TOKYO - UNU Millennium Conference

Over 50 scholars went to Tokyo on January 19-21 to asses global change and identify implications for reform among the UN family. Ms. Louise Frechette, UN Deputy Secretary-general, addressed both the opening and closing public sessions which were attended by several hundred people. Seven or eight papers were given at each of four parallel one and half day closed sessions. The four sessions focused on human development, security, governance and environment. Each paper addressed some element of global change and some discussed implications for UN reform.

Andrew Mack, Director of the UN’s Strategic Planning Unit for the Secretary-General led the group on security and recommended greater early warning and preventive actions. Yasushi (former Under-Secretary-General), made a series of concrete UN reform suggestions:
1. limit the veto of the Security Council to issues of peace-keeping troops with no veto by the Secretary-General;
2. emergency sessions of the general Assembly should be called to resolve some Security Council conflicts;
3. small countries which can not afford dues, be given “associate member” status;
4. revive the UNESCO effort to create a universal history text;
5. new sources of income to the UN should be an airport tax and a tax on financial speculations;
6. create a formal G-8 relationship with the UN

See www.unu.edu for a full listing of the speakers and themes. Copies of papers are available from AC/UNU office.


 MYSTERY
In early January we received an ordinary looking envelope that contained an unusual message - at least we think there was a message somehow or somewhere. We have reproduced it full page in this letter to ask that you help. The entire management staff and the entire editorial staff have been studying the clues and arriving at different conclusions. The desire is, of course, to find out “who done it” or who is Ken?
Both staffs agree that Ken must be one of the following: JFL, WB, DPC, WAJ, JCG, or EF. Others are possible. Here are the clues as the staffs see them:
1. The envelope was the most common type with the address typed and well-centered.
2. The stamp was a 55 cent Valentine’s day issue. It was cancelled with wavy lines. The circular cancellation image to the left of the stamp was double stamped and therefore illegible except for two zip code numbers that look  like “20.” (Could a postal clerk be part of this mystery? Why a stamp and hand cancellation? Normally the postage would be machine printed on a thin  strip of paper and pasted on the envelope.)
3. There were nine coins enclosed - five came from Canada. The other four were from Mexico, France, Denmark, and the Bahamas. (The preponderance of Canadian coins certainly is a good clue and is the reason that EF is on the suspect list.)
4. The pound note indicates travel in the UK which could be recent or as old as the Queen.

Locum Tenens

No stethoscopes here - no white jackets - just a bunch of bright young students who are with the American Council and the Millennium Project to learn, to widen their visions and to get academic credit from their mother institution. As usually - a great bunch:

Eshani Wijesekera, a student at American University. She is working on the Asian implication of the fifteen challenges (see at end of this article) and science and technology in developing countries.

Christy Johnson, working on two pilot videos: “State of the Future” and “Mind’s Embrace of Time.” (I wonder what that means)

Choy Lin, a student at George Washington University. He is working with Christy on the same two videos.

Jonathan Bruegel from the UK. He has a PhD in Economics and is working on index/modeling.

Leyla Roshanian, a student at American University. She is working on Conflict Resolution.

MEETING

The Millennium Project of the AC/UNU has scheduled a Planning Committee Meeting for February 14th and 15th to be held in conference room MC7-W150 in the World Bank on1818 H Street, NW in Washington. Those chairing Nodes from many countries will be there to report on their previous year’s work, Highlights from interviews, and their objectives for this and the next few years. Initial suggestions from the project chairmen are:
1.Fill indicators with historic and projected data.
2. Create “State of the Future Index” and Model Node Millennium Symposiums.
3. Create video series.
4. Update Futures Research Methods CD-ROM V2.Complete first cut of Futures Matrix in URL
Council members have been invited to attend. Hope to see you there. It’s a whole new language and revelation to most of us.


DISTINCTIVE FEATURES OF UNU WORK

· Focus on core concerns of the UN.
· Intellectual objectivity and integrity.
· Synthesizes theory and practice for new insights and policy recommendations.
· Has a truly global perspective.
 


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