United Nations University
UNU Interactive Seminar on Global Issues Management of Local Commons in the Age of Globalization

DATE: 29 March 2013 (Friday) from 13:00PM to 14:30PM

Venue: Elizabeth Rose Hall, UN University Headquarters ( http://unu.edu/about/contact-us#location ), Tokyo

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http://unu-mc.org/civicrm/event/register?id=127&reset=1
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The United Nations University is pleased to invite you to the UNU Interactive Seminar on Global Issues session "Management of Local Commons in the Age of Globalization" on 29 March 2013.

Presenters: Takeshi Murota and Yoshio Takatsu

Globalization has completely transformed our institutions and our way of life, posing difficult new challenges in communities across the world. In this interactive seminar we focus on one challenge in
particular: managing common-pool resources for sustainable environmental governance.

Common-pool resources can provide an axis of resistance to environmental devastation and social inequality, while also creating a sustainable future for local communities and the society at large. Of course, with such a complicated issue, many questions need to be addressed. What exactly is a commons, and how far does it extend? How are ownership of nature and usage rights determined? How can we prevent excessive extraction and consumption? What role do local communities play in resource management? And how can we ensure equitable and fair use with such a complex ecosystem of resources?

In this seminar, Takeshi Murota, co-editor of the recently published UNU Press book Local Commons and Democratic Environmental Governance ( http://unu.edu/publications/books/local-commons-and-dem
ocratic-environmental-governance.html#overview ), and Yoshio Takatsu, Associate Professor, Department of Regional Promotion, Nara Prefectural University will help us answer these timely questions. They will argue that the key to governing our shared environment, amidst the rising tide of globalization, is to integrate open and closed commons by synthesizing a new type of democracy from multilevel governance structures around the world.

Following the lecture will be discussant comments by Erling Berge, Professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Spatial Planning/Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, and former President of the International Association for the Study of the Commons.

The seminar will be followed by a general discussion among the speakers and audience. The event will be conducted in English.
Attendance is free and open to all with prior registration.
Registration closes on 28 March 2013. Please note that parking at UNU is not available.

For further information on this event, visit the link below or register using the button:
http://unu.edu/events/upcoming/unu-isgi-xviii.html#over
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We very much look forward to welcoming you to this important event.

United Nations University
53-70, Jingumae 5-chome
Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-8925