On 15 February 2023, UNU will host “The UN — Past, Present, and Future”, a conversation with Dr David M. Malone, Rector of the United Nations University and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations. This event will start at 18:30 in the 1F Annex Space at UNU Headquarters in Tokyo.
Since beginning his UNU Rectorship in 2013, David Malone has led a realignment of the University’s work to be more responsive to, and engaged with, the policy needs of the UN and its Member States. But throughout that same decade, the UN itself has undergone a significant evolution to guide implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and meet unprecedented peace and security challenges.
Japan, as a committed host of UNU and a vital UN Member State, has been a key partner throughout this process of change. During the same period, Japan has reshaped its approach to domestic, regional, and global issues. Japan’s international profile has changed more than many Japanese realize, as the media in Japan is fairly Japan-centric, with some notable exceptions.
UNU Rector David M. Malone will join Ms Kaoru Nemoto, Director of the United Nations Information Center (UNIC) Tokyo, for a conversation exploring the past decade of change at UNU and the UN, how Japan’s trajectory has influenced and coincided with that change, and what this could mean for the future of the UN System. The discussion will also highlight UNU’s position within the UN system as a postgraduate research and education institution with experts and students throughout the world, including in Tokyo, and how UNU’s position is a distinct asset for policymakers.
The UNU Conversation Series aims to foster audience participation; you are encouraged to engage with the speakers during the conversation and at the reception that will follow, where all event attendees are invited to enjoy hors d’oeuvres and drinks while exchanging ideas and making new contacts.
Please note that this event will be in English. Advance registration (by 14 February) is required. Please click on the REGISTER button above to access the online registration page.
Please also note that entry into the venue will not be allowed after 18:45. Additionally, please be prepared to present identification at check-in.
About the speaker
Prior to joining the United Nations University on 1 March 2013, Dr David M. Malone served (2008–2013) as President of Canada’s International Development Research Centre, a funding agency supporting policy-relevant research in the developing world.
Dr Malone had earlier served as Canada’s Representative to the UN Economic and Social Council and as Ambassador to the United Nations (1990–1994); as Director General of the Policy, International Organizations and Global Issues Bureaus within Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT, 1994–1998); and as President of the International Peace Academy (now International Peace Institute), a New York-based independent research and policy development institution (1998–2004). He oversaw Canada’s economic and multilateral diplomacy within DFAIT (2004–2006) and served as Canada’s High Commissioner to India and non-resident Ambassador to Bhutan and Nepal (2006–2008).
Dr Malone also has held research posts in the Economic Studies Program, Brookings Institution; Massey College, University of Toronto; and Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University. He has been a Guest Scholar and Adjunct Professor at Columbia University, and an Adjunct Professor at the New York University School of Law, where he is currently a Senior Fellow.
He holds a degree from l’École des Hautes Études Commerciales (Montreal); studied at the American University of Cairo; holds an MPA from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government; and earned a DPhil in International Relations from Oxford University.
Dr Malone has published extensively, in both academic and lighter veins. His latest books are Mega-regulation Contested: Global Economic Ordering After TPP (co-edited 2019, OUP); The Oxford Handbook of UN Treaties, (co-editor; 2019, OUP); and The Oxford Handbook of Higher Education in the Asia-Pacific Region (OUP).
In summer 2017, Dr Malone was reappointed for a second term as UNU Rector (2018–2023).
