Pardee Center Director Speaks on UN and Critical Global Challenges

Prof. Adil Najam, Director of the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future at Boston University, was one of two speakers at a seminar on "Positioning the United Nations to Manage Critical Global Challenges Amidst Changing World Politics" organized by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and the Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies.

This particular seminar focused on ‘Food and Water Security and Increasing Potential for Conflicts over Resources.’ In addition to Prof. Najam, the seminar was addressed by Michael Klare of Hampshire College. The seminar was attended by a variety of UN officials, scholars and practitioners working on issues related to global governance.

In his remarks Prof. Najam built on the findings of the Pardee Center’s Project on Food and Development. He argued that food needs to be viewed not just as an access problem but as a governance challenge. In addition he noted that food is linked to a host of other important challenges and we need to look at the connection amongst key issues rather than just at one issue at a time. Prof. Najam also emphasized upon the need to reconsider the meaning of ‘security’ and to focus on aspects of human security far more than just state security.