UTAH URI Meets with Dr. Noel Brown to Discuss New Possibilities for the U.N.
September 6th, 2005
On Sept 5, about 20 people from Utah URI met with Dr. Noel Brown to discuss possible new for the United Nations. Brief review follows.
Dr. David Randle,
September 5, 2005
About 20 people from Utah URI met with Dr. Noel Brown to discuss possible new for the United Nations.
Dr. Noel Brown, former director of the U.N. Environment Programme for North America and long time diplomat at the U.N. observed that more positive action is coming from the local level of cities than from national governments.
Dr. Brown suggested that perhaps it was time to convene a conference of Mayors to address the critical issues of our time that Nations at the U.N. are unwilling or unable to do.
Dr. Brown shared that he saw much hope for partnership with Civil Society groups such as URI and local Mayors on issues such as:
- climate change
- preservation of the Oceans
- peace initiatives
- better trade arrangements
- creating sustainable communities
The group also discussed some alternative possibilities to responses such as that of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans the role civil society and local governments in both preventing and responding to crisis, and how the U.N. might be revitalized or reinvented for the 21st century.