UN and Culture 1 & 2 Seminar Series


Takashi Izutsu
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Komaba Organization for Educational Excellence Project Associate Professor
As the UNESCO Constitution states that ¡°since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed,¡± the international community has started to look to emotional well-being as a possible new key indicator, which could be added to traditional indicators such as GDP, mortality ratio, etc. Since emotional well-being is closely connected with culture and the arts, these neglected but key aspects are discussed. This seminar series invites guest speakers from the UN, MOFA, the art community, and others, and discusses the work of international organizations including those related to SDGs, and develops recommendations for the future. Selected students take intensive lectures from UN staff at the UN Headquarters in New York in every summer.