From: Paul Lefrere <lefrere@mac.com>
Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2008 08:52:48 +0100
To: "Takeshi Utsumi, Ph.D." <utsumi@columbia.edu>
Cc: Giorgio Da Bormida <dabormida@gltweb.com>,

<e.munjanganja@unevoc.unesco.org>, Tapio Varis <tapio.varis@uta.fi>,

Jocelyn Fenard <Jocelyn.fenard@unitar.org>
Subject: global summit in Abu Dhabi

Dear Tak

Through this mail, I should like to introduce you to Giorgio Da  
Bormida, the country manager of the Global Leadership Team (GLT) in  
Abu Dhabi. The GLT is working on behalf of the Crown Prince of Abu  
Dhabi and other government leaders, to organize global summits that  
show true leadership and visionary thinking.

The theme of their next summit is Future Capitals. I attach a  
brochure. Future Capitals means cities that already have - or could  
develop - the capabilities of a world capital of something that is  
not short-term and that can improve the quality of human life. An  
example would be a "capital of knowledge", or a capital of higher-
level human activities, such as: education, conservation, cultural  
heritage, design, ambience, innovation, tolerance, peace, wisdom.

Attendees at the summit will include potential sponsors of large  
education projects, say in the $tens to hundreds of millions in the  
first instance, also the mayors of cities that could be the base for  
regional centres for such projects. If that is interesting for you, I  
suggest strongly that you develop a proposal that can expand GUS, and  
complement other UN activities (eg in UNEVOC, in UNITAR, in UNDP), to  
help to reduce the causes of aggression in communities, such as  
violence that comes from the frustration of being unemployed. It  
would be great if your proposal could expand GUS and those other UN  
actions in ways that address the job-creation needs of youth around  
the world (think of the latest peace prize). Such a proposal should  
have a large theme at a regional level, to help in making it visible  
and easy to grasp, for example "Action for Africa", "Action for  
Brazil", likewise for China, India and other populous regions.

I have recommended to Giorgio that you should be invited to the  
summit to do two things:

- present your proposal in a special side meeting (if you have co-
authors, they should be there too)

- speak in open session about how cities can be connected through  
networks of networks to improve access to higher education and to  
vocational education, for example linking the Global University  
System GUS, and the UNESCO-UNEVOC networks run by Efison Munjanganja  
(he was with me at Tapio's SECL workshop last week).

It will help him to find a budget for you, if you can invite some  
senior people to your open session, to testify if needed to the great  
value of GUS. I know you have many suitable contacts.

My expectation is that a way will be found for Tapio to attend the  
summit as well as you. This becomes far easier if he is representing  
or accompanying the President of Finland, which may happen.

Best wishes

Paul