Call for Papers: 2nd Yale - UNITAR Global Conference on Environmental Governance and Democracy

The 2^nd Yale - UNITAR Global Conference on Environmental Governance and Democracy will take place at Yale University, New Haven, USA from 17-19 September 2010.

Focusing on the theme of Strengthening Institutions to Address Climate Change and Advance a Green Economy, the event will take stock of and examine the role of institutional structures and decision-making procedures in fostering (or impeding) low carbon and climate resilient development. Papers and discussions will cover various levels of governance (i.e. global, regional, transnational, national, sub-national, and local) as well as specialized governance topics, including governance of climate change science, financing and forestry. Anticipated outcomes of the conference include a research agenda and enhanced knowledge sharing to better understand the openness, transparency, accountability and effectiveness of institutions engaged in action to address climate change. Scholars and experts are invited to submit abstracts for proposed papers by 15 May 2010. Those wishing to attend as participants must express an interest by 15 June 2010. Information about the application process is available at http://www.unitar.org/egp.

Conference Themes

The conference will address a number of specific themes, grouped within two clusters. The first cluster is concerned with different levels of governance and the linkages among them. The second cluster deals with specialized topics, including governance of climate change science, financing and forestry.

Submission of Abstracts

Scholars and experts are invited to submit abstracts of 400-500 words for conference papers. Abstracts may either feature a case study that covers a specific topic under one of the conference themes. Or, they may introduce a discussion paper that provides a state-of-the-art theoretical or empirical analysis that addresses a specific question, or group of questions covered by the conference. The final Conference Program will be developed in July 2010 following a review of the abstracts. The Program will include a combination of plenary presentations, panel discussions and working groups.

The application deadline for submitting an abstract for a paper is 15 May 2010.  For further information on how to access the online application process and submit an abstract, please visit http://www.unitar.org/egp. A number of authors will be invited to prepare a full conference paper of about 15 pages. Authors will be notified by mid-June. All invited papers (about 50-60 in total) will be included in the conference proceedings. Taking into account the time available on the conference schedule, 20-30 authors will be invited to present a synopsis of their paper on a panel within the official program. It is planned to publish a book featuring selected papers from the conference.

Participant Application and Conference Fee

About 150 participants with diverse backgrounds and affiliations from around the world are expected to participate in the conference. Given limited space, interested persons are invited to express an interest to participate in the conference by completing an online application by 15 June 2010 through http://www.unitar.org/egp. Applicants will be notified by mid-July 2010 if their application to participate has been accepted. Criteria for selection include regional coverage, ensuring a balance of scholars, policy makers and experts, and timely expression of interest.

More information:

Yale Center for Environmental
Law and Policy
301 Prospect Street
New Haven, CT 06511
USA
T: +1-203-432-6065
F: +1-203-432-0237
Email: envgov@yale.edu
http://www.yale.edu/envirocenter 

UNITAR
Environmental Governance Programme
Palais des Nations
1211 Geneva 10
Switzerland
T:  +41 22 917 8525
F: + 41 22 917 8047
Email: envgov@unitar.org
http://www.unitar.org/egp