しかし、グローバル化は同時に国や民族が伝統的に保持してきた文化や価値観の多様性を浮き彫りにさせています。宗教や価値観の相違が民族紛争を激化させ、平和構築を困難にしている面が出てきていることも事実です。「セプテンバー・イレブン」（2001年9月11日）後のテロリズムの根絶にむけた世界の取組みにも、異文化の障壁が一つの要因となって国際社会における平和の維持、人間の安全保障の実現をむしろ難しくしているという現実があります。

　日本もグローバル化が急速に進展するなかで、従来の考え方や社会慣行の変革を迫られていますが、内外意識の対立がグローバル化への対応を困難にしているように見えます。例えば、イラクへの自衛隊派遣についての見解の相違、難民や移民受け入れに対する抵抗感、コメ輸入自由化に対する感情などは、グローバル化の進展に伴う世界の価値観と日本の伝統的な価値観との温度差を象徴する事柄であると言ってもよいでしょう。

　このように、それぞれの固有の文化や価値観の多様性をアイデンティティとして尊重しながらも、いかに平和を追求し共生を実現して行くかは、日本にとってもまた国連システムにとっても大きなチャレンジです。情報革命によって、さらに身近に迫られる選択肢を、アイデンテイティを大切にしながらも、明日の平和構築のためにどう受止め対応して行くのか、青年としてグローバル化の現実を自分達はどう受止めていくべきなのか。大学のキャンパスにおいて、また職場において、文化の多様性を如何に生きるべきなのか。このセミナーの課題は、地球的問題であると同時に、私たち一人一人が日々真剣に取り組むことを求めていると言えます。

　セミナーでは日本、アジア、そして世界からの学者、研究者、政策担当者を講師陣に迎え、このような問題を参加者と一緒に考え、討議することを目的としています。

In the last decade of the 20th Century, globalization has dramatically accelerated in all aspects; in humans, goods, money, and information. Globalization reflected the end of the Cold War which led to intensified market liberalization and technological innovations. In addition to the globalization of market values, we have become increasingly aware of the needs for globalization of human values. Under the leadership of the United Nations system, various worldwide conferences and summits have been held, and through these developments, the consensus on various global issues has gradually been formulated. Such values include protection of humanity and human rights, the importance of a democratic process, alleviation of poverty, the need for sustainable development, environmental protection and interest in gender issues. These phenomena can be interpreted as the globalization of human values.

However, globalization has brought about issues such as diversity within traditional culture and values which have been long maintained by nations or ethnic groups. Ethnic conflicts have escalated, reflecting the differences between religion and values, making it more difficult to achieve world peace. After the worldwide efforts to fight terrorism after the "September 11th" incident, cultural diversity barriers are one of the reasons the international community is having difficulties in upholding peace and human security.

Within the rapid trend of globalization, Japan is also facing difficulties in changing the traditional ways of thinking and social practice; it appears that Japanese society is struggling with the conflicts between traditional and global mentality. Examples include: the recent split in views regarding sending the Japanese Self-Defense Forces to Iraq, sensitive feelings about acceptance of international refugees or immigrants, attitudes towards liberalizing import restrictions on rice. These issues can be looked at as a phenomenon in the discrepancy between global and Japanese traditional values.

In these ways, it is a challenge for both Japan and the United Nations System to make peace become a reality and for all of us to live together while keeping diversity in our culture and values as part of our identity. In the era of changes in the information revolution, we are facing all kinds of changes in our daily life. How can youth live in the reality of globalization without losing their own identity? How can you have cultural diversity in your daily campus life or business life? The theme of this Global Seminar has global implications which each one of us must tackle seriously.

At this seminar, we are planning to invite scholars, researchers and policy makers from within Japan, Asia and the world to hold discussions with the participants.