UNTIAR is pleased to invite you for a lecture on

 

followed by panel and plenary discussion

 

 

A great untold story of our time is the large-scale privatization and abuse of dozens of resources that we collectively own—our “commons”. While the term “commons” has been in use for centuries, the term is being resurrected by diverse constituencies as a way to name, reclaim and manage the collective natural and cultural inheritance of humankind upon which life depends. Present-day “enclosures of the commons” are privatizing and commodifying such shared assets as public lands, the broadcast airwaves, the Internet, the public domain of knowledge and creativity, publicly funded medicines, and even our genes.  Often barely noticed or discussed, huge public value is expropriated for private profit.

 

David Bollier, an independent public policy strategist, journalist, activist and adviser, argues that the balance between the public, private, and commons domains is seriously out of sync and that a new “commons sector” must arise to safeguard and steward invaluable common resources. Fortunately, a variety of constructive governance alternatives and social systems are being developed at local, regional and world levels.

 

Please note that the venue has limited seating capacity.