Comunidad del pacífico en perspectiva - Volumen 2

THE ROLE OF THE UNIVERSITIES IN THE PACIFIC COMMUNITY Renagi R. Lohia lt lB in man's nature that each generation in lurn reflecls and inaugura– les change. But the character and pace of change are never constant, and there are limes when human needs demand that it proceed with unusual urgency. It i8 in such a time that we Uve; indeed. already. none of us U– ve any longer in the kind of world into which we were born. Nor any Univer8ity for that matter. And the rhythm. of change i5 actua11ly gaining momentum'. 1. INTRODUCTION Since the World War II national, regional and global communities have been concerned with appropriate development policies and strategies in the developing world. At each of these levels the challenge has been, especially in the 1970s, to improve and better the quality of life of the peoples of both the developing world and the developed world through regional and international coo– peration and understanding, and also through better and careful planning and exploitation of the existing available resources. This challenge is becoming difficult and more complex as na· tions and regions enforce their legal and traditional rights over the limited resources of the world. It seems that our existing theo des and strategies for development are proving to be inadequate for our needs today and tomonow. Workshops, seminars, conferences, polítical rhetorics and poli– cíes on development both at the national and regional Ievels are proving to be unproductive for the masses ol people. The end result in all these activities is that the gap between the North (the rich) and the South (the poor) is increasing. Inequalities among people and groups of people are increasing-keeping in pace with 'Shridath S. Ramphal. International cooperation and Development: The role of the Universities, p. 2. 206