United Nations Training and Research Institute

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Training and research institute of the United Nations
United Nations Institute for Training and Research

logo
Organization type UN institute
Abbreviation UNITAR
management IndiaIndia Nikhil Seth
(United Nations Assistant Secretary-General, Executive Director, UNITAR)
status active
Founded 1963
Headquarters Geneva , SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland 
Upper organization United NationsU.N. United Nations
www.unitar.org

The training and research institute of the United Nations ( English United Nations Institute for Training and Research , abbreviated UNITAR ; French Institute des Nations Unies pour la formation et la recherche ) is a 1963 founded the Institute autonomous United Nations . Its aim is to increase the effectiveness of the United Nations through training and research activities. The institute's target groups are UN delegates and others who develop global norms, strategies and programs, as well as the local actors who put global decisions into practice. A main focus is on the education and training of peopleDeveloping countries . UNITAR conducts almost 500 training and research activities annually. The institute is managed in trust by an international Board of Trustees ; at its head is an executive director.

Today the headquarters are in Geneva ( Switzerland ) in the Palais des Nations , but the organization's office buildings are located outside the Geneva city limits in the Châteleine district of the Vernier municipality in the Maison Internationale de l'Environnement (International Environment House), with further offices in New York and Hiroshima .

The working language is mainly English. Communication with partners and training events also take place in other languages.

  • 15 affiliated training centers worldwide ( CIFAL Global Network ; as of 2018)
  • 100 employees (as of 2016)
  • Total budget: 47.1 million US dollars for 2016-2017 (biennial budget)

activity

The institute organizes courses, seminars and workshops as training and further education measures. The courses are held either as face-to-face seminars or increasingly as online courses; In 2016, 28% of the offer was carried out via e-learning . The institute's employees themselves compile materials, if necessary; external experts are employed as lecturers for the respective topics. At some of the events, the institute works together with local partners; some courses are also organized specifically at the request of partners.

The events are aimed primarily at government personnel, UN delegates, diplomats and local actors in developing countries. The main topics are diplomacy and peace , environmental law , financial management and negotiations, disposal of chemical waste, climate change and other environmental protection issues.

By the end of 1998, more than 36,000 participants from around 180 countries had taken part in events organized by the United Nations Training and Research Institute. Since then, the number has increased by several thousand participants, as online courses can now reach a larger audience with little additional cost. In 2014 alone, the institute organized almost 500 different (face-to-face and online) training and research activities with a total of almost 36,000 participants, and the trend is rising.

UNOSAT logo

The institute runs the UNOSAT (UNITAR Operational Satellite Applications Program) program together with the project office of the United Nations Development Program . This satellite observation program provides and evaluates satellite photos for disaster relief. Project partners are ESA , CNES (France), CERN , the French and Norwegian foreign ministries and private companies such as EUSI . UNOSAT is based at CERN in Geneva.

Thematic work areas

UNITAR's work is divided into five work areas:

Strengthening multilateralism

In an increasingly globalized world, the importance of multilateral dialogue and cooperation is increasing. Knowledge and know-how about practices, strategies and procedures in the multilateral working environment and the working environment within the United Nations, as well as current topics relating to diplomacy, are imparted.

Promotion of economic development and social inclusion

In order to grow sustainably and to achieve internationally decided goals, developing countries must understand the effects of current and future challenges holistically. However, many countries are insufficiently equipped to develop, implement and monitor intact development strategies. UNITAR strengthens countries in this area with various offers.

Promotion of environmental sustainability and green development

The institute offers solutions to overcome environmental challenges and promote low coal consumption. In order to promote ecological sustainability, the institute works with other organizations, countries and partners of the United Nations.

Promoting Sustainable Peace

The peaceful resolution of conflicts and the maintenance of international peace and security are fundamental goals for which the United Nations was founded. For this there is the Peacemaking and Conflict Prevention (PMCP) program.

For peace missions there are offers as part of the Peacekeeping Training Program .

Research and Technological Applications

This work area includes the majority of the institute's research activities in the field of technological applications and innovations. UNITAR has a center for the analysis of satellite images and data ( UNOSAT ), which is stationed at CERN . In addition, the institute examines training methods and tools that simplify access to information and knowledge.

history

End of 1962 asked the General Assembly of the United Nations to the United Nations Secretary General to consider whether the creation of a training and research institute of the United Nations desirable and is feasible. The institute was to be funded by voluntary private and public funds (the Netherlands had already committed $ 1 million ). The institute should train personnel, especially from developing countries, for missions at the United Nations - both for administrative and operational tasks, at headquarters and in field missions - as well as for national tasks and conduct research and seminars on the operations of the United Nations and specialized organizations.

On December 11, 1963, the General Assembly passed resolution 1934 (XVIII) calling on the Secretary-General to establish a corresponding training and research institute. Two years later, the General Assembly confirmed the creation of the institute, which has now been given its final English name, and spoke out in favor of the institute starting its work this year. At the same time, other donors were asked for financial support and annual reports from the institute's director to the general assembly were requested.

The United Nations Training and Research Institute was in fact founded in 1965 and grew to about 300 employees in the decades that followed in the late 1980s or early 1990s. A branch office was opened in Geneva.

Due to efficiency problems and debts, the institute was restructured in accordance with resolution 47/227 of the General Assembly of April 8, 1993: the previous headquarters in New York were closed, the New York building was sold for debt settlement and the institute was reduced to the previous branch in Geneva. The management there (1992–2007: Marcel Boisard) took over the management of the entire institute. At the same time, research activity was cut back sharply and largely restricted to subjects that directly serve education. Since then, the focus has been on training.

An office was soon reopened in New York, which serves as a liaison office to the headquarters of the United Nations and only offers training events to a very limited extent - especially introductions to the UN system for new UN diplomats in New York. In 2001 a pilot project was started in partnership with Hiroshima Prefecture (Japan), which led to the opening of an office of the Education and Research Institute in Hiroshima in 2003; the office organizes courses in Asia and the Pacific. Since 2006 there has been another branch in Port Harcourt ( Niger Delta ) in Nigeria, which largely specializes in seminars for the Nigerian oil industry.

Since the restructuring, the training and research institute has grown both in the number of employees and in its projects: the number of training events increased from around 40 to around 150 between 1991 and 2003. At the same time, the number of participants increased from around 2,000 to 10,000 between 1991 and 2004, with the support of online courses in some subject areas.

At the beginning of 2007, Carlos Lopes replaced the previous Executive Director Boisard at the head of the organization. He is pursuing plans to strengthen the research area in addition to the current training courses. In September 2012, Sally Fegan-Wyles from Ireland replaced Carlos Lopes as Managing Director. She initiated the restructuring of the work areas into today's five subject areas. The Indian Nikhil Seth has been the head of UNITAR since 2015.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. unitar.org
  2. unitar.org
  3. 2016: 456 unitar.org
  4. CIFAL Global Network . unitar.org, accessed on September 10, 2018.
  5. a b Factsheet 2016: UNITAR at a Glance . unitar.org, accessed on September 10, 2018 (PDF; 332 kB; English).
  6. unitar.org
  7. (9/1/2003) UNITAR. United Nations Institute for Training and Research. ( Memento of February 27, 2005 in the Internet Archive ) on the website of the World Association of Industrial and Technological Research Organizations (WAITRO) (accessed September 30, 2007).
  8. a b UNITAR - Hiroshima Office for Asia and the Pacific (HOAP). Pilot phase 2001-2003 ( Memento from August 10, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) (accessed October 2, 2007)
  9. unitar.org
  10. unitar.org
  11. a b Resolution of December 18, 1962: 1827 (XVII). United Nations training and research institute  ( page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; accessed October 2, 2007)@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / daccessdds.un.org  
  12. ^ Resolution of December 11, 1963: 1934 (XVIII). United Nations training and research institute  ( page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English; accessed October 2, 2007)@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / daccessdds.un.org  
  13. ^ Resolution of December 8, 1965: 2044 (XX). United Nations Institute for Training and Research  ( page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English; accessed October 2, 2007)@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / daccessdds.un.org  
  14. a b Resolution of December 21, 1993: 48/207. United Nations Institute for Training and Research  ( page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; accessed October 2, 2007)@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / daccessdds.un.org  

Coordinates: 46 ° 12 '47.8 "  N , 6 ° 6' 40.2"  E ; CH1903:  497562  /  one hundred and eighteen thousand eight hundred and fifty