United Nations Institute for Training and Research |
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|---|---|
| Org type | UN Institute |
| Acronyms | UNITAR |
| Head |
Executive Director
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| Status | Active |
| Established | 1965 |
| Headquarters | Geneva |
| Website | www.unitar.org |
The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) was established in 1965 following a UN General Assembly resolution "for the training of personnel, particularly from developing Member States, for administrative and operational assignments with the United Nations and the specialized agencies, both at Headquarters and in field operations, and for national service" as well as for "research and seminars on operations of the United Nations and the specialized agencies".
An autonomous body within the UN system, UNITAR is governed by a Board of Trustees whose members are appointed by the UN Secretary-General, and led by the Executive Director, also appointed by the Secretary-General. The Institute is supported by voluntary contributions from governments, intergovernmental organizations, foundations and the private sector.
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The Institute provides short-term executive training to national and local government officials of UN Member States and civil society representatives from around the world. UNITAR strives to respond to the growing demand from UN Member States, especially the least developed countries, for capacity development in the fields of Environment; Peace, Security and Diplomacy; and Governance. Through The Hague Fellowship, held annually at International Court of Justice, UNITAR provides government officials with training courses on international law and through its programme on operational satellite applications (UNOSAT) the institute provides satellite imagery and analysis.
UNITAR helps governments to understand climate change, chemicals and waste management, and biodiversity. The Institute also assists ministries of finance through its courses on public debt management, finance and trade. Since 2003 UNITAR provides courses to support municipal and regional leaders dealing with complex public policies.
Another task of the Institute is to organize meetings for the UN Secretary-General, including the annual retreat of the Secretary-General and UN top officials, the annual retreat of Special Representatives of the Secretary-General as well as strategic meetings for UN Departments. UNITAR also spearheads UN inter-agency initiatives such as the one UN Learning platform on Climate Change or the Global Migration Group.
UNITAR has training expertise in multilateral diplomacy, international law and human rights, conflict prevention and peacemaking, peacekeeping, adaptation to climate change, environmental governance, chemicals and waste management, local governance, international migration, as well as public finance and trade. UNITAR also serves as a research centre for knowledge systems innovation (KSI) and application of satellite imagery to humanitarian, conflict or disaster situations, through UNOSAT, the Operational Satellite Applications Programme.
UNITAR’s environmental training activities focus around four areas: Chemicals and Waste Management; Climate Change; Environmental Governance; Biodiversity.
Peace, Security and Diplomacy programmes enhance the capacity of Member States to support the United Nations in meeting its goals and objectives in these areas and include: International Law (with a specific focus on international environmental law); Multilateral Diplomacy; Peacekeeping; Peacemaking and Conflict Prevention.
Governance programmes contribute to achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) poverty reduction and governance agenda through developing the capacities of public and private sector officials to address governance issues. Thematic focal areas are: e-Governance, Local Development, and Public Finance and Trade.
KSI works to capture content from multiple sources, and transforming the content into learning products. Its focal areas include: knowledge systems and their practical application (focusing on methodologies particularly relevant for lifelong learning); new technologies (focusing on their use in training and learning); and technology enhanced learning.
UNOSAT is a programme developed in co-operation with the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)[1] delivering satellite solutions to relief and development organizations within and outside the UN system to help make a difference in the life of communities exposed to poverty, hazards and risk, or affected by humanitarian and other crises. Its focal areas include: satellite imagery search and procurement assistance, image processing; map production including information extraction and analysis; research and methodology (design and guidance); field and remote technical assistance, including strategic consulting.
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