26 July 2013, Geneva, Switzerland - Member states of the UN Economic and Social Council adopted today a resolution that recognises “the pursuit by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research of innovation in the field of training and capacity development, its continued effort to improve the high-quality and effectiveness of its output”. The resolution, which comes as a positive reaction to the UNITAR report to ECOSOC on the recent successes of the Institute, calls also on the Secretary-General to inform member states about the consultations on ”the proposed consolidation of some United Nations entities dedicated to research, training and knowledge services”.
In introducing the Secretary-General report on UNITAR, Sally Fegan-Wyles, Assistant Secretary-General and UNITAR Acting Head and Executive Director, underlined that over the 2010 to 2011 biennium the Institute strengthened the capacity of more than 50,000 beneficiaries through targeted training and research in over 185 Member States, with 70 per cent in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Caribbean countries. Particular advancements were noted in the fields of E-Learning, the multiplier effects of training and knowledge-sharing seminars, and the geospatial analysis output of UNOSAT.
The report has been prepared in pursuance of Economic and Social and coincides with the conclusion of the UNITAR 2010-2012 strategic plan. One of the objectives of the Plan was to increase the outreach to beneficiaries. Today virtually the entire United Nations membership has benefited from UNITAR training and training-related services, while UN agencies and programmes and parts of the UN Secretariat continue to request and benefit from UNOSAT satellite technology services. The number of training and knowledge sharing events has also increased, with close to 400 events organized annually and increased e-learning opportunities. In addition UNITAR plays special attention to products designed to enhance the capabilities of learning centres in developing countries.
Never before in the Institute’s 50-year history has programming been so diversified, with new courses and other training events relating to peace, security and diplomacy; the environment, human mobility, local development and public finance and trade, technology and geospatial analysis. In the reporting period, 95 per cent of respondents to post-training questionnaires have agreed or strongly agreeing that events were useful overall.
Photo (UNITAR): Sally Fegan-Wyles introduces the report before membe states delegations at ECOSOC.
Below: the number of satisfied beneficiaries has increase substantially in the pas biennium.