New York, USA. The Government of Malaysia is the first to contribute to the newly established Fellowship Fund created by the main training vehicle of the UN, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). A symbolic and timely gesture, in support of South-South cooperation, this contribution will ensure access of diplomats from least developed and developing countries to Core Diplomatic Training courses (CDT).
Since 1965, UNITAR implements a comprehensive training curriculum for diplomats in New York, Geneva and elsewhere on topics ranging from informational sessions on the main UN bodies, workshops on election procedures, or UN reform to courses on negotiation, resolution drafting and public speaking at the UN.
Under the new business model rolled out by the Institute in 2011, which is based on a cost-recovery fee-based system, a Fellowship Fund has been established to ensure that diplomats from least developed and developing countries can continue to partake in UNITAR’s training curriculum.
The first contribution by Malaysia to the Fellowship Fund is expected to incite other donors to follow suit. “Our first motivation in sourcing the UNITAR Fellowship Fund was to show our commitment to supporting continued learning and education within the UN context for more effective multilateral negotiations, and in this context, to making sure that diplomats from developing and least developed countries can benefit from UNITAR courses”, stated Ambassador Hamidon Ali, the Permanent Representative of Malaysia to the United Nations in New York.
The call for contributions to the Fellowship Fund is open, and any and all further pledges are welcome!
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More information on the UNITAR Fellowship Fund and a list of all New York/Geneva Core Diplomatic Training courses offerings is available on: http://www.unitar.org/mdp/cdt
UNITAR’s on-line training catalogue is available on: http://www.unitar.org/event/cdt
Contact:
Mr. David Koschel, Officer-in-Charge, UNITAR New York Office, tel: +1 212 963 9683
Mr. Rabih El-Haddad, Manager, Multilateral Diplomacy Programme, UNITAR HQ in Geneva, Switzerland, tel: +41 22 917 8640