UNITAR Executive Director Carlos Lopes with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Training and research are important dimensions of any modern organization. For the United Nations, facing numerous challenges on a broad canvas of issues, the ability to provide in-depth independent and balanced research findings, as well as appropriate training and capacity development for its staff and for Member States, is indispensable. Currently the scope of the training and research institutes of the UN ranges from economic and social development to disarmament and security matters to gender issues to crime prevention and criminal justice.

In view of strengthening the learning network and maximizing the collective contributions to the United Nations system, the Secretary-General called for a historic meeting of Heads of the seven training and research institutes of the United Nations – INSTRAW, UNICRI, UNIDIR, UNITAR, UNRISD, UNSSC, and UNU - on 5-6 May 2009 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

The main discussion points relate to the administrative, finance and personnel adjustments required to fit the specificities of the Institutes; managing and sharing the considerable wealth of information and knowledge so as to develop innovative learning approaches and technologies based on current research, that is on demand by Member States; and increasing the profile and policy relevance of the UN training and research institutes within the UN system.

This first meeting is an opportunity for the UN training and research institutes to think about their contribution to the current debate on how the world must address the current global economic crisis, and on its impact on learning, training and staff development measures within the UN system.