6 December 2021, Geneva, Switzerland - UNITAR signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the European Academy of Diplomacy (EAD) at the UNITAR Headquarters in Geneva, to inaugurate the start of a new collaboration in the field of Multilateral Diplomacy.

Present at the signing were Mr. Nikhil Seth, Executive Director of UNITAR and United Nations Assistant Secretary-General; Ms. Natalia Czajkowska, Director of EAD; Mr. Rabih El Haddad, Director of UNITAR’s Division for Multilateral Diplomacy; along with a delegation of colleagues from the Division for Multilateral Diplomacy.

The MoU signing ceremony marks the beginning of a promising collaboration between the two institutes, which share a common mission of overcoming global challenges through the development and delivery of high-quality learning solutions. It expresses the desire to create a milieu for networking, exchanging ideas, and skills training to shape a new generation of enlightened future international leaders. Given the commonalities and synergies between UNITAR and EAD, many key priority areas of mutual collaboration were identified during the ceremony. Some of these include collaborating on the development of future professional skills and focusing on fields such as digital diplomacy, international security, and the functioning of international organizations.

One of the central aspects of the MoU was youth engagement and the youth’s potential impact on the world of tomorrow. UNITAR and EAD’s initiatives for this specific audience aim to develop young participants’ skills, paying specific attention to inclusive methodologies. Both institutes desire to offer them the opportunity to become acquainted with multilateral environments and access to key decision-makers and influential personalities of the field. This only scratches the surface of the potential achievements released by this targeted partnership. By leveraging both institutes’ capacities and extensive networks, this collaboration will have a significant array of expertise to develop the knowledge and preparedness of future leaders. On behalf of UNITAR, Mr. Seth and Mr. El Haddad thanked the new partner and stated positive anticipation at this new cooperation between UNITAR and EAD.