05 May 2023, Geneva, Switzerland – UNITAR and Arrowad for Building Values, part of the Arrowad International Group, have announced the launch of their joint initiative, the Value-Based Leadership Programme.  

UNITAR and the Arrowad Group have joined forces to create a unique training programme that focuses on the importance of individual, societal, and cultural value systems, and how embracing these values can impact the success and sustainable growth of organisations in today’s globalized and multicultural world. The Arrowad Group is notably the first Arab private-sector company to partner with the United Nations in the field of value-based leadership training.  

To launch this new and innovative training programme, on 01 May 2023, UNITAR and Arrowad hosted a High-Level Panel on “Value-Based Leadership in a Multi-crisis World” that focused on the importance of value-based leadership in the current global context. The event was held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva and was attended by over 60 distinguished guests, which included several country representatives and senior officials of various international organizations and humanitarian initiatives. 

Mr Nikhil Seth, UNITAR’s Executive Director, lauded the new training programme as being both important and timely, noting that pervasive global crises such as Covid-19, climate change, and political tensions have stressed the need for value-based leadership skills, such as respect, altruism, and integrity, to respond to today’s issues and lead our communities forward. 

Dr Saad Ibrahim Al-Khalaf, Founding Partner and Vice President of the Arrowad Group, also expressed the need for international partnership and value-based leadership in ensuring the continued success and sustainable growth of Saudi Arabia on the world stage. Dr Al-Khalaf praised the concerted efforts and capabilities of his countrymen and the partnership with UNITAR in paving the way towards the realization of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 based on embracing universal value systems.  

The event had the honour of hosting H.E. Mansour bin Hilal Al Mushaiti, Vice Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Dr Ghazi Binzagr, member of the Shura Council of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as eminent guests and keynote speakers.  

UNITAR and Arrowad also welcomed Ms Maria Edera Spadoni, Ms Stela Koleva, Dr Christian Haerpfer, and Dr Neil Hawkes as expert panellists.  

The Value-Based Leadership Programme was officially launched following speeches by Ms Anna Sabrina Wollmann, Training Assistant at UNITAR, and Dr Asif Chowdhury, Corporate Values Officer of the Arrowad Group.  

Set to begin in the third quarter of 2023, the Value-Based Leadership Programme will provide essential value-based leadership skills to a staff of international, intergovernmental, and non-governmental organisations; diplomats; government officials; and private sector professionals. The programme will be taught by qualified facilitators over the space of ten dynamic and engaging courses.  

UNITAR and Arrowad welcome participants to enrol in the training programme and learn more about the importance of value-based leadership in guiding organisations through a multi-crisis world.