CIFAL City of London

UNITAR

CIFAL City of London is part of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). It is the 25th international training and research centre of the CIFAL Global Network and is the only centre in the United Kingdom.

Our Vision

CIFAL City of London aspires to build capacity in the maritime sector to create a sustainable future whilst working towards the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015.

Our Mission

CIFAL City of London's mission is to:

offer training opportunities.
exchange best practices, tools and strategies in partnership with local, regional, and international authorities and organisations including the private sector and civil society.
support the improvement of decision-making processes through the leadership of the implementation of innovative solutions that strengthen the capacity to address sustainable development at the local level;
support the improvement of leadership ability to make decisions and develop innovations which encourage sustainable development which in turn will facilitate the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda.

Thematic Areas

The capacity development activities will focus on the following areas:

Economic development
Social inclusion
Gender equality
Environmental sustainability
Maritime-related affairs.

CIFAL City of London will aim to support existing activities, develop new activities through the organisation and hosting of the following types of activities on a bespoke basis or in partnership:

Face-to-face or online training sessions related to the established areas in the Thematic Areas above
National, regional, and international events related to the role of local authorities to achieve global sustainable development goals at the local level.
Knowledge sharing and technical support to UNITAR, other CIFAL Centers of the CIFAL Network; and
Visits of international delegations

Indicative Topics:

Improvement of the quality of life
Strengthening of conviviality and prevention of radicalization
Strategic planning
Maritime-related affairs for development

CIFAL City of London Director

Prof. Başak Akdemir

Prof. Başak Akdemir

Professor Başak Akdemir is the Chief Executive of MLA College, Executive Director of CIFAL City of London and a Fellow of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research. CIFAL City of London and MLA College work together to make positive changes in the world of sustainability.

She has worked within the maritime industry and academia, served as the managing partner of a ship-owning company and acted as a Board Member of the Turkish Chamber of Shipping and a member of the Board of Governors at Piri Reis University. She is a board of trustee member of the Turkish Maritime Education Foundation.

Professor Akdemir was awarded a PhD from De Montfort University with the thesis "Improving Supply Forecasting within the Shipping Industry"; the forecasting model developed in this programme of study made use of neural networks and employed novel methods to identify sudden changes in the market. It provided a mechanism of corrective action when the fluctuations in the market were considered excessive.