The following programmes are developed in collaboration with the Office of the President of the General Assembly:

1. UNITAR President of the General Assembly Fellowship Programme
2. 78th United Nations General Assembly and the Main Committees
3. Transition workshop for the Staff of the office of the President of the General Assembly

To promote youth engagement in multilateralism and support the next generation of diplomats, particularly those from underrepresented countries at the United Nations, the 78th President of the General Assembly (PGA) decided to continue the “PGA Fellowship” for a second year, which brings young diplomats/civil servants to the UNHQ in New York. For the 2023 cycle, the Fellowship will cater to six individuals. The PGA Fellowship is structured to overcome the shortfalls of traditional short-term training by providing Fellows with the unique opportunity to gain in-depth real-world UN experience, and relevant training, and to build relationships that will serve them over the course of their careers. In the long term, the PGA Fellowship will help train and build the capacity and networks of the next generation of diplomats early in their careers, helping them become more effective and successful representatives and officers for their governments and advocates for the multilateral system.

Objective 

The overall objective of this programme is to build the capacity of young diplomats, under the umbrella of the PGA Fellowship Programme.

Workplan 

UNITAR NYO will undertake a training programme to build the Fellows’ diplomatic skills and to build their substantive knowledge of various issues, like the United Nations System and global issues (e.g. Climate Change and The SDGs and the 2030 Agenda). Fellows will also be provided with the opportunity of internships within the PGA office and their Permanent Missions to further build their networks and to provide them with richer exposure to the inner workings of the UN system. This training will be implemented as a component of the PGA Fellowship. 

Recruitment and Selection of Fellows 

The selection process will aim to achieve gender balance, balance in regional representation and selection of candidates from member states and observers underrepresented in the UN system, such as SIDS, LDCs and LLDCs and Africa. Fellows should be junior diplomats or early career government officials who would benefit from in-depth exposure to the work of their Mission, the UN system and the PGA Fellows will have the opportunity to witness first-hand the effectiveness of multilateralism and the inner workings of the work of the OPGA. Nominees for Fellows should meet the following criteria: bachelor's or master’s degree in diplomacy, development, international relations, sustainable development, human rights or other relevant disciplines; under 32 years of age at the time of application to the Fellowship; minimum of 1-year government experience, maximum 3 years of work experience; and functional written and spoken English required and knowledge of an additional official UN language preferred.

A large number of new delegates come from their respective capitals. Before taking up their assignments, new delegates in particular may benefit greatly from a concise and intensive learning exercise focused on the functions of the General Assembly. UNITAR’s General Briefing for new delegates, which attracts hundreds of participants annually, offers this opportunity. In addition to the Briefing on the Work of the General Assembly, the course will provide panels on the work of all six main Committees of the General Assembly. The panels serve to familiarize delegates with the subject area discussed in each Committee and to provide information on important achievements and resolutions from former sessions. Participants will also learn about the special dynamics and working methods of each Committee.

Key Objectives

• Describe the functions and powers of the General Assembly;
• Determine the role of the President of the General Assembly;
• Address its subsidiary organs and rules of procedure;
• Understand the role and mission of the General Assembly Secretariat;
• Analyse the 78th session of the General Assembly, its documents and resolutions.

UNITAR New York Office together with the Permanent Missions of Ecuador, Finland, and Malaysia organize the “Transition Workshop” to support the incoming team of the office of the President of the General Assembly. The initiative aims to be a permanent feature of the annual UNITAR calendar, in order to back this critical transition. 

During two days, UNITAR facilitates opportunities for existing, former, and incoming staff of the President of the General Assembly to collaborate, share best practices, and make connections to ensure that existing institutional knowledge is adequately and accurately transferred to support the work of the new President of the General Assembly, particularly between officials and operational level of the incoming and outgoing team.

The main objective of this proposal is to support the Office of the President of the General Assembly. We hope to make this a permanent feature of the annual UNITAR calendar to continue to support this critical transition. A detailed evaluation process shall be used to assess the attainment of this objective.