Housed in the Division for People and Social Inclusion, UNITAR’s Network of International Training Centres for Authorities and Leaders (CIFAL Global Network) now boasts a new record of 18 centres, as of 1 February 2019. Slated to expand still further over the course of this year, the Network serves as an ever-more-valuable arm of UNITAR throughout the world, helping to build capacity for sustainable development at the grassroots level across all continents.
The first CIFAL – in French, Centre International de Formation des Authorités et Leaders -- was created in 2003. Now located across Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, and the Americas, CIFALs serve as regional hubs for capacity development, bringing together the public, private, and civil sectors to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the local level. They represent a unique multi-stakeholder approach, working to increase knowledge-sharing between local governments, state governments, UN entities, foundations, universities, and the private sector. Hosted and funded by a local partner, with institutional and programmatic support from UNITAR, each Centre is specialized in a unique way, and is strategically tailored to local needs and context. As such, CIFALs act as vital force-multipliers for the work of UNITAR and for the larger advancement of the 2030 Agenda across the globe.
Understandably, the UN tends to engage mostly with national governments. However, UNITAR recognizes that cities are on the front lines of a myriad of issues related to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. In their day-to-day work, mayors and local governments contend with all manner of issues related to urban governance and planning, economic development, social inclusion, environmental sustainability, and cross-cutting areas such as migration, conflict resolution, leadership development, and counterterrorism. To achieve the 2030 Agenda, national leadership will be key, but city and local leadership will remain equally indispensable. Through its CIFAL Network, UNITAR is committed to reaching and empowering these vital local actors.
