In news : Recently, UNITAR has commended India’s remarkable progress in reducing the premature mortality from Non Communicable Diseases.
About the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)
- UNITAR is a principal training arm of the United Nations, working in every region of the world.
- It provides innovative learning solutions to individuals, organizations and institutions to enhance global decision-making and support country-level action for shaping a better future.
- Formation: UNITAR was created in 1963
- Why: It was created to train and equip young diplomats from newly-independent UN Member States with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate through the diplomatic environment.
- Over the years, UNITAR has acquired unique expertise and experience in designing and delivering a variety of training activities.
- Vision: The vision for which the Institute aims reflects a drive for results and programming to develop the capacities of individuals, institutions and organizations with a view to overcoming global challenges.
- UNITAR has become a leading institute in the provision of customized and creative learning solutions to institutions and individuals from both public and private sectors.
- With a strategy fully focused on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UNITAR supports Governments to implement the 2030 Agenda.
- It has launched a new four-year strategic framework, covering 2018-2021, which is aligned with the 2030 Agenda and uses the Sustainable Development Goals as the guiding principle for its work with the strategic objectives organized around four out of five thematic pillars of the 2030 Agenda (Peace, People, Planet and Prosperity).
- UNITAR provides training and capacity development activities to assist mainly developing countries with special attention to Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and other groups and communities who are most vulnerable, including those in conflict situations.
- Governance: UNITAR is governed by a Board of Trustees and is headed by an Executive Director.
- UNITAR’s headquarters are based in Geneva, Switzerland.
- Funding: The Institute is a project-based organization and does not receive any funds from the regular United Nations budget. UNITAR is financed entirely from voluntary contributions derived mainly from UN Member States, other UN agencies, international and intergovernmental organizations, foundations NGOs and the private sector.
History of UNITAR
The idea of a UN training and research institute was mentioned for the first time in a 1962 resolution of the UN General Assembly (resolution 1827 (XVII) of 18 December 1962).
The founding of UNITAR in 1963 followed the recommendation of the Economic and Social Council to the General Assembly, which commissioned the Secretary-General with the establishment of a United Nations Institute for Training and Research as an autonomous body within the UN system (Economic and Social Council – Thirty-sixth Session Annexes Document E/3780 United Nations Training and Research Institute – Note by the Secretary-General, 28 May 1963, General Assembly resolution 1934 (XVIII) of 11 December 1963).
Core Functions
- Providing high-quality learning solutions to address the capacity development needs of individuals, organizations and institutions;
- Advising and supporting governments, the UN and other partners with knowledge services, including those that are technology-based;
- Facilitating knowledge and experience sharing through networked and innovative processes; and
- Integrating innovative strategies, approaches and methodologies into our learning and related knowledge products and services.
Strategic Framework
- UNITAR is guided by a four-year strategic framework which articulates the Institute’s vision, mission, core values and strategic objectives and enablers.
- It outlines the direction that UNITAR will take and serves as the foundation for planning and budgeting, mobilizing resources, crafting partnerships, delivering results and measuring and evaluating performance.
- It was approved by the UNITAR Board of Trustees in November 2017.
- The framework is aligned with the 2030 Agenda and is structured around five pillars that correspond to four of the five thematic pillars of the 2030 Agenda: Peace, People, Planet and Prosperity.
- The framework includes a fifth objective aimed at supporting the integrated and indivisible nature of the Agenda through cross cutting programming.
