UNITAR’s training programme in the legal aspects of debt, financial management and negotiation commenced after a high-level expert meeting in Geneva in 1987. Since the onset of this programme, UNITAR has conducted training activities in a number of developing countries (primarily from Sub-Saharan Africa) and economies in transition.

The programme focuses on:

- training government officials through short-duration regional seminars and workshops on various aspects of debt, financial management and negotiation;

- developing on-line training courses (since January 2001, and in parallel with traditional regional training) with a view to tapping a wider audience and reducing cost of training per participant;

- strengthening existing ties with regional training centres and offering joint courses with partners in Africa and elsewhere;

- creating awareness among senior government officials of the importance of the legal aspects in the borrowing process and of putting together a multi-disciplinary team for loan management and international negotiation;

- providing in-depth training and skills development for accountants, economists, financial experts, decision and policy makers, and lawyers coming from government ministries and departments;

- developing and disseminating training packages and 'best practice' materials directly related to the practicalities of legal aspects of debt and financial management with a view to strengthening existing human and institutional capacities at the national level; and

- last but not least, assisting in capacity building at the country level through the introduction of a UNITAR-developed Guidance Document entitled 'Preparing a National Profile to Assess the National Legal Infrastructure for Sound Financial Management'.

To date, UNITAR has held over 75 training events in 40 countries. These training activities provide training to senior and middle-level government officials in the field of debt, financial management and negotiation. The programme has trained over 2300 participants from the various partner countries. These training programmes are designed to enhance the existing human resources in these developing nations in the fields of financial management. Each training programme or activity is designed to meet the specific needs of the country or region in question.

This training programme has drawn on the expertise and knowledge of numerous institutions and individuals who have and are working closely in debt, financial management and negotiation issues worldwide.