The Institute

The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) is a training arm of the United Nations System, serving some 27,000 beneficiaries annually by conducting more than 400 capacity development and research activities around the world.  The Mission of UNITAR is to deliver innovative training and conduct research on knowledge systems to develop capacities of beneficiaries in the fields of Environment; Peace, Security and Diplomacy; and Governance.

As an autonomous body within the United Nations System, UNITAR is governed by a Board of Trustees and is headed by an Executive Director. The Institute is supported by voluntary contributions from governments, intergovernmental organizations, foundations, and other non-governmental sources.

A forward-looking vision

A transformation process was initiated in 2007 with the goal of upgrading the institutional structure and enabling the Institute to increase its future contribution towards addressing emerging training and capacity development needs of beneficiaries.

Many UN entities offer training on themes of relevance to their respective mandates. None of them, however, offers the expertise on how best to deliver this training, how best to capture and retain knowledge and how best to build upon it. UNITAR is therefore concentrating on the means of delivering adult training and professional learning; how to monitor and evaluate their impact on behaviour; and how to capitalize on capacity development.

In that vein, a set of strategic priorities was formulated in view of making UNITAR the calling card of the United Nations system when it comes to knowledge transfer through training on cutting edge issues, adult learning methodologies and professional training.

In addition, UNITAR conducts research on knowledge systems to explore innovative and modern approaches for high-quality training, with the goal to be a centre of excellence, measured by international standards. By doing so, the work of the Institute is benefiting to our other partners and to the entire United Nations system in its drive towards a more integrated delivery framework.