United Nations Institute For Training And Research Research Articles

Arctic Science and Technology Advice with Ministries

This seventh Synthesis with the Science Diplomacy Action serial emerged from the panel session on Arctic Science and Technology Advice with Ministries, which was convened during the Arctic Circle Japan Forum in Tokyo on 5 March 2023. This session built on transdisciplinary dialogues with the February-March 2022 webinar series on Enhancing International Scientific Cooperation: Arctic Science and Technology Advice with Ministries, which was funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan with coordination and logistics provided by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), as represented in Synthesis 6. Dialogues in both venues were strongly influence by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing war with consequences for international Arctic scientific cooperation, as reflected by the 3 March 2022 “pausing” of the Arctic Council. With this background, the Arctic Circle Japan Forum session addressed three questions: 1. How can nations maintain as well as enhance international Arctic scientific cooperation, especially in the context of Open Science? 2. How can individual scientists work with ministries to build Open Science inclusively during times of geopolitical strain? 3. How can ministries facilitate continuity with the Arctic Council inclusively beyond the Arctic Council chairship rotation from Russia to Norway in May 2023? The panel involved leaders from the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), National Institute for Polar Research (NIPR), Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Science Diplomacy Center™ and the University of the Arctic (UArctic). Panelists’ international perspectives from Finland, Germany, Japan, United Kingdom and the United States are represented in the transcript of their panel dialogue, which is reproduced herein to provide insights about continuity with international scientific cooperation and Open Science inclusively to achieve progress with Pan-Arctic sustainable development.

Enhancing International Scientific Cooperation: Arctic Science and Technology Advice with Ministries

This sixth Synthesis with the Science Diplomacy Action serial is the product of the February-March 2022 webinar series on Enhancing International Scientific Cooperation: Arctic Science and Technology Advice with Ministries, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan to EvREsearch LTD with Science Diplomacy Center™ coordination and logistics provided by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). These inclusive webinars began on 21 February 2022 and continued despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, emphasizing the importance of “open science” with both allies and adversaries for our shared survival as a globally interconnected civilization. The webinar series was designed to address an inevitable question: “What are the relationships and synergies between the Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM) process and the 2017 Agreement on Enhancing International Arctic Scientific Cooperation, both of which involve ministries and science?” The three webinars involved keynote presentations from leaders of the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), International Arctic Social Sciences Association (IASSA) and University of the Arctic (UArctic) as well as from ASM1 (2016), ASM2 (2018), ASM3 (2021) and ASM4 (2023 pending). Each webinar was designed further around leading questions with keynote presenters from Arctic and non-Arctic states inclusively, involving: Finland, Germany, Japan, Norway, Russian Federation, United Kingdom and Unites States with registered participants from 49 nations. The first webinar focused on “What is Science” with expert contributions from the perspectives of the natural sciences, social sciences and Indigenous knowledge. The second webinar was convened on 10 March 2022 to address: “How Can Science Transform Data into Evidence for Informed Decisionmaking?” The third webinar was convened on 24 March 2022, focusing on “What International Efforts/Processes Are Needed to Facilitate Progress in Understanding the Arctic System and Its Global Impacts?” These transdisciplinary dialogues demonstrated the importance of international cooperation and common-interest building with science diplomacy, enabling open science with inclusion and continuity despite global geopolitics. The webinar series originated in sight of Science and Technology Advice with Ministries, initially with foreign affairs, science and environment ministries but extending to ministries of defense under current world affairs. Lessons from this holistic (international, interdisciplinary and inclusive) webinar series reinforce strategies with informed decisionmaking to operate across a continuum of urgencies, short-to-long term (pandemic to climate timescales) “for benefit of all on Earth across generations.”

Earthquake Aftermath from Very High-Resolution WorldView-2 Image and Semi-Automated Object-Based Image Analysis (Case Study: Kermanshah, Sarpol-e Zahab, Iran)

This study aimed to classify an urban area and its surrounding objects after the destructive M7.3 Kermanshah earthquake (12 November 2017) in the west of Iran using very high-resolution (VHR) post-event WorldView-2 images and object-based image analysis (OBIA) methods. The spatial resolution of multispectral (MS) bands (~2 m) was first improved using a pan-sharpening technique that provides a solution by fusing the information of the panchromatic (PAN) and MS bands to generate pan-sharpened images with a spatial resolution of about 50 cm. After applying a segmentation procedure, the classification step was considered as the main process of extracting the aimed features. The aforementioned classification method includes applying spectral and shape indices. Then, the classes were defined as follows: type 1 (settlement area) was collapsed areas, non-collapsed areas, and camps; type 2 (vegetation area) was orchards, cultivated areas, and urban green spaces; and type 3 (miscellaneous area) was rocks, rivers, and bare lands. As OBIA results in the integration of the spatial characteristics of the image object, we also aimed to evaluate the efficiency of object-based features for damage assessment within the semi-automated approach. For this goal, image context assessment algorithms (e.g., textural parameters, shape, and compactness) together with spectral information (e.g., brightness and standard deviation) were applied within the integrated approach. The classification results were satisfactory when compared with the reference map for collapsed buildings provided by UNITAR (the United Nations Institute for Training and Research). In addition, the number of temporary camps was counted after applying OBIA, indicating that 10,249 tents or temporary shelters were established for homeless people up to 17 November 2018. Based on the total damaged population, the essential resources such as emergency equipment, canned food and water bottles can be estimated. The research makes a significant contribution to the development of remote sensing science by means of applying different object-based image-analyzing techniques and evaluating their efficiency within the semi-automated approach, which, accordingly, supports the efficient application of these methods to other worldwide case studies.

Post-War Urban Damage Mapping Using InSAR: The Case of Mosul City in Iraq

Urban infrastructures have become imperative to human life. Any damage to these infrastructures as a result of detrimental activities would accrue huge economical costs and severe casualties. War in particular is a major anthropogenic calamity with immense collateral effects on the social and economic fabric of human nations. Therefore, damaged buildings assessment plays a prominent role in post-war resettlement and reconstruction of urban infrastructures. The data-analysis process of this assessment is essential to any post-disaster program and can be carried out via different formats. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data and Interferometric SAR (InSAR) techniques help us to establish a reliable and fast monitoring system for detecting post-war damages in urban areas. Along this thread, the present study aims to investigate the feasibility and mode of implementation of Sentinel-1 SAR data and InSAR techniques to estimate post-war damage in war-affected areas as opposed to using commercial high-resolution optical images. The study is presented in the form of a survey to identify urban areas damaged or destroyed by war (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, ISIL, or ISIS occupation) in the city of Mosul, Iraq, using Sentinel-1 (S1) data over the 2014–2017 period. Small BAseline Subset (SBAS), Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) and coherent-intensity-based analysis were also used to identify war-damaged buildings. Accuracy assessments for the proposed SAR-based mapping approach were conducted by comparing the destruction map to the available post-war destruction map of United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR); previously developed using optical very high-resolution images, drone imagery, and field visits. As the findings suggest, 40% of the entire city, the western sectors, especially the Old City, were affected most by ISIS war. The findings are also indicative of the efficiency of incorporating Sentinel-1 SAR data and InSAR technique to map post-war urban damages in Mosul. The proposed method could be widely used as a tool in damage assessment procedures in any post-war reconstruction programs.

Training Skills with Common-Interest Building

This fourth Synthesis of the Science Diplomacy Action series involves that pedagogy of common-interest building among allies and adversaries alike as a negotiation skill to apply, train and refine. This serial edition also represents a journey with science diplomacy and its engine of informed decisionmaking among friends who facilitated the first formal dialogue between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Russia regarding security in the Arctic, which we co-directed at the University of Cambridge in 2010. The starting point for that NATO-Russia dialogue was science diplomacy, as an holistic (international, interdisciplinary and inclusive) process to balance national interests and common interests for the benefit of all on Earth across generations. Operation of this holistic process became clear in 2016 during the 1st International Dialogue on Science and Technology Advice in Foreign Ministries, when the ‘continuum of urgencies’ was identified from security time scales (mitigating risks of political, economic, cultural and environmental instabilities that are immediate) to sustainability time scales (balancing economic prosperity, environmental protection and societal well-being across generations). The following year, the theoretical framework of informed decisionmaking – operating across a ‘continuum of urgencies’ short-term to long-term – emerged with the case study published in Science about the 2017 Agreement on Enhancing International Arctic Scientific Cooperation, which has entered into force among the eight Arctic states. With continuing acceleration, in 2020, Springer published the first volume in the new book series on INFORMED DECISIONMAKING FOR SUSTAINABILITY. The graduate course on “Science Diplomacy: Environmental Security and Law in the Arctic Ocean” was introduced in 2016 with the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, involving a Mock Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting as the culminating synthesis with the Student Ambassadors. Framed around their working papers for the Mock Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting, the Student Ambassadors negotiated a declaration, which they adopted by consensus and signed at end of that first semester. In subsequent years, additional holistic integration exercises were introduced into the course, including the Common-Interest Building – Training Game with the pedagogy of the seventeen United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, each of which has international, interdisciplinary and inclusive relevance at local-global levels (APPENDIX 1: Syllabus – Spring 2020). From 2017 through 2020, the graduate course was expanded to Science Diplomacy: Environmental Security and Law in the Arctic Ocean, involving The Fletcher School in Medford (Massachusetts, United States) and the International Law Programme at MGIMO University in Moscow (Russian Federation). Building on a Memorandum of Understanding between our institutions, this joint video-conferencing course was approved by the Russian Ministry of Education and involved Carnegie Corporation of New York funding that was directed by Prof. Paul Arthur Berkman, contributing to the soon-to-be Russia and Eurasia Program at The Fletcher School. Each year, Student Ambassadors from the United States and Russian Federation adopted and signed joint declarations by consensus, as an exercise in common-interest building. Results of training skills with common-interest building are reflected herein with the compilation of consensus declarations crafted by the Student Ambassadors in their Mock Arctic Council Ministerial Meetings from 2016 to 2020. The essence of common-interest building is to make inormed decisions that operate across time in view of urgencies, short-term to long-term, tactical and strategic. Urgencies are embedded across diverse time scales with local-global relevance, as demonstrated by accelerating impacts through: month-years with our global pandemic; years-decades with high technologies; and decades-centuries with global human population size and atmospheric carbon-dioxide concentration in our Earth system. The underlying process of informed decisionmaking involves holistic integration with science as the ‘study of change’, revealed with the natural sciences and social sciences as well as Indigenous knowledge, all of which characterize patterns, trends and processes (albeit with different methods) that become the bases for decisions. Contributing with research and action, the institutions involved with decisionmaking produce: governance mechanisms (laws, agreements and policies as well as regulatory strategies, including insurance, at diverse jurisdictional levels); and built infrastructure (fixed, mobile and other assets, including communication, observing, information and other systems that require technology plus investment). Coupling of governance mechanisms and built infrastructure contributes to progress with sustainability, which were weaved throughout the course with the Arctic Ocean as a case study. Outcomes of the joint-video conferencing course between The Fletcher School and MGIMO University have accelerated globally into the training initiatives with diplomatic schools among foreign ministries as well as with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). Our hope is science diplomacy and its engine of informed decisionmaking will lead to lifelong learning across the jurisdictional spectrum with its subnational-national-international legal levels for the benefit of all on Earth across generations.

Ten-year transient luminous events and Earth observations of FORMOSAT-2

The purpose of this paper is to summarize the enormous contributions of FS2 (FORMOSAT-2 or Formosa satellite #2) in both Earth and transient luminous events (TLEs) observations in 10 years. As a small satellite operated for 10 years (20 May 2004 to 20 May 2014) in orbit, FS2 keeps its two unique characteristics: (1) to orbit 14 revolutions around the Earth per day with daily revisit capability, and (2) to provide the capabilities of Earth observation in sunlight time and TLEs observation in eclipsed time every day. It carries two payloads: the remote sensing instrument (RSI) for Earth imaging in satellite׳s day time and the imager of sprites and upper atmospheric lightning instrument (ISUAL) for scientific observations in satellite׳s night time, respectively. Daily revisit capability provides changes of events on Earth in either short time (several days) or long term (several years). Examples include: Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami (December 2004), disintegration of Wilkins Ice Shelf in Antarctica region (2006–2014, long term), Sichuan earthquake (May 2008), Tohoku earthquake and tsunami (March 2011), polar regions (2006–2014, long term), etc. In the TLEs observation, ISUAL had recorded more than 35,000 events in 10 years with 73.93% elves, 6.54% red sprites, 5.81% halos, 13.42% blue jets and 0.30% gigantic jets. Major contributions of FS2 in this specific scientific area are presented. In particular, current and future research topics on TLEs are discussed. Also, major contributions of FS2׳s RSI to the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Operational Satellite Applications Programme (UNOSAT) and Group of Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) are summarized. This paper also addresses briefly the health status of FS2 after working 10 years in orbit.

A Comprehensive Analysis of Building Damage in the 12 January 2010 Mw7 Haiti Earthquake Using High-Resolution Satelliteand Aerial Imagery

The paper provides an account of how three key relief organizations worked together after the devastating Haiti earthquake to produce the first damage assessment based mainly on the use of remotely-sensed imagery. This assessment was jointly conducted by the World Bank (WB), the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Operational Satellite Applications Programme (UNOSAT), and the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC). This paper discusses the data sources used for the assessment, the methodologies employed to evaluate building damage, and a set of independent studies to validate the final damage results. Finally, a vision of the role of remote sensing technologies in future disasters is presented that serves as a road map for methodological improvements.

UNITAR Summer Institute on Global Issues Facing the United Nations: Strengthening Respect for the Rule of Law

In June 2005, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) organized, under the leadership of Dr Roy S. Lee, Senior Special Fellow of UNITAR, a successful Summer Institute on Global Issues Facing the United Nations: Strengthening Respect for the Rule of Law. According to the UNITAR, “The objective of the program was to function as a high-level conference and special teaching institute. The topic of the June 2005 program was: Strengthening Respect for the Rule of Law in International Affairs. This theme was discussed in the context of the relevant recommendations presented in the Report of the High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change1 and in the response by the UN Secretary-General,2 and in other related official UN documents. Key issues included: Implementation of legal instruments, criminal accountability with an emphasis on UN Peacekeeping troops, collective process, non-use of force and self-defense, consensus building, nation building, avoidance of deadlocks, and standards setting. The program consisted of over 110 course participants, including 45 individuals from the developing and transition countries. The program consisted of 10 sessions, each with a specific focus”.3 Furthermore, “The one-week programme brought together faculty members, senior diplomats, high UN officials, renowned academics, government officials, NGO leaders, and corporate executives. Who gave lectures, and participate in discussions. Their varied backgrounds and experiences provided diverse perspectives for the exchange of views. As such, the programme provided a rich learning environment for participants who surely benefited from this multidisciplinary conference and its expert faculty”.4

The IOMC organisations: a source of chemical safety information

The Inter-Organisation Programme for the Sound Management of Chemicals (IOMC) was established in 1995 as a mechanism to co-ordinate the efforts of Inter-governmental Organisations in promoting the sound management of chemicals. The seven participating organisations are the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), and the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Members consult on the planning, programming, implementation and monitoring of activities undertaken jointly or individually, and help ensure that programmes are mutually supportive, complementary and avoid duplication of efforts, thus meeting the overall needs of the users more efficiently and effectively. To deal with technical work, the IOMC established smaller thematic groups in the main programme areas of Agenda 21's Chapter 19. One such group promotes information exchange work. Within this IOMC framework, the seven organisations have developed approaches and products to help customers find chemical safety information, as well as improving modalities of access to these data. These mechanisms come in addition to and complement the extensive information products and databases developed and provided by the individual organisations. This article presents an overview of the role of each organisation, an introduction to its electronic information products and tools, and a discussion of the products of this joint effort.

The Vandaclim Simulation Model: A Training Tool for Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment

This paper describes a training course on climate change vulnerability and adaptation assessment. The course, developed in partnership with the CC:TRAIN Programme of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), aims to enhance the capacity of developing countries to make their national communications to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The paper focuses on a simulation model called VANDACLIM, which was developed as a pedagogical tool to facilitate the training. Four sectors are modelled within VANDACLIM (agriculture, public health, water resources, and coastal zone) and are used as a basis for helping to conduct an integrated, multi-sectoral assessment for the imaginary, sub-tropical country of Vanda. The ‘learning-by-doing’ approach, encapsulated in the application of VANDACLIM to complete a mini-assessment for Vanda, proved to be very successful when trialled at a training workshop in Zimbabwe. Both the training course and VANDACLIM have been adapted subsequently for application in small island states and plans are underway for extension to other environments and regions of the world.

Global make-or-buy decisions

This article surveys the current status of international subcontracting in terms of demand for components, intermediate products, and supplies by industrialized countries and supply potential and capacity of industrializing countries to exploit market opportunities. This article also concentrates on managerial aspects of subcontracting, including the contribution that subcontracting can make to improve the competitiveness of manufacturing. Different approaches to the make-or-buy issue are identified in recent research, and the criteria typically used by manufacturers in deciding which operations to subcontract, how to subcontract, and the performance outcomes required from subcontractors, especially those in industrializing countries that can offer some cost/volume benefits, are examined. Many practical examples of products and processes that have been subcontracted as part of operations strategy with benefits to both manufacturers and subcontractors are provided. Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) country classifications are used in this paper. Industrializing countries are those in the first stage of industrialization, and include newly industrializing countries such as Mexico, Yugoslavia, Brazil, Turkey, and Taiwan. Industrialized countries include those in full membership of OECD. Other documentary sources concerning international subcontracting include EEC Directives on Competition, Rules of Origin, and Tariff Administration. There are reports on international subcontracting in the automobile and semiconductor industries published by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and on technology and the garment industry by NEDO in the United Kingdom (Economic Development Office). There is also an interesting early study on the development of international subcontraction in the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries [1].

The United Nations and International Business. By Sidney Dell. Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 1990. Published for the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). Pp. x, 191. Index. $29.95.

The United Nations and International Business. By Sidney Dell. Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 1990. Published for the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). Pp. x, 191. Index. $29.95. - Volume 85 Issue 2

Power on The Extreme Periphery: The Perspective of Tongan Elites in The Modern Wo•Rld System1

Pacific ViewpointVolume 22, Issue 1 p. 48-64 ArticleFree Access Power on The Extreme Periphery: The Perspective of Tongan Elites in The Modern Wo•Rld System1 George E. Marcus, George E. MarcusSearch for more papers by this author George E. Marcus, George E. MarcusSearch for more papers by this author First published: 01 May 1981 https://doi.org/10.1111/apv.221003Citations: 54 † 1 A longer version of this paper was presented at a symposium on dependency and development in the Pacific, during the annual meeting of the Association for Social Anthropology in Oceani a, Galveston, Texas, February, 1980. This paper is based on my fieldwork in Tonga during the summer months of 1972, a full year in 1973–74, and a brief visit in 1975. In addition, between 1974 and 1978, I attempted to track specific family networks, during brief visits to Auckland, Suva, Honolulu, Salt Lake City, and San Francisco. AboutSectionsPDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat References 1Benedict, Burton, 1967, Problems of Small Territories, London, Athlone Press. 2Bollard, Alan E., 1974, The Impact of Monetisation in Tonga, Unpublished MA thesis, University of Auckland. 3Marcus, George E., 1974, “A Hidden Dimension of Family Development in the Modern Kingdom of Tonga”, Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 5, 1, 87– 102. 4Marcus, George E., 1978, “Land Tenure and Elite Formation in the Neotraditional Monarchies of Tonga and Buganda”, American Ethnologist, 5, 3, 509– 534. 5Marcus, George E., 1980, The Nobility and the Chiefly Tradition in the Modern Kingdom of Tonga, The Polynesian Society, Memoir No. 42, Wellington. 6Sevele, F. V., 1973, Regional Inequalities in Socio-Economic Development in Tonga: A Preliminary Study, Unpublished PhD dissertation, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, N.Z. 7Silverman, M. G., 1969, “ Maximize Your Options: A Study in Values. Symbols, and Social Structure”, in Forms of Symbolic Action, Robert F. Spencer (Ed.), Proceedings of the American Ethnological Society, University of Washington Press, Seattle. 8Smith, Carol A., 1976, “ Exchange Systems and the Spatial Distribution of Elites: The Organization of Stratification in Agrarian Societies”, in Regional Analysis: Social Systems, Carol A. Smith (Ed.), Academic Press, New York. 9 UNITAR (United Nations Institute for Training and Research), 1971, Small States and Territories,-Status and Problems, Arno Press, New York. 10Vital, David, 1967, The Inequality of States: A Study of the Small Power in International Relations, Oxford University Press. 11Vital, David, 1971, The Survival of Small Stales, Oxford University Press. 12Wallerstein, Immanuel, 1974, The Modern World-System, Academic Press, New York. Citing Literature Volume22, Issue1May 1981Pages 48-64 ReferencesRelatedInformation

Some solar energy programmes in the United Nations system

The report outlines recent activities in the United Nations system concerning solar and wind energy applications, particularly for the benefit of developing countries. Summaries are provided of some of the main programmes undertaken in the field of solar energy by a number of agencies and bodies of the United Nations system such as: the economic and Social Council, the Department of International Economic and Social Affairs of the Secretariat; the Department of Technical Co-operation for Development and its Centre for Natural Resources, Energy and Transport; the regional commissions; the financial institutions (UNDP and World Bank); the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO); the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the United Nations University (UNO); specialized agencies—UNESCO, FAO, WHO, WMO and ITU; the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. Some highlights are given on the future United Nations Conference on New and Renewable Sources of Energy, recently approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations.

The role of science and technology in the new international order

The United Nations Conference on Science and Technology for Development (UNCSTD) is to be held in Vienna, 20–31 August 1979. The present article arises from the author’s work at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) on the preparations for this conference.

The Migration and Return of Professionals

Under the auspices of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) a multi-national comparative study is being undertaken of the migration and return of professionals from developing countries who study in developed countries. This paper summarizes the results obtained from analysis of the responses to questionnaires given to: between 500 and 2,000 foreign students in three industrially developed countries; between 100 and 400 foreign professionals working in these developed countries; and between 200 and 600 professionals who have returned to seven developing countries after education in a developed country. Questionnaires are being given to the same three groups of individuals in several other countries, as well as to between 50 and 100 employers in several of the developing countries.1

Unitar and its Contribution to the Field of Development Relating to Africa

The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) was established on the basis of a General Assembly resolution of December 1963 as an autonomous institution within the framework of the United Nations for the purpose of enhancing, by the performance of its training and research functions, the effectiveness of the United Nations in achieving the major objectives of the Organization, in particular the maintenance of peace and security and the promotion of economic and social development. A large part of the Institute's training and research activities is, therefore, meant to respond to the needs of the developing countries, including those in Africa, either directly or through the improvement of the United Nations capabilities for this purpose.

The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)

VRÜ Verfassung und Recht in Übersee , Seite 553 - 555