UNITAR Online Catalogue
GBA MUN - UNITAR - United Nations Youth Development Programme
Multilateral Diplomacy
Background
The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) was established in 1963 as an autonomous body within the United Nations with the purpose of enhancing the effectiveness of the work of the UN and its member states.
UNITAR designs and conducts close to 500 different training and knowledge sharing events per year for some 50,000 beneficiaries worldwide. Participants include diplomats, other government officials, non-governmental representatives, and other stakeholders.
At the heart of UNITAR, the Multilateral Diplomacy Programme Unit (MDPU) delivers training workshops to address the needs of these international actors. MDPU’s activities cover a wide range of domains, including training on the UN system and skills development.
Event Objectives
As part of the training activities implemented during the winter months, UNITAR designed a 10-day online training programme, offering participants from our partner GBA MUN a full immersion into the United Nations' multilateral working environment in Geneva.
In line with UNITAR’s mandate, its main purpose is to enhance participants’ knowledge and skills in the area of international affairs and diplomacy. This will empower them to work more effectively and efficiently in any multilateral setting.
UNITAR and our partner GBA MUN further intend to strengthen the participants’ conviction of the principles enshrined in the UN Charter, especially multilateralism. It lastly aspires to give its participants the opportunity to gain valuable insights into possible future career steps.
Content and Structure
Hosting 35 international organizations and more than 250 NGOs, the city of Geneva offers a whole series of potentially formative experiences. UNITAR hosts the activity on its virtual e-Learning platform and provides a nuanced balance between the following different components:
e-Workshops:
As its core activity and raison d’être, UNITAR provides several online workshops to the participants. Delivered by experts such as current UN staff or retired ambassadors, this programme will include the following e-workshops:
- Negotiation Skills
- Public Speaking Skills
- Leadership Skills
- UN Report Writing Skills
- Digital and Cyberdiplomacy
- Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Expert Webinars:
UNITAR’s professional network across Geneva allows it to organize a series of 1.5 hour live webinars, in which participants can directly learn from UN experts or other high-level officials.
Virtual Guided Tours:
Geneva is rich in historic buildings important to international affairs. Thanks to its access across the city, UNITAR can provide a series of virtual guided tours. Online sessions can show parts of the historic Palace of Nations or the diplomatic district in Geneva.
Online Career Development Sessions:
UNITAR also provides several 1.5 - 3.5 hour online sessions on how to advance your professional career and find a solid footing in the world of international organizations. These sessions can include components on UN internship opportunities, CV and cover letter writing and projects and practicalities.
Methodology
The UN Youth Development Programme will be run from UNITAR's e-Learning platform, where announcements and relevant links to activities will be posted. In addition to the live components, the platform will contain online reading material, interactive quizzes which participants can study anytime.
The UN Youth Development Programme is created and facilitated by senior experts working at UN agencies. In addition to these experts, UNITAR staff assists in the organizational aspects of the course and stands ready to interact with participants on a daily basis. The overall workload of the programme will be between 40-45 hours.
Targeted Audience
UNITAR generally welcomes a variety of professional backgrounds as well as different degrees of experience among its participants. These can include high school as well as university students. The UN Youth Development programme will be exclusively implemented for our participants from our partner GBA MUN.
In order to ensure the highest quality standards, registration will be closed after 50 participants. Allocation of slots will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
At the end of the UN Youth Development Programme, each participant will be awarded a UNITAR certificate of completion. The most outstanding 30% of participants additionally qualify to receive an official UNITAR letter of recommendation.
Additional Information
UNITAR will be responsible for the overall design, coordination and implementation of the UN Youth Development Programme. It will liaise with the participants on a regular basis prior to the activity's implementation in order to ensure a smooth and flawless organization for everyone involved.
Our partner GBA MUN is responsible to disseminate the programme information, administer the registration and payment of participants to GBA MUN and offer additional supporting services to participants. GBA MUN finally is responsible to transfer the required budget and submit the list of participants to UNITAR.
The participants are responsible to ensure they are in possession of the basic necessary hardware, software and connectivity to engage in online training activities. Please note that as of now, UNITAR is not in the position to offer scholarships to facilitate participation.