UNITED NATIONS TRAINING AND RESEARCH INSTITUTE SHOULD EXPAND TRAINING AND RESEARCH PROGRAMMES, ECONOMIC COMMITTEE TOLD

Press Release
GA/EF/2846

UNITED NATIONS TRAINING AND RESEARCH INSTITUTE SHOULD EXPAND TRAINING AND RESEARCH PROGRAMMES, ECONOMIC COMMITTEE TOLD

The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) should expand its training and research programmes to better meet the needs of the international community, the Second Committee was told this afternoon as it considered UNITAR's work.

The representative of Austria, on behalf of the European Union and associated countries, said UNITAR should continue to give priority to areas where training was most needed. It should also work to meet the specific needs of developing countries as well as to develop new training programmes. There was a need to establish a central mechanism to coordinate the work of the United Nations University, UNITAR and the United Nations Staff Centre Programme. Such a mechanism would help make the work of those bodies more relevant and accessible to the United Nations community.

UNITAR's primary role of training had greatly grown in importance and relevance in recent years, largely in response to globalization and the increasing complexity of development, said the representative of Indonesia, on behalf of the Group of 77 Developing States and China. The work of UNITAR should be further utilized for training and capacity-building by the organizations of the United Nations as well as the Bretton Woods institutions.

Speaking of the work of the United Nations University, the representative of the Russian Federation said the University had not yet fully succeeded in asserting its distinctive academic image and visibility in the United Nations system. It had also not turned into an intellectual bridge which would connect the United Nations multilateral system of cooperation and the international academic community. To remedy that, there was a need to strengthen practical interaction between the University and the other United Nations organizations and specialized agencies.

Statements were also made by the representatives of Nigeria, Japan, Israel, Australia, Papua New Guinea, and Haiti.

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The representative of the Observer Mission of Switzerland also spoke.

Introductory statements were made by: Marcel Boisard, United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR); and Ahmad Kamal (Pakistan), Chairman of the Board of Trustees of UNITAR.

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. Tuesday, 10 November, to consider the report of the Economic and Social Council.

Committee Work Programme

The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) met this morning to consider the topics of training and research. Under that general heading, it will discuss the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). (For background information see Press Release GA/EF/2838.)

Statements

MARCEL BOISARD, United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) said the best way to bring out UNITAR's potential had been to pursue activities conceived and carried out by an institution autonomous within the United Nations.

To convert UNITAR into a network for training personnel and strengthening institutional capacities for all members, UNITAR must have access to adequate means. United Nations enterprises should take advantage of this training institution within their own organization.

He said UNITAR could become a producer of useful programmes for many member states, but industrial countries must give more help to UNITAR. Its programmes had been provided free of charge, and the United Nations should shoulder the costs of UNITAR offices in New York and Geneva. The coming biennial should see the doubling of UNITAR resources, not with the intent of making the organization into heavy bureaucracy, but just to make it possible for UNITAR to become a capable training organization.

AHMAD KAMAL (Pakistan) and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of UNITAR, said the Institute had developed a functional approach to training based upon networking and partnerships. It had been actively cooperating with relevant national, regional and international institutions, and with the bodies of the United Nations system. An inter-disciplinary approach had been developed to give precise and rapid response to the need of the States.

Innovative ideas and original methods were being applied in conducting courses. The concept of national profiles, in which most of the stakeholders of a country identified their own national means and needs was just one example. In the area of research, UNITAR had produced several action-oriented books on multilateral diplomacy and dispute resolution, and it played an important role in helping developing countries in dealing with concepts such as distance education, electronic trade and virtual libraries. It had managed resources in the most efficient manner, including the resolution of most longstanding financial issues existing prior to 1993.

CECEP HERAWAN (Indonesia), on behalf of the Group of 77 developing countries and China, said that research and advancing the frontiers of knowledge were necessary for progress, but such efforts would be of little

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benefit if their impact was not brought to bear on the real world. Likewise, the large body of knowledge and experience accumulated by the United Nations system over the years would count for little unless it were effectively utilized by the Member States and staff of the United Nations. The task to bridge the gap between the Organization's store of knowledge and the activities and human resources in the field, had fallen on the shoulders of the main United Nations training and research institutions, including UNITAR. Indeed, UNITAR's primary role of training had greatly grown in importance and relevance in recent years, largely in response to globalization, the reforms within the United Nations and the increasing complexity of development.

The systematic utilization of UNITAR for the execution of training and capacity-building by the organizations of the United Nations, as well as the Bretton Woods institutions was also of critical importance.

PETRA SCHNEEBAUR (Austria), on behalf of the European Union, and Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Cyprus and Norway, spoke about the United Nations University and said it should be an essential link between the scientific community and the work of the United Nations. While retaining its institutional independence, the University should continue to strengthen its ties between Member States and other United Nations agencies. It should also intensify networking efforts with the international academic community.

On UNITAR, she said, there had been progress in the Institute's restructuring efforts. The training programmes it offered had substantial value. However, it must continue to give priority to areas where training was most needed and it should work to meet the specific needs of developing countries. Her delegation supported UNITAR's role of being the provider of training in the United Nations; it should work to develop new training programmes. There was a need to establish a central mechanism to coordinate the work of the University, UNITAR and United Nations Staff Centre Programme. Such a mechanism would help make the work of those bodies more relevant and accessible to the United Nations community.

VASILY NEBENZYA (Russian Federation) said the United Nations University had not yet fully succeeded in asserting its distinctive academic image and visibility in the United Nations system. It had not yet become the United Nations "think tank" which supported the policy and normative process of the United Nations, nor had it turned into an intellectual bridge which would connect the United Nations multilateral system of cooperation and the international academic community. In that regard, there was a need to strengthen practical interaction between the University and the other United Nations organizations and specialized agencies.

He said that improved efficiency of the United Nations system in the area of personnel training would be served by further enhancement of

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cooperation between major training and research centres within the United Nations. Coordination of training programmes between UNITAR and the United Nations University and, in general, their closer interaction in that area should become an important element of improved efficiency of the United Nations system's operations in the field of personnel training. Services of experts from countries with economies in transition should be enlisted for the elaboration of UNITAR's academic courses and activities geared for personnel from developing countries.

GABRIEL SAM AKUNWAFOR (Nigeria) said that when the General Assembly stressed the growing importance of training activities, and the need for reinforcing cooperation among relevant national, regional and international institutions, there were indeed results expected for his country to consider. Nigeria therefore welcomed the progress made by UNITAR in the area of programme development and inter-agency cooperation, especially over the last couple of months where the Institute had rapidly increased its training and capacity-building programmes on a monthly average of ten different programmes conducted in developing countries, at the United Nations Headquarters and at the United Nations offices in Geneva and Vienna.

He said the cooperation in consultations and joint programmes within the United Nations, which UNITAR had been organising on peacekeeping operations and economic and social issues through the Secretariat, was commendable.

DINO BETI (Observer Mission of Switzerland) said further training and research work should be applied to the areas of peaceful resolution of conflicts, proper managing of finance and other such topics. His delegation applauded the training approach UNITAR had developed; it should continue to pursue efforts in regard to coordination within the United Nations system. UNITAR's resources still fell short of its needs, however. Industrialized countries should participate in the financing of UNITAR. Greater financing was needed to allow it to establish more and varied training programmes. After a period of restructuring, UNITAR had entered into a new phase, where it was reaffirming its role and mission within the United Nations system. UNITAR had achieved its major objectives in terms of training and research and it deserved backing from Member States.

HIDEKI ITO (JAPAN) said that notwithstanding its small staff, UNITAR had become an efficient organization that conducted training programmes for 4,000 participants every year. Japan welcomed the successful restructuring of the Institute and appreciated the resulting progress made by its programmes and activities.

Institutional reform was no longer an issue that the Institute needed urgently to address. Instead, careful consideration should be given to the direction in which the Institute should move in the future, taking into account the remaining international issues of greatest concern. To this end,

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efforts needed to be focused on revising and expanding the Institute's training programmes. In this context, development issues were of the utmost importance to the developing countries. His delegation hoped that the Board of Trustees of UNITAR would explore this subject thoroughly when next it met.

MICHAEL ARBEL (Israel) said his country had made considerable progress in the field of joint research and training between Israelis and Palestinians. The Centre for International Cooperation in Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs had set up training programmes in a number of subjects involving both Israeli and Palestinian teachers and students. UNITAR and the United Nations University should consider creating similar training programmes in that regard.

AMANDA HAWKINS (Australia) said her delegation supported the restructuring of UNITAR and appreciated its research and training programmes. Her country looked forward to the work of UNITAR in the future and its greater contribution to the United Nations system.

ADAM DELANEY (Papua New Guinea) said his delegation applauded the efforts made by UNITAR in creating joint programmes as well as the improved design of its training programmes. It also welcomed the training programmes for diplomats. Much needed to be done to increase collaboration with institutions in countries with economies in transition. Especially important were UNITAR's training workshops in the area of capacity-building. Member States recognized that UNITAR needed to continuously depend on voluntary contributions. UNITAR's role and relevance had led to an increase in its appreciation by members of the Organization.

JEAN MAXIME MURAT (Haiti) said UNITAR had embarked on a process of increasing its cooperation with the United Nations system and civil society. Its programmes were designed to draw attention to the better management of social affairs and the benefits of economic and social development. UNITAR should work to better adapt itself to the multilingual reality of the United Nations. There was a need for increased coordination of development within the United Nations, and UNITAR could play a crucial role in that regard. His delegation believed there should be measures adopted to correct the lack of resources that kept UNITAR from responding to the needs of the international community.

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