Forty-five years ago today ― on 1 September 1975 ― the United Nations University (UNU) commenced operations in Tokyo with a staff of fewer than 30 individuals and an annual budget of just over 3 million USD. Today, UNU has grown into a global organisation with a presence in more than a dozen countries, a personnel complement of some 670, and an annual budget of nearly 55 million USD. The mission of UNU remains unchanged: to contribute, through collaborative research and education, to efforts to ...

A UN Day 2019 message from UNU Rector and UN Under-Secretary-General David M. Malone ••• United Nations Day (24 October) is a time to reflect on how the UN benefits us all by addressing vital issues that are the common concern of all humankind. The UN Charter was written in the name of “We the peoples of the United Nations,” but the UN is inherently an organisation of its member states. The paradox is that it relies tremendously on public support, as the struggle against climate change makes cle...

As of January 2016, coordination responsibilities for the UNU Migration Network were handed over from UNU-GCM in Spain to UNU-MERIT in the Netherlands. Dr. Melissa Siegel of UNU-MERIT is now the day-to-day coordinator of the Migration Network, assisted by Ms. Elaine McGregor, also of UNU-MERIT. Dr. David M. Malone, Rector of the United Nations University and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, noted how “The Network has registered numerous successes in a very short period of tim...

Maastricht University (UM) has ranked among the top 10 in the Times Higher Education (THE) 100 Under 50 ranking for the third year running, making it the sixth best young university in the world. The list was revealed at the Young Universities Summit in Dublin, where Rector Magnificus Prof. Luc Soete gave a keynote speech on 29 April 2015. In 2013, UM achieved sixth place in this special league table for universities younger than 50 years old, and has since then managed to maintain its sixth pla...

UNU-MERIT has found a new home in the ex-Sphinx offices on Boschstraat, Maastricht. We will rent the property for 20 years and, after a renovation period, move in during the course of 2015. The new building will provide around 3,000 square metres, roughly a quarter more than our current facilities, which were increasingly cramped due to a recent growth in staff and student numbers. Alderman Gerdo van Grootheest (Urban Planning, Nature and Sport) welcomed the resettlement of UNU-MERIT within the ...