UNU-MERIT: Fifteen Years of Partnerships This is the story of UNU-MERIT, our purpose, how we work – and the people who made us  Enter keywords...

Two new flagship programmes from UNU-MERIT, coming under the banner of ‘Comprehensive Innovation for Sustainable Development‘ (CI4SD), feature in the first ever UN Climate Change Innovation Compendium, in chapters focusing on the Green Economy and on Capacity Strengthening. … We live in times of unprecedented global challenges – climate change is one of the greatest threats we face. Catastrophic heat waves, wildfires, floods, drought, storms and other natural disasters linked t...

Researcher Hugo Hollanders and Prof. Jo Ritzen contributed to the Global Knowledge Index 2021, commissioned by the United Nations Development Programme and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation. The Global Knowledge Index monitors the knowledge status of 154 countries across areas including education, innovation, and information & communications technology. Now covering 232 indicators, it is aims to help policymakers, researchers, civil society and the private sector to bri...

The lives of billions of people are at stake at this month’s COP26 Summit, as regional and national leaders meet to mitigate the worst case scenarios of climate change. Against this backdrop, we know that thousands of lives are already being lost every year – but what about the climate survivors? What are the long-term psychological effects at play? ...

Her Majesty Queen Mathilde of the Belgians paid an in-person visit to UN House in Brussels, the headquarters of several agencies, funds, and programmes of the United Nations in the Belgian capital, as well as a virtual visit to the UN in Liberia, on 23 September 2021. During her meeting with representatives from UN organisations in Brussels, Her Majesty discussed the main priorities of the UN, and in particular the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It was Her Majesty’s ...

He is a free spirit. “As a child I was always wandering around outside, building huts, counting stars.” He is self-deprecating: “I was interviewed for my PhD by a committee of old white men, a bit like myself now,” but also self-aware: “I consciously moved away from fundamental mathematics after my PhD.” As a leader, his main goal is to serve others. “You don’t shake hands with an institute, but with the people who work there. First and foremost I want to look at what everybody needs.” Bartel Va...

Big data is on the rise and governments have fallen behind in setting global standards on its collection, storage and usage. Instead, governments are playing catch-up with harnessing the technology that controls data. This was the backdrop to a Chatham House webinar held on 15 February 2021, where several high-profile panellists explored how governments and businesses should negotiate this new era of international data diplomacy. They discussed how current governance trends on personal data prot...

While the end of the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is not yet in sight, there is growing focus on the ways and means to build back better, by resetting the way we produce, consume, socialise and interact. What are the possibilities of tomorrow, and how can countries leverage them to reset their economies in the post-COVID world? The Future Possibilities Report 2020, which was released in partnership with the UN75 initiative, sets out to answer that question by identifying six transforma...

When students meet policymakers in Geneva “After visiting so many UN institutions and international agencies, it was refreshing to be welcomed in a small office and engage in an open and inspiring discussion about children’s rights.” — MSc student Zoë Rouwhorst Enter keywords...

“My dear colleagues, the strength of our United Nations is YOU – our committed and dedicated personnel. Events have moved at alarming speed over the past two weeks. This crisis is unprecedented. And I’m proud of how – together – you are adapting so quickly. I understand the enormous stress that measures to contain the virus are putting on you and your families. Many of you, like me, are working away from loved ones and worrying deeply about them, and working from home can feel isolat...