Commonwealth teams up with UN staff college to train sustainable development leaders

31 October 2018
News

A new agreement between the Commonwealth and the United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC) will support joint leadership development programmes geared towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

A new agreement between the Commonwealth and the United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC) will support joint leadership development programmes geared towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland and UNSSC Director Jafar Javan signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), outlining a partnership framework for the two organisations.

“The 2030 Agenda, including the Sustainable Development Goals, is an ambitious and ground-breaking undertaking that requires us to rethink how the world approaches development. The partnership we are launching today with UNSSC will help equip leaders and managers who work in development with the skills needed to navigate the complexities of sustainable development and achieve lasting impact,” stated Secretary-General Scotland.

Collaboration under the MOU will focus on the design, development and delivery of leadership development initiatives, such as training, learning and knowledge-sharing programmes. These courses will be targeted at sustainable development practitioners, including senior government officials and staff in the United Nations system and the Commonwealth.

“We are delighted to be partnering with the Commonwealth to enhance our efforts to support the UN and its partners in building a better understanding of the 2030 Agenda and its various facts in order to implement commitments to achieve this transformative, global priority,” said Dr. Javan.

The first course under the partnership will be delivered on 31 October to 1 November in Geneva, to train senior UN officials to apply ‘systems thinking’ in their work on sustainable development. The UNSSC is the UN’s institution for system-wide knowledge management, training and continuous learning for UN staff.