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IGNITE – Foundations of Leadership and Management | Fall 2027
Ignite – Foundations of Leadership and Management equips emerging leaders with the foundations of self-leadership - including emotional intelligence, communication, ethical awareness, and the ability to influence without formal authority. Participants build confidence, collaborate effectively, and step into leadership roles with purpose and presence.
In 2025, the Organisation celebrated its 80th anniversary, the UN80 reform agenda and the UN 2.0 vision call for modernised operations and a results‑driven culture centred on innovation, data, digital capacity, strategic foresight, and behavioural science. These reforms require not just operational shifts but a fundamental rethinking of leadership and management - leaders who can bridge strategy and implementation, build inclusive, more high‑performing teams, and lead decisively amid volatility and ambiguity.
In this context, effective leadership is mission‑critical. It is not a discretionary investment but a core enabler of wellbeing, accountability, and operational impact. Resilient, principled leadership will carry the UN through today’s challenges and prepare it for tomorrow’s unknowns. Beyond technical skill, we need adaptive leaders who live our values - integrity, accountability, respect, and inclusion - especially when the pressure is greatest.
Roots to Results: The UNSSC Leadership and Management Pathway represents a system-wide initiative developed in close collaboration with UN entities and the UN Secretariat. It aims to strengthen leadership and management capacity across the UN while recognising that shared leadership principles must be applied flexibly across diverse mandates, governance arrangements, and organisational cultures.
Track I from the pathway, Ignite – Foundations of Leadership and Management is foundational and designed for participants who are individual contributors within their area of expertise. They may take on leadership or managerial roles occasionally or as part of a broader function but often work within teams.
Track I: Ignite lays the groundwork for developing key leadership competencies within the UN context, focusing on developing the self, strengthening collaboration skills and behaviours as part of teams; influencing others and contributing to the broader mission.
Overall Learning Objective
- By the end of the programme, participants will have enhanced their core leadership skills and competencies, equipping them to lead with greater effectiveness and confidence within the UN.
Modular Learning Objectives
Upon successful completion of this programme, participants should be able to:
- Demonstrate ethical professional practice by applying UN values and ethical principles to everyday workplace behaviours and professional decisions, including in situations of ambiguity or pressure.
- Apply foundational emotional intelligence skills to manage their emotional responses and stress patterns more intentionally in UN work contexts.
- Work more effectively with others by applying emotionally intelligent communication strategies that build trust, psychological safety and inclusive collaboration in UN team environments - including in situations where they do not hold formal authority.
- Navigate organisational change and transition more effectively by applying practical sense-making and adaptive strategies in their UN work context.
- Assess their current leadership approach to identify gaps and opportunities, prioritise areas for continued growth, and take ownership of their ongoing development as a leader.
Ignite – Foundations of Leadership and Management integrates online and peer-supported learning and a Behaviour Buddy System to support behavioural change into a five-week, immersive experience. Specifically, it includes:
- Five Micro-learning modules to build foundational insight.
- Five Interactive online workshops (120 min) featuring UN-specific case studies and live dialogue.
- Two peer coaching sessions to deepen reflection and accountability.
- Two Behaviour Buddy System sessions, to support behavioural reflection and change.
- Access to the UNSSC (UNICLI as of 1 Jan 2017) Learning Platform with curated frameworks, readings, and discussion spaces.
- Participants also receive a Reflection and Action Workbook to anchor insights, track progress, and sustain behavioural change beyond the course.
- 5 x micro-learning engagements (Module 1: Grounding Leadership in Values and Ethics, Module 2: Leading with Emotional Intelligence, Module 3: Influencing Without Authority, Module 4: Navigating Change and Transition, Module 5: Shaping Your Leadership Footprint)
- 5 x 120-minute Interactive Online Workshops (schedule for morning CET)
- 2 x 90-minute facilitated Peer-coaching Sessions
- 2 x 90-minute Behaviour Buddy System Sessions
- Access to a network/community of like-minded peer leaders and alumni
- Access to the dedicated UNSSC Learning Platform with curated resources, including:
- o Recordings of all interactive online workshops
- o Curated activities (case/scenario-based activities), readings, tools, videos related to the content of the programme
- o Behaviour Buddy System
- o Step-by-Step guide for contextualisation and leadership acceleration
- UNSSC certification
Ignite – Foundations of Leadership and Management is designed for early-career, emerging and mid-level UN personnel, including General Service staff (G6+), National Officers at the A-B levels (NOA-NOB), colleagues holding Field Service contracts at FS3, FS4 and FS5 levels and other UN colleagues at the P1, P2, and P3 levels or equivalent, working both at headquarters and in the field in leading and managing roles within their offices. It is intended for participants who are taking on increased responsibility and are ready to strengthen their personal leadership and self-leadership capacity. The track reflects the operational diversity of the UN system and acknowledges the critical leadership contributions made across functions, contract types, and duty stations - particularly by national staff and GS colleagues whose roles often involve coordination, influence, and technical leadership without formal managerial authority. Emphasizing inclusion and accessibility, the design uses real-world UN examples and peer-based learning to reflect the full range of leadership realities encountered across the system and to provide early, equitable access to leadership development regardless of role or title.
It is particularly suited for staff who are:
- Emerging leaders stepping into team or project coordination roles
- Supporting change initiatives, working groups, or cross-functional activities
- Seeking to lead with self-awareness, initiative, and purpose
- Preparing for more formal leadership or management responsibilities
Ignite – Foundations of Leadership and Management has a per participant programme fee of USD 1,500, which covers a five-week curated learning journey incorporating the elements specified under "Contents".
