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Building partnerships for a changing world
Last Saturday, the world marked United Nations Day, commemorating the signing of the UN Charter in 1945 and the shared commitment of nations to advance peace, justice and human rights through international cooperation.
This year's UN Day came at an important moment for our organization. Less than two months ago, Member States endorsed the merger of the United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC), which I have the privilege of serving as Acting Director, and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) to establish the United Nations Institute for Capability and Learning Innovation (UNICLI) on 1 January 2027.
In her United Nations Day reflection, UNITAR Executive Director Michelle Gyles-McDonnough highlights the growing importance of capability development in a world shaped by geopolitical tensions, climate disruption, technological transformation and widening inequalities. As countries and institutions navigate increasing complexity, the ability to learn, adapt and act effectively is becoming more important than ever.
From my perspective, partnerships are central to that effort.
For more than two decades, UNSSC has served as the United Nations' inter-agency learning partner, helping organizations, leaders and teams navigate change, strengthen performance and advance system-wide priorities. Throughout that experience, one lesson has remained constant: lasting transformation happens in partnerships; when institutions work together, share knowledge and bring diverse expertise to bear on common challenges and deliver impact.
That same spirit of collaboration will be central to UNICLI.
The new institution will build on the complementary strengths of UNITAR and UNSSC while creating a more connected ecosystem for collaboration. It will work with United Nations entities, Member States, academic institutions, schools of public administration, technology partners and other centres of expertise to help address capability challenges and support meaningful solutions that drive change.
The United Nations System as a Core Partner
For UNICLI, the United Nations system will remain a core partner. Working closely with inter-agency networks, the Chief Executives Board and organizations across the system, UNICLI will help strengthen capabilities, support transformation efforts and facilitate collaboration where collective action can create greater impact.
This role is particularly important at a time when the UN system is being asked to do more with less while responding to increasingly complex and interconnected challenges. By helping connect expertise, knowledge and capabilities across institutional boundaries, UNICLI can contribute to a stronger and more agile multilateral system.
Looking Ahead
I look forward to working with colleagues and partners across the United Nations system to help shape an institution that turns collaboration into capability, and capability into impact. That, ultimately, is the promise of UNICLI: not simply a new institution, but a new platform for partnership, learning and solutions that helps governments, the United Nations system and partners address the challenges of a changing world.
