Unitar and UN Research

Abstract

Although unfortunate, crises are required to precipitate change in both domestic and international politics. Because assorted global crises have created greater awareness of global interdependence, various observers have concluded that international organizations will increasingly be given the responsibility for dealing with problems that formerly were in the exclusive purview of the nation-state. Evaluating the effectiveness of the United Nations system, and increasing an awareness of the functions and role of the United Nations, are among the main responsibilities of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNI-TAR). UNITAR is now almost ten years old, and has just completed a reassessment of its priorities; therefore, it is an appropriate time to discuss its recent activities and to assess its prospects for the future. 1 UNITAR was established "for the purpose of enhancing. .. the effectiveness of the United Nations in achieving the major objectives of the Organization, in particular the maintenance of peace and security and the promotion of economic and social development." 2 Although UNITAR's headquarters is in New York and most of the work of both the Training and Research Departments is centered there, increasing use is being made of the Institute's Geneva office. A significant number of training courses and seminars are now being conducted in Geneva and several of the