Celebrating a 20-year learning and training journey

In 2000, the United Nations Development Group (UNDG) cites training as an important element of UN reformat country level. In response, UNSSC collaborates with the UNDG to develop and roll out the Resident Coordinator System Learning Support Programme aimed at enabling Resident Coordinators and UN Country Teams to better implement common programming.

The UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan issues the “Renewing the United Nations: A Programme for Reform”, and calls for a United Nations of the 21st century that increasingly focuses on preventive measures.  The newly established UNSSC hosts the flagship “Early Warning and Preventive Measures” programme aimed at promoting greater awareness and a common analytical language for the planning of preventive action.

Committed to promoting interagency collaboration and exchange of insights on best practices and innovative approaches to learning and professional development, UNSSC organizes its first Learning Managers Forum as an independent UN organization devoted to learning for staff across the UN system.

In an effort to support the 2001 the New Partnership’s for Africa (NEPAD) — a socio-economic flagship Programme of the African Union (AU) , and the NEPAD-related pledges made by UN Member states, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs entrusts UNSSC with the development of a robust learning programme to train African Military Personnel in Conflict Prevention, Human Rights and Peacekeeping.

To respond to the need of the UN system and its partners to train staff who need to be deployed at short notice to volatile and dangerous areas of the world, UNSSC, in partnership with the Department of Safety and Security, launch the Safe and Secure Approaches in Field Environments programme.

Since its inception, UNSSC has put its emphasis on leadership development that is designed to strengthen the UN system’s impact. In 2007, the UN High-Level Committee on Management (HLCM) called for UNSSC to revamp its learning offering for senior leaders. In response, the College launched the UN Leaders Programme in 2009.

The defining issues of our time require collaborative solutions and dialogue. Fueled by developing global challenges and the demand for effective, collective responses, the United Nations System Staff College launches the UN Summer Academy.

In 2015 UNSSC introduces the UN Lab for Organizational Change & Knowledge (UNLOCK), a unique space for change management practitioners to connect, share, and support one another on work related to organizational change, transition, culture transformation and similar initiatives.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, approved in September 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly, establishes a transformative vision towards the economic, social and environmental sustainability of the 193 United Nations Member States that adopted it. In response, UNSSC opens the Knowledge Centre for Sustainable Development , in 2016 (Bonn , Germany) to equip the UN and its partners with the knowledge, skills, and behaviors needed to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The Leadership, Women and the UN Programme was UNSSC’s first leadership programme for women leaders in the UN system. The programme has been instrumental in promoting the expansion and renewal of prevalent paradigms of leadership, and ensuring a more gender-balanced workplace across and beyond the UN system. It continues to advance the transformational, principled and inclusive leadership culture envisioned in the UN system Leadership Framework.

In direct response to UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ call to reposition the UN development system to deliver on the 2030 Agenda and to work towards "a new generation of Country Teams that are tailored to the specific needs of each country," the UNSSC Knowledge Centre for Sustainable Development  launches the UN Country Team   leadership programme in 2018 for UN Country Teams and Resident Coordinator Office personnel to deepen core notions of, and approaches to, the 2030 Agenda while strengthening their collective leadership, mutual accountability, advocacy and partnership skills.

In March 2020, the world experienced dramatic shifts in the ways people work and learn. The increase in remote work accelerated the adoption of online self-directed learning within the United Nations and beyond. This learning reset provided an opportune moment for UNSSC to launch its first self-directed online learning hub, the Blue Line – A Global Learning Hub designed by the UN, for the UN. 

As a swift response to the urgent need for engaging and meaningful content that translates complex policy into relatable, actionable steps, in the wake of a global pandemic, the UNSSC Knowledge Centre for Sustainable Development starts offering free access to its entire portfolio of highly-facilitated 5–6-week online courses.

Recognizing the transformative roles that women and youth fulfil in building, maintaining, and fostering peace and security, UNSSC launches a landmark event, the Torino Forum on Sustaining Peace – Women and Youth at the Frontlines of Peace, and two online learning initiatives –  the "Realizing the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda" course  and the free Youth Peace and Security  Primer

After the launch of the reinvigorated UN Resident Coordinator system in 2019, there was an urgent need for improved, integrated policy advice, increased programmatic results, more efficient and agile operations, and greater transparency and accountability to ensure success. In response, UNSSC launches the UN Resident Coordinator Office Learning Path to facilitate an in-depth exploration of emerging sustainable development issues for Resident Coordinator Office  personnel and reinforce professional competencies by building on the power of collaboration, coordination, co-creation and communication.

Amid rising concerns about climate change and its impact on the UN’s efforts to build and maintain peace in many parts of the world, UNSSC develops its first UN inter-agency course aimed at equipping people with the tools they need to conduct localized climate risk assessments and integrate them into programmatic planning throughout all the stages of a peacebuilding programme life-cycle.