Nonviolent Peaceforce and UNITAR signed a Memorandum of Understanding

The document was signed in Geneva, at UNITAR headquarters, by Mr. Carlos Lopes, Executive Director of UNITAR, and Mr. Tim Wallis, Executive Director of Nonviolent Peaceforce on the 13th of April 2010.

The signing of the MoU followed in-depth discussions, which began in June 2009, between Phil Esmonde, our Capacity Building Director, and UNITAR – the United Nations Institute for Training and Research - regarding collaboration on an on-line introductory course on civilian unarmed peacekeeping. The MoU signed on 13 April 2010 is an umbrella MOU that will last for 5 years and allows and encourages the exploration of opportunities for collaboration and partnership between the two organizations. In the words of the document: "this MoU … represents a statement of intent by the Parties to work together and provides a framework within which the Parties can develop and implement projects and activities and pursue other forms of cooperation."

UNITAR, United Nations Institute for Training and Research, was established in 1965 as an autonomous body within the United Nations. UNITAR has since acquired unique expertise by accumulating experience, knowledge and capacity to design and implement a variety of training activities. Every year UNITAR provides training to more than 70,000 beneficiaries either through face-to-face seminars and workshops, or through distance learning.

The Cooperation envisioned under the MOU include the following broad areas:

- the design and development of training and capacity building activities (e.g. on-line courses, curricula, conferences, workshops and seminars) that produce results in accordance with outcomes agreed upon by the Parties;

- the exchange/sharing of knowledge resources such as reports, studies, policy papers, training materials, research papers, books and periodicals.

This document is indeed a great opportunity for a fruitful collaboration in the future between the two organizations.