Page 8 - DIVA_3_2007_No.30

Interview with Carlos Lopes
Executive Director of the United Nations

Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)

He is young anc going to specialize
dynamic and you on labour, because
will probably be the ILO already does
hearing that. We will not
more
about him in the focus on agriculture
months to come because there is the
On 1 March thin FAO. We are the
year, Mr Lope organization that will
was appoint be the cutting-edge
Director of U1.. in terms of know-
TAR by UN ledge systems spe-
S e c r e t a r y cialization in the UN.
General Ban Ki- Thus, any UN
Moon. Not only agency can use
has he had a long So' 1017 (right) n: UNITAR as a partner
0 LhIo oi :he U10ted \u1oi, 10
and wide-ranging --a partner that
Truining anti Rcscarch 'UNITAR) In Genco.
career within the \ Photo Esion,kr Debt/nt knows what is happe-
UN, but he has ning on the methodo-
organizations to possess.
also made excursions into logical front. That is the focus
Therefore, I agree that reform
the academic environ- I'm going to give UNITAR.
has to affect UNITAR as well.
ment. From his long list of
One of the things that can be
t
achievements, let us jus This means that we do not just
briefly mention that he done at UNITAR is to give it a to proclaim what we would like
much clearer sense of purpose:
taught
has to do in terms of focus. To be
at
what makes an organization
universities and academic the benchmark, we have to
institutions in Lisbon, like UNITAR special? There certify and be able to institute
are a number of other
Coimbra, Zurich, Uppsala, quality system control to such a
institutions within the UN sys-
Mexico, Sao Paulo and degree that nobody has any
tem that deal with training and
Rio de Janeiro, and set up doubt that we really are a
research networks and research. What is it that centre of excellence. How is
UNITAR does that no-one else
NGOs. So, we leave the this to be achieved?
does? This is what is missing
floor to Mr Lopes,
and that is what I intend to Every certificate or diploma
achieve.
0: Now that you are in that UNITAR issues has to
charge of UNITAR, may have value, and value will
One of the objectives would
we assume that there are come from respecting the
then be to focus UNITAR as a
going to be some following points:
changes? UN Centre of Excellence in a 1. Membership of key
particular area. This area would associations that deal with
be methodology and know-
UNITAR has incredible these issues, like management
ledge systems, defined as
potential; it has a wonderful schools associations, e-learning
development,
capacity
mandate. This mandate does associations. We will have to
e-learning, adult training,
not focus on any particular satisfy a golden standard with
professional learning, issues
theme, but more on the type of these various associations.
relating to new technologies
function that UNITAR can Thus, certification is not just a
and methodologies in line with
perform. piece of paper, but is justified
current challenges. All these by very clear certification that
UNITAR has avoided storms new areas of knowledge and comes from recognition.
knowledge management need
and crises, and over recent
years has actually grown be mastered by one part of the 2. The content of most of our
significantly. But it is still system so that it can help the courses will be developed
lacking that clear focus that the other organizations to take through major universities and
UN really wants all advantage of them. We are not institutions of learning. This
6 3 2007 Diva
diva international