Education
Capacity-building is one of the core activities carried out by UNU-EHS.
There are three main avenues for delivering capacity building:
-
through
academic activities
-
through training programmes
-
through
project-based activities to develop capacities of institutions.
Academic Activities
Academic activities include a PhD programme and teaching duties at
national universities. The PhD programme targets individuals from
developing countries who, it is hoped, will use their newly acquired
knowledge and skills either back home or in institutions devoted to
disaster risk reduction or sustainable development. It is also open to
individuals from developed countries who are interested in working on
global issues professionally. Tertiary education is a vital component
for the development of any country and allows students with proven
record and potential to acquire further knowledge and skills that can
then be used at all levels of decision-making or capacity development in
their countries of origin. Research Scholars work on UNU-EHS projects,
but as UNU is not a degree granting university, they are affiliated
with conventional universities from which they get their degree. There
are no restrictions regarding the degree-granting university apart from,
of course, the quality of its overall programmes and staff. UNU-EHS has
signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Bonn and
Research Scholars can follow the courses of the International Programme
of the Centre for Development Research (ZEF) at this university.
UNU-EHS staff is also involved in course development and delivery of
lectures in several universities worldwide. For example, staff members
are responsible for a block course on Risk and Vulnerability at the
University of Bonn. Other formal lecturing has taken place in various
universities worldwide.
PhD Scholarships
The United Nations University (UNU), in spite of its
status as a fully
fledged university, does not offer tuition in a conventional fashion
such as the provision of study programmes for secondary education
leavers neither does it grant academic degrees other than in
cooperation with affiliated academic institutions.
In its endeavours to advance human security through
knowledge-based
approaches and research, UNU constitutes a link between the United
Nations and the academic world, a characteristic which distinguishes it
from any other university in the world. Its role is to facilitate the
gathering of international scholars enabling them to form a think tank
devoted to develop capacity and give advice to policy and
decision makers world wide. The support of young scientists, especially
from developing countries wishing to earn a PhD in disciplines and
fields relevant to the Institute’s mandate, plays a preponderant role.
UNU in general and UNU-EHS in particular accomplish these goals through
active involvement in far-reaching academic activities such as
fellowships (co-opted honorary scientists) and numerous PhD and post doc
programmes.
However, UNU-EHS does not grant PhD scholarships on a
regular basis.
PhD posts are only possible within the framework of externally funded
projects in cooperation with other academic institutions and are
advertised on an
open call basis. Furthermore, UNU-EHS cannot confer doctor titles on its
own but jointly with partner universities.
Training Programmes
Several activities are undertaken under this programme. Firstly, UNU-EHS
develops and delivers specific short-term training courses falling
under its remit. These courses typically target experienced
professionals who wish to acquire specific knowledge within their area
of competence. An example of a training programme developed by UNU-EHS
is the three-week long Urban Training Programme which allows city
managers to improve on or develop new skills on disaster management and
vulnerability assessment. UNU-EHS staff also serve as resource persons
for training courses delivered by other organizations worldwide.
Secondly, UNU-EHS recruits post-doctoral scholars, student assistants
and interns who come and work for short-term periods (typically four
months to two years) on specific research and capacity development
programmes. This gives the opportunity for young scholars from around
the world to acquire more experience in their field of expertise by
being involved in concrete and practical projects with visible outcomes
down the road.
Finally, UNU-EHS allows young scientists to participate in key
conferences worldwide through its Young Scientist Award. This award
covers costs associated with travel, per diem and conference
registration and is meant to allow young scientists to attend important
conferences that they would not be able to otherwise travel to and where
they can present their own research results, participate in workshops
and interact with experienced scientists from all over the world.
Project-Based Capacity Development
UNU-EHS contributes to institutional capacity development thanks to its
numerous research projects around the world. Using its own capacities
and operating through networks that include other academic, research and
governmental and non-governmental organizations, knowledge is
systematically exchanged between large numbers of individuals. Some
projects specifically target institutional capacity development, such as
sharing experience in early warning of natural disasters in
tsunami-affected countries. Another example is the creation of an
UNU-EHS Cooperation Unit at the Nizhny Novgorod State University for
Architecture and Civil Engineering in the Russian Federation, where
activities include vulnerability assessment of urban communities to
floods and development of a local disaster atlas.
