United Nations University

The United Nations University (UNU) is the academic arm of the United Nations (UN). It bridges the academic world and the UN system. Its goal is to develop sustainable solutions for current and future problems of humankind in all aspects of life. Through a problem-oriented and interdisciplinary approach it aims at applied research and education on a global scale. UNU was founded in 1973 and is an autonomous organ of the UN General Assembly. The University comprises headquarters Tokyo, Japan, and more than a dozen Institutes and Programmes worldwide.

Quick Links

Job Vacancies

Internships

Procurement

Press

UNU Bonn - portal page

Nishara Fernando e-mail: fernando (at) ehs.unu.edu

BACKGROUND

Nishara Fernando holds a Bachelor of Arts degree (Sociology) from University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, a Graduate Diploma (Sociology) from La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia, and a Master of Philosophy (Sociology) from University of Colombo.

His M.Phil thesis was dealing with “Vulnerability to Chronic Poverty and Livelihood Strategies of Urban Resettled Families”. Nishara’s specialization lies in the fields of applied research methodology, urban and rural livelihood analysis, poverty, globalization, education and youth in Sri Lanka. He is also working as a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Sociology, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, and a Research Associate in Social Policy Analysis and Research Centre of the Faculty of Arts, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.

WORKING AREA AT UNU-EHS He is a PhD Researcher at UNU-EHS and at the University of Bonn. He is working on the doctoral thesis titled “Resettled Lives: Emerging Social Vulnerabilities and Coping Strategies among Tsunami affected Coastal Communities in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka – The Case Study of Galle”.