The UN General Assembly has approved merging the United Nations System Staff College and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research into a single body called the United Nations Institute for Capability and Learning Innovation. The new institute will begin operations on January 1, 2027, after a phased transition through the end of 2026. The vote was part of broader UN80 reforms aimed at making the organization more coherent and effective.
The merger combines the staff college's expertise in training and leadership development for UN personnel with UNITAR's work helping governments and public institutions build capacity. A single platform for learning will reduce duplication and allow member states, UN entities and partners easier access to training and support. The consolidation is intended to strengthen the UN system's ability to respond to interconnected global challenges.
Michelle Gyles-McDonnough, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director of UNITAR, said member states and the UN are facing increasingly complex challenges that require the organization to evolve and build stronger capabilities. Miguel Panadero, Acting Director of UNSSC, said the integrated entity would provide a stronger, more coherent capability development function by combining both organizations' expertise.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the decision, saying through spokesman Stéphane Dujarric that capability development and continuous learning are strategic drivers of UN effectiveness and reform. The Secretary-General called on member states, UN entities and partners to help shape the new institute's future.
The new institute will be headquartered in Geneva. Turin will continue as a UN learning campus and centre for leadership development, while existing offices in Bonn, Hiroshima, Madrid and New York will remain open.
