Structures and Processes

The work of the Peace and Governance Programme, mostly collaborative research projects on global issues related to peace and governance, is carried out by academic staff in Tokyo, at UNU regional centres/programmes, and project collaborators around the world. The Programme selects and formulates projects in consultation with partners in the academic community and international organisations. Reflecting its identity and mandate, the UNU networks must be representative. For many developing countries to be able to participate effectively in the UNU networks, the University must engage in deliberate capacity- and institution-building efforts. The activities fall into four broad areas:

• Basic research - drawing on established expertise and fresh ideas through an international network of scholars and practitioners;
• Policy studies - translating background research and knowledge into policy-relevant prescription and analysis;
• Capacity building and training - translating both basic research and policy prescription into improved action in the field and the policymaking community;
• Dissemination - sharing research findings with policy and academic audiences through articles, books, conference and workshop panels and presentations, guest lectures, and the internet.

P&G's comparative advantage

• focusing on work of both scholarly significance and policy relevance;
• assuring that under-represented groups (such as individuals from developing countries and women) and young talent are involved in its project work;
• embracing the needs of UN institutions in its work, thus enabling P&G to feed results into the UN policymaking community;
• maintaining a global mandate in research and teaching and approaching global issues from a non-national perspective

How do we choose our activities?

The UNU cannot be universal in scope and comprehensive in coverage. Its activities must be selective and guided by several criteria:

• Is the issue a pressing global problem?
• Is it of priority interest to the UN system?
• Is it of high scientific merit and value?
• Is it a project that utilizes existing specialisms and interests in the UNU? What are the University's comparative advantages in the context of academic activities being undertaken in academic and policy institutions around the world?
• Is the methodology innovative? Is the approach inter-disciplinary?
• Will the project promote capacity-building?
• Does the project promote partnerships with appropriate organizations, institutions and actors of civil society?
• Will it assist in the creation of centres of excellence in developing countries?