The United Nations is an international organisation founded in 1945. It is currently made up of 193 Member States. The mission and work of the United Nations are guided by the purposes and principles contained in its founding Charter.

Due to the powers vested in its Charter and its unique international character, the United Nations can take action on the issues confronting humanity in the 21st century, such as peace and security, climate change, sustainable development, human rights, disarmament, terrorism, humanitarian and health emergencies, gender equality, governance, food production, and more.

The UN also provides a forum for its members to express their views in the General Assembly , the Security Council , the Economic and Social Council , and other bodies and committees. By enabling dialogue between its members, and by hosting negotiations, the Organisation has become a mechanism for governments to find areas of agreement and solve problems together.

The UN’s Chief Administrative Officer is the Secretary-General , and the principal judicial organ of the United Nations is the International Court of Justice .

UN Radio

Beside their  website , the United Nations also uses other media to communicate, most notably through its UN Radio and UN TV.

Since its foundation in 1946, UN Radio  broadcasts content that includes weekly and daily radio programmes, newspots, features and interviews. It also does this in several languages: English, French, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Literary Arabic, Swahili and Bengali.

All programs are available via podcasts and RSS feeds.

UN Television

The United Nations Television , is the public affairs television arm of the United Nations. It broadcasts live and recorded gavel-to-gavel meetings of various United Nations agencies and arms from around the world, including the General Assembly and the Security Council.

Due to the importance of Brussels as the European capital, the Brussels-Capital Region also hosts several  UN-EU Liaison Agencies

United Nations Association Belgium (UNA)

UNICEF Belgium

There are many UN-initiatives in Flanders:

United Nations Association Belgium Flanders (Vereniging voor de Verenigde Naties)

Vlaamse UNESCO Commissie & UNESCO Platform Vlaanderen

United Nations University Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU-CRIS)

Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) /  IODE Project Office Oostende

UNESCO Chair in Building Sustainable Peace

Beside UN-initiatives in Flanders and UN-EU Liaison Offices in Brussels, there are also Wallonian UN-initiatives:

Association pour les Nations Unies Belgique (Association pour les Nations Unies)

The Social Development Programme in UNITAR’s  Division for People and Social Inclusion has a global presence through its headquarters in Geneva and its network of  34 CIFAL Centres strategically located across Asia, Oceania, Africa, Europe, the Americas, and the Caribbean. Each CIFAL Centre is a regional hub for capacity development, bringing together the public sector, private sector, and civil society to foster knowledge exchange and collaboration.

Most training activities from the Social Development Programme are delivered through the CIFAL Network. CIFAL Centres assist local actors in addressing development challenges and achieving sustainable urbanisation. Each centre specialises in thematic areas such as Sustainability Learning, Public Policy and Governance, Management, Peace and Security, Human and Social Development, Environment and Climate Change, Infrastructure and Economic Development, and Technology and Innovation.

Documentation

Affiliated with UNITAR

The United Nations Institute for Training and Research ( UNITAR) is a training arm of the United Nations System, annually engaging around 500,000 beneficiaries through nearly 1,300 capacity development and research activities worldwide. It empowers individuals, governments, and organisations to address contemporary global challenges effectively.

UNITAR’s  mission is to develop the capacities of individuals, organisations, and institutions to enhance global decision-making and support country-level action for shaping a better future. Its training primarily targets delegates to the United Nations and national change agents who translate global agreements into action at the national level. Its strategic framework aligns with the 2030 Agenda, leveraging the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as guiding principles to enhance global impact. This approach emphasises integration, focusing on four thematic pillars: Peace, People, Planet, and Prosperity to drive country-level actions. Additionally, operations extend across various thematic areas, including strengthening multilateralism, promoting economic development and social inclusion, advancing environmental sustainability, and fostering sustainable peace.

The Social Development Programme in the  Division for People and Social Inclusion focuses on building inclusive societies. This division offers training, technical assistance, and knowledge-sharing to enhance the abilities of government authorities and policymakers in crafting and executing social inclusion strategies across areas like education, health, safety, employment, and decision-making.

CIFAL Flanders, as part of UNITAR, occupies a unique position as an UN-embedded organisation, working with global agendas and core texts like the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This role enhances its ability to adhere to these international standards, offering education and capacity-building initiatives that effectively integrate sustainable development goals into local frameworks. UNITAR is governed by a  Board of Trustees and led by an  Executive Director. The institute is funded entirely by voluntary contributions from governments, intergovernmental organisations, foundations, and other non-governmental sources.

Core functions

UNITAR Around the World