INT/WIDER-Institute

Description What is done in the programme or project and why, what results are pursued, who benefits from the activities and who are involved in the implementation.

Research of the global development issues, obligations of the Host Government Agreement and support for the research work. The UN General Assembly formally adopted the Charter of the UNU in 1973. The United Nations University UNU is a global research and teaching organization, focusing on issues that impact sustainable development in the developing countries. The role of the UN University is to generate new knowledge, enhance individual and institutional capacities, and disseminate useful information to relevant audiences. The University functions as a think tank for the UN system and for UN Member States, and serves as a bridge between the United Nations and the international academic community. It coordinates a network of 12 international research institutes (one of which is the UNU-Wider-Institute) and 3 individual research projects. The headquarters are in Tokyo, and the UN Member Organizations provide for voluntary contributions to an endowment fund. The new research programme for 2014-2018 focuses on research on three main themes: transformation, inclusion and sustainability. Cross-cutting themes are participatory growth in Africa, gender equity and aid effectiveness. The UNU-WIDER budget for 2014 is at level of about 8 million USD. The funding consists of core contributions, granted by Sweden, Denmark, Great Britain and Finland, the revenues from the Endowment Fund and earmarked project funding (South Africa, Tanzania, South-Korea, University of Copenhagen). The Finnish core contribution to UNU-WIDER is 1,9 millioin € in 2014 which makes Finland the biggest donor.