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 current UNU-WIDER research programme for 2014-2018 focuses research on the triple challenge of structural transformation, inclusion and sustainability. Cutting across the entire research programme are three high-priority concerns: Africa's inclusive growth, gender equity, and aid effectiveness. The UNU-WIDER budget for 2015 was around USD 9,8 million. The funding consists of core contributions of the four donor countries, income from the Endowment Fund and project funding. The Finnish core contribution to UNU-WIDER this year is 1,4 million euros. Rest of the budget consists of earmarked funding for projects. Other main donors are Sweden, Denmark and Great Britain. The Department for Development Co-operation within the MFA administers the Finnish co-operation with UNU-WIDER.