28/11/2022
The United Nations System Staff College provides a hands-on approach to the latest trends in the field. Its mission is to support peace and sustainable development while strengthening UN leadership and management capacities.
The United Nations System Staff College, or UNSSC, works to advance professionals’ careers through learning and personal development experiences that focus on multilateralism, sustainable futures and the values of the United Nations. The UNSSC offers over one hundred learning programs online or in person, training leaders to work in complex settings related to global affairs and international development.
We talked with Jafar Javan, director of UNSSC, about how the field of international development is trending in the career landscape today, especially in the fields of global affairs and sustainability.
As Jafar highlighted, “International development is at the heart of the United Nations System. At the end of the day, the United Nations’ overarching goal is a sustainable and peaceful future for all.”
That is accomplished by ensuring international development plays an important role in diverse sectors throughout the world.
The soft skills taught in these programs unlock opportunities for leaders in the real world. Program participants learn about topics including peace, humanitarian and development nexus, innovation and digital transformation, community engagement and advocacy, among others. The globalized world means that professionals with the skills to succeed in international development are more sought after than ever.
Jafar was poignant in his statement about the current global order. “We’re facing multiple crises and challenges at this time: the climate crisis, armed conflicts, urbanization, inequality, and digital transformation, to name only the big ones. They are all more complex and interconnected than ever before.”
The current landscape of international development and global affairs requires leaders who are equipped to work toward system-wide solutions rather than focusing on responses dedicated to one issue.
Guided by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as well as the UN 2.0 Quintet of Change, the UNSSC provides a clear picture of the importance of international development in today’s job market. As Jafar said, “We also need to get much better at developing integrated solutions that go beyond technical silos and improve collaboration between people from different sectors and across different levels of government, from local to global.” These programs prime leaders to lead progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The UN is focusing on a variety of issues for the future, among them sustainable development, which makes the challenges of the international development field more urgent. The UNSSC brings forth these challenges of the 21st century in order to train and equip effective leaders in their fields.
