United Nations University

The United Nations University provides a unique educational opportunity unavailable anywhere else in the world. UNU enjoys an unparalleled position within the global academic community as the only United Nations organ mandated by the General Assembly to grant degrees.

UNU offers a growing range of master’s, doctoral and short-term programmes that equip the leaders of tomorrow with the necessary academic foundations to effectively address pressing global problems. By bringing together scholars and faculty from both developing and developed countries, UNU provides its diverse international student body with first-hand research experience in the heart of the United Nations. Students undertake research that links directly with the work of the United Nations and its specialized agencies, as well as numerous intergovernmental processes. With an expert faculty spread across 15 UNU institutes in 13 countries, UNU is a truly global university in structure, operation and ambition.

UNU welcomes students from all over the world who are committed to the pursuit of peace, progress and sustainable development through research, training and dialogue with a global community of academics in developed and developing countries. We invite you to explore this site to learn more about the unique educational opportunities provided by UNU, and hope that you will find a programme that matches your own educational goals.

The United Nations University (UNU) is a global think tank and postgraduate teaching organisation headquartered in Japan. The mission of the UN University is to contribute, through collaborative research and education, to efforts to resolve the pressing global problems of human survival, development and welfare that are the concern of the United Nations, its Peoples and Member States.

In carrying out this mission, the UN University works with leading universities and research institutes in UN Member States, functioning as a bridge between the international academic community and the United Nations system.

UNU’s core mission is to generate research that makes a different on the big issues and encourages the rethinking of existing policies and perspectives. Worldwide, some 400 UNU researchers are engaged in more than 180 research projects.

UNU research focuses on the challenges faced by the United Nations and its Member States. Our current research portfolio supports all of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which were adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015 to inspire global action to overcome the world’s biggest challenges.

For the past four decades, UNU has been a go-to think tank for impartial research on the pressing global problems of human survival, development, and welfare.

Our global network of specialised research institutes, coordinated by UNU Headquarters in Tokyo, generates a comprehensive portfolio of research and knowledge on topics ranging from hunger and poverty to climate change and peace-building. To communicate this knowledge to broad audiences in a concise and compelling way, UNU’s 400 some experts regularly author short articles and opinion pieces related to their work.

The Library of the United Nations University (UNU) is committed to providing reliable and high quality library and information services to assist and enhance the activities of the university. It is located in the headquarters building in Tokyo and manages collections & information resources development, library networking and consortia. The Library organizes instructional sessions in the use of its resources, and maintains the archives in support of research and postgraduate educational programmes throughout the UNU System.

The Campus Computing Centre (C3) is the technology arm of the United Nations University and serves as a change agent for leveraging effective ICT to support and advance the vision and mission of the University. We are committed to serving the needs of the university community and ensuring that the users can make the maximum and appropriate use of the computing environment in their diverse range of activities, including teaching, research, outreach, dissemination, administrative and academic support.

Our goal is to ensure that staff and students of UNU can make maximum and appropriate use of the ICT facilities and services in their endeavours. We are continually advancing our portfolio of ICT services in anticipation of the changing needs of faculty, staff and students. The computing environment at the UNU Tokyo campus offers a diverse range of ICT resources geared to increase individual productivity, support and enhance education and research, while reducing the University’s carbon footprint through green computing.