United Nations The Hague Immersion Programme - Basic package - July Edition 2024
The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) was established in 1963 as an autonomous body within the United Nations with the purpose of enhancing the effectiveness of the work of the UN and its member states.
UNITAR designs and conducts close to 500 different training and knowledge-sharing events per year for some 50,000 beneficiaries worldwide. Participants include diplomats, other government officials, non-governmental representatives, and other stakeholders.
At the heart of UNITAR, the Multilateral Diplomacy Programme Unit (MDPU) delivers training workshops to address the needs of these international actors. MDPU’s activities cover a wide range of domains, including training on the UN system and skills development.
As part of the training activities implemented during the summer months in last year, UNITAR designed a 5-day field visit to The Hague, offering participants a full immersion into the international law ecosystem and the multilateral working environment of the city.
In line with UNITAR’s mandate, its main purpose is to enhance participants’ knowledge and skills in the area of international affairs and diplomacy. This will empower them to work more effectively and efficiently in any multilateral setting.
UNITAR further intends to strengthen the participants’ conviction of the principles enshrined in the UN Charter, especially on peace and justice. It lastly aspires to give its participants access to UN institutions and personnel in order to gain valuable insights into future career opportunities.
The UN Immersion Programme serves to provide an overview of the United Nations and its related institutions in the city of peace and justice. It will help participants build knowledge on international affairs, deliver training in core diplomatic skills and offer activities with the Hague and Geneva-based agencies.
At the end of the UN Immersion Programme, participants should be able to:
- Explain key components of the United Nations’ system and its agencies
- Familiarize oneself with the Hague and Geneva as international hubs
- Apply core skills and techniques of common diplomatic practice
- Develop critical knowledge for careers in international organizations
- Adapt values and principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter
Hosting close to 200 international organizations, along with figureheads like the Peace Palace, the International Court of Justice, Europol and the International Criminal Court, The Hague is known as the international city of peace and justice. Tens of thousands of people from all over the globe are working every day in the city to build a more peaceful and just world by collaborating together on solutions to global problems. In partnership with many international institutions, UNITAR provides a nuanced balance between the following different components:
Expert Lectures:
UNITAR’s professional network across The Hague allows it to organize a series of 1-2-hour expert lectures, in which participants can directly learn from UN personnel or other high-level officials. Programmes may include lectures from the following organizations:
- The International Court of Justice (ICJ)
- The International Criminal Court (ICC)
- The Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT)
- The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)
Training Workshops:
As its core activity and raison d’être, UNITAR provides several face-to-face workshops to the participants. Delivered by experts such as retired ambassadors, previous programmes have included the following workshops:
- Negotiation Skills
- Mediation Skills
- Simulation Exercises
Guided Tours:
The Hague is rich in historic buildings important to international affairs. Thanks to its access across the city, UNITAR can provide a series of private guided tours. This may include tours through the following facilities:
- The Peace Palace
- The International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
- The Hague Municipality
- The Hague Humanity Hub
Public Hearing Sessions:
If available, UNITAR also provides access to public hearings in the world of international organizations. These sessions can occur in the following:
- International Court of Justice (ICJ)
- International Criminal Court (ICC)
Given the nature of The Hague's multilateral environment, UNITAR will mostly cover thematic areas close to peace and justice during the course of the Programme. These will include knowledge on international law, human rights and humanitarian affairs, as well as sustainable development.
The Immersion Programme is designed to be highly interactive and participatory. Activities will include a high level of direct exposure to legal practitioners and diplomatic settings, thereby allowing participants to gain thorough knowledge and understanding of the United Nations and The Hague.
All of the activities will take place in the English language. Should there be any component not be available in English, UNITAR will ensure the participants will be provided with simultaneous interpretation.
UNITAR welcomes a variety of professional backgrounds as well as differing degrees of experience among its participants. The Immersion Programme is therefore open to all actors related to international affairs wishing to build up knowledge and skills related to the United Nations or The Hague as the city of peace and justice.
Participants can include public sector officials, private sector professionals and representatives from NGOs, think tanks or academia. Junior professionals and graduate students are equally welcome to apply.
In order to ensure adherence to health safety standards, registration will be closed after 20 participants. Allocation of slots will be on a first-come, first-served basis. At the end of the Immersion Programme, each participant will be awarded a UNITAR certificate of completion.
UNITAR will be responsible for the overall design, coordination and implementation of the Immersion Programme. It will liaise with participants on a regular basis prior to the activity's implementation in order to ensure a smooth and flawless organization for everyone involved.
The participants are responsible to purchase their own travel tickets to and from The Hague as well as to apply for a visa to the Netherlands. UNITAR gladly supports this process with the help of official visa invitation letters.
UNITAR will further sponsor a welcome dinner for participants, a welcome package including relevant training materials, as well as entry tickets to sights and museums during the activity. For scholarships, kindly email multilateralism [at] unitar.org (multilateralism[at]unitar[dot]org) for further inquiry.
Please read this before registration "I understand that the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) does not insure participants in the above-described activity and I am advised to arrange at my own expense insurance against sickness, accident, permanent or temporary disability, death, and third-party risk for the period of the meeting, including travel time"