Key concern

UNSA is currently developing a new, truly innovative platform for the greater community of over 500,000 UN experts world-wide. This platform will allow all those who have a stake in the work in the UN and are committed to its goals and principle:

  1. to showcase their most excellent expertise and work;
  2. to connect with peers and partners from across all sectors, disciplines, levels, professions, regions;
  3. identify new potentials: new talents and ideas, opportunities for partnerships and collaborative action.

We have designed a truly unique tool that will allow our members to take all these actions in just one step. Networking, knowledge-sharing and partnership-building has never been easier!

We have validated the concept and design of our Incubator with now over 60 experts, representing key UN entities such as UN-DPI, Global Compact or UNIDO; global businesses, consultancies and issue / advocacy networks; universities and think tanks; foundation; diplomatic missions; NGOs; and media.

Why a global knowledge platform serving all UN experts?

Over the course of the past 8 years, the UNSA has found that the UN system as a stand-alone field of study and action is widely unrecognized, lacks attention and definition. It is difficult for UN experts, particularly academics, and seldomly rewarding to specialize in the UN. Moreover, the UN expert community is highly diverse and scattered. While realizing these systemic shortcomings and initiating a first-ever substantial exchange on the UN as a field of study, UNSA has been facing an increase in requests: to organize events, lead multi-year research projects, provide better access to UN practitioners, next to individual research-related and other requests, questions, and calls -- all of which stretch beyond UNSA's volunteer capabilities but indicate an ever-growing interest in UN subject matters and related activities.

Why do we want to foster knowledge exchange and partnerships between all kinds of UN experts?

Supported by the findings of a 2012 poll among UNSA members and a subsequent analysis of members' interests, UNSA decided to focus on innovative, excellent UN-focused content and to facilitate expertise-driven collaborative action. We can build upon a highly vibrant community, which, albeit having diverse motivations and interests, is seeking an intensified dialogue and collaboration across all borders. It is against this background and the potential offered by new web technologies that the UNSA co-chairs decided to create a completely new, off-beat platform for excellent UN expert knowledge, serving and featuring all individual UN expert stakeholders.

Please stay tuned or contact us for more information. You are also invited to contribute your ideas and feedback throughout the conceputalization process.