UN System in Brussels


United Nations University - Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU/CRIS) About UNU The United Nations University (UNU) is an international community of scholars engaged in research, postgraduate training and dissemination of knowledge in furtherance of the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. The University seeks to contribute through research and capacity development, to efforts to resolve the pressing global problems of human survival, development and welfare that are the concern of the United Nations, its People and Member States. The University disseminates the knowledge in its activities to the United Nations and its agencies, to scholars and to the public, in order to increase dynamic interaction in the worldwide community of learning and research. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, UNU operates through a decentralised system of research and training centres and programmes around the world. About UNU-CRIS UNU-CRIS, established in Bruges in 2001, is a research and training programme of the United Nations University. UNU is a global network of centres engaged in research and capacity development. Research is conducted by a Bruges-based resident academic staff and associated researchers. UNU-CRIS receives its core funding from the Flemish Government (Kingdom of Belgium). UNU and the Flemish Government have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the College of Europe that arranges an institutional collaboration between UNU-CRIS and the College of Europe. UNU-CRIS collaborates with the College of Europe, Flemish universities and research institutes worldwide. UNU-CRIS specialises in the comparative study of regional integration, monitoring and assessing regional integration worldwide and in the study of interactions between regional organisations and global institutions. Its aim is to generate new and policy-relevant knowledge about new forms of governance and co-operation, and to contribute to capacity building on issues of integration, particularly in developing countries. UNU-CRIS acts as a resource for the UN system with particular links to the UN institutions and agencies. It collaborates with UNESCO, UNCTAD, ILO (Geneva and Turin), the five UN regional economic commissions, UNDPA, UNDESA and UPEACE. While studying regional organisations worldwide, UNU-CRIS established a working relationship with the EC, EUISS, AU, ECOWAS, SADC, ACP and IADB. UNU-CRIS is part of several research networks: it is one of the main initiators and partners of the European Commission’s FP6 GARNET Network of Excellence on the study of Global Governance, Regionalisation and Regulation: the Role of the EU. It is also a partner of the FP6 project SSH Futures on the future of the social sciences and humanities in Europe and is a partner of OBREAL/EULARO, a network set up by 23 academic institutions and research centres in Europe and Latin America with the financial support of the European Commission. UNU-CRIS is located at the premises of Grootseminarie, the former Abby of the Dunes in Bruges, with the support of the Province of West-Vlaanderen. As a UN Agency, UNU-CRIS is also a member of the United Nations Team in Belgium. What does UNU-CRIS do? UNU-CRIS contributes to academic research and capacity-building in the field of regional integration in several research clusters: • Conceptualisation of Comparative Regional Integration Regions occupy a special place in the system of world governance because they can geographically overlap. Such overlapping configurations raise the question of interlinkages between different regions and regionalisation processes. The main research projects that fall under this cluster consider the relations between micro-regions and macro-regional integration and with interregionalism (region-to-region interactions at macro-level). • Monitoring Regional Integration The major objectives of this research cluster are to systematically identify and describe the variety and evolution of regional integration agreements through retrospective monitoring and measurement tools. It also aims to generate innovative ideas and policy options through prospective foresight and forecasting tools. • Global and Regional Security Two main issues are central in this theme: linking regional integration to the broadening of the security concept to ‘human security’ and the renewed debate on the role of regional agencies within the UN. With regard to the first issue, UNU-CRIS research focuses upon regional approaches to conflict prevention, peace-building and peace-keeping activities. For the second issue, UNU-CRIS explores the meaning and promise of a ‘new vision of global security’ that includes regional organisations as the European Union, African Union, etc. • Social Dimensions of Regional Integration This research cluster aims at studying the developments that have taken place in recent years in the field of global social policy and global social governance. Several regional integration bodies, regional agreements and international organisations have identified the need to develop regional social policies to balance economy-driven integration processes with a social policy dimension. UNU in Europe Five UNU centres are located in Europe: www.cris.unu.edu www.merit.unu.edu www.wider.unu.edu www.ehs.unu.edu http://gvu.unu.edu/index.cfm Library UNU Annual report 2006: http://www.unu.edu/publications/annualreports/index.htm UNU-CRIS Annual report 2006: http://www.cris.unu.edu/admin/documents/20070411152339.UNU-CRIS%20annual%20report%202006.pdf Some recent UNU-CRIS publications: A full list of publications of research outcomes can be found on the website www.cris.unu.edu Contact Information: Luk Van Langenhove Director UNU-CRIS Potterierei 72 8000 Bruges, Belgium Tel. +32 50 47 11 00 Fax +32 50 47 13 09 E-mail: director@cris.unu.edu Internet: http://www.cris.unu.edu/