In the 1970s, facing a historical convergence of decolonization issues, development crises, and environmental challenges, the United Nations launched the United Nations University (UNU), an academic think tank that would conduct interdisciplinary research on global problems.
The UNU Charter, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1973, mandates that the University “shall devote its work to research into the pressing global problems of human survival, development and welfare that are the concern of the United Nations and its agencies.”
As a solutions-focused research institution that enjoys “autonomy within the framework of the United Nations,” UNU has been able to maintain academic independence while producing policy-relevant research for the UN system.
Additionally, UNU serves as a bridge between the UN system and international academic communities, as a degree-granting university, and as a capacity builder, focused particularly on the Global South.
A defining trait of UNU over the past half-decade has been its institutional adaptability and agility. From a single headquarters unit in Tokyo that launched in September 1975, UNU has grown into a network of more than a dozen specialized institutes distributed globally, each focused on specific thematic areas.
The 1970s: foundational programmes
Initial UNU programming reflected international concerns of the 1970s: food security, technology transfer, and post-colonial development.
The UNU World Hunger Programme established research networks that focused on systemic analyses of food production, distribution, and nutrition. The program’s approach went beyond immediate hunger relief to examine structural factors affecting food security, while its training components produced cadres of specialists, many of whom subsequently assumed leadership positions in national agricultural and nutrition programs.
The UNU Human and Social Development Programme, meanwhile, expanded the University’s scope to encompass governance, technology transfe,r and legal frameworks.
The 1980s: economic development
The establishment in 1985 of the first UNU research and training center, the UNU World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER) in Helsinki, coincided with intensifying debates over structural adjustment policies and their social impacts.
UNU-WIDER researchers quickly produced influential work on famine and entitlements that challenged prevailing assumptions about food crises. The institute’s analyses, for example, showed that famines often result from distributional failures rather than absolute food shortages — a finding that influenced subsequent UN humanitarian responses and policy frameworks.
During this decade, UNU also positioned itself to address emerging issues before they reached crisis proportions. This anticipatory approach led to initiatives such as the UNU Biotechnology Programme for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Read more about UNU from the 1990s to the present on the UN Today website.
About the Author:
William Auckerman is Senior Editor at UNU Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan.
