A world class learning space has been established in Bonn, Germany, with the aim of putting the Staff College at the forefront of learning and knowledge for sustainable development. The UNSSC Knowledge Centre fosters inter-agency coherence, and strengthens dialogue and networks within and beyond the UN system. The Centre’s role in inter-agency learning, knowledge sharing, and knowledge management enhances coherence of development interventions and increases operational and conceptual capacity of UN staff as well as representatives from academia, governments, civil society and the private sector. The Knowledge Centre also acts as a second Staff College campus, away from Turin, Italy, and is close to a large number of United Nations staff in Bonn, providing a cost-effective location for the delivery of other regular Staff College courses.

By placing innovation, collaboration, leadership and staff engagement at its core, our UN Lab for Organizational Change and Knowledge (UNLOCK) is working to shift how the UN system learns, thinks and works. The Lab delivered a number of learning interventions designed to connect the entire UN family in advancing organizational change at all levels through advisory services and learning activities.

The College’s partnership approach to learning aligns with the key underpinnings of the 2030 Agenda, which encourage multi-stakeholder engagement and partnerships. Through its collaboration with various institutions, within and beyond the UN system, the College has harnessed the knowledge and expertise of its partners to develop high-quality and novel learning products. Key partners ranged from leading NGOs such as Oxfam, to renowned academic institutes such as Harvard Business School, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, the University of Cape Town and the London School of Economics; to other relevant actors such as the Consensus Building Institute (CBI), the Data Pop Alliance, and the Simpleshow Foundation.

The College attracts a diverse faculty of world-renowned speakers, subject- matter experts, as well as current and former United Nations senior officials who inspire UNSSC learners with knowledge and insights. In this way, the College brings innovative thinking, academic rigour, and context relevancy to bear in building staff capacity to address the most critical issues facing the UN. In 2016 they included, Leymah Gbowee, 2011 Nobel Peace Laureate; Frederik Pferdt, Head of Innovation & Creativity, Google Inc.; Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network; South African artist and former Robben island political prisoner, Lionel Davis; and many others.

The year saw a spike in distance learning attendance. The Staff College attracted 1,311 participants and delivered 35 online courses in 2016, compared to 608 participants and 33 courses in 2015. This is in line with our strategy to gradually transform the institution from one that offered only in-classroom training to a learning hub with a growing portfolio of blended courses and events. We believe that distance learning provides concrete opportunities for a considerable segment of UN staff worldwide to expand their knowledge or sharpen their professional skills, who otherwise may have not been able to attend face-to-face courses.