The importance of regions has grown significantly over the past 25 years, and as the world shifts towards more decentralised multilateralism, we have identified a growing need and desire for a more inclusive structure that reflects the growing importance of regions, recognising their integral role in the current geopolitical era, while also providing an international outlet for their knowledge and allowing them to learn from one another.
To meet this need, we plan to build on the foundation laid by UNU-CRIS and create the UNU Regions Institute, a network of world-class research centres that will work together, utilising knowledge from regions around the world, to build lasting solutions both at home and abroad.
This evolution, from a classical research centre to a decentralised global network of campuses in several key regions, will make UNU Regions the world’s first integrated network of research and policy centres that not only study regional cooperation and multi-level governance but are also actively present and engaged on the ground.
Each UNU Regions campus will be the focal point for the network’s activities in the region and focus on issues of local and regional importance, ensuring value for local communities, while also feeding into an interregional network that seeks to enrich the practice of transboundary cooperation and collective action through regional cooperation and integration, giving local and regional knowledge a global pathway.
