United Nations University Institute in Macau (UNU Macau) and Caritas Macau announced a five-year strategic partnership to strengthen cooperation on projects that promote policy as well as practice-relevant research and capacity building activities in the fields of sustainable community development, social innovation, and civil society cyber resilience. In order to achieve these shared objectives, both parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to coordinate their work and synergise efforts on the implementation of projects and other activities of mutual interest through joint research, workshops, conferences, and other modalities.
“We are glad to be signing our first MOU with UNU Macau after our continued collaboration with them on various projects and engagements in the past few years. Through this partnership, we hope to enhance evidence-based practice and scientific support to improve social services and capacity building initiatives in Macao. This also aligns with our objectives of strengthening collaboration with international organisations to establish a platform for networking, information exchange on global issues and ultimately to achieve greater human goals”, said Mr. Pun Chi Meng Paul, Secretary General of Caritas Macau.
“Caritas Macau has been a long-term friend of the Institute. We have many shared interests, such as sustainable community development and social innovation in Macau. We have collaborated on research projects in the past, thanks to Dr Mamello Thinyane’s initiatives. Currently, Caritas is working with us on the Smart City-zen Cyber Resilience project funded by the Science and Technology Development Fund (FDCT) where we aim to explore the role of civil society toward cyber resilience and enhance the cyber resilience preparedness in Macau. We are excited about this partnership with Caritas Macau. As the only United Nations presence in Macau, our Institute is working with local partners to connect Macau with the rest of the world through research and innovation, and helping transform the region into a hub of global technology innovation,” said Dr Jingbo Huang, Director of the United Nations University Institute in Macau.
One of the key initiatives that both organisations will be working on is the Smart City-zen Cyber Resilience project which aims to enhance the cyber resilience of smart city-zens in Macau and around the world as well as involve civil society actors in local preparations against cybersecurity threats. This project was designed to help accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and Macau’s development plans.
