UNITAR and United Co-Creation Lab Sign MoU to Bridge Generational Gap in Global Decision-Making

22 November 2024, Geneva/New York – On 12 November 2024, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the United Co-Creation Lab formalized their partnership through a comprehensive memorandum of understanding, in a significant move towards inclusive global governance. The two entities already collaborated on a side event to the Summit of the Future Action Days, held on 20 September 2024 in New York, where the United Co-Creation Lab was launched and youth leaders and global policymakers discussed the potential of co-creation in shaping an inclusive and sustainable future.

The collaboration aims to revolutionize how young people and global leaders can work together to address pressing world challenges. Co-creation, grounded on human rights principles, is an ethically driven innovation and informal learning process that fosters engagement, democratic understanding, and equality across generations and cultures. It enhances innovation to further everyone’s creative world citizenship. 

Intergenerational and intercultural co-creation is particularly powerful in fostering innovation and democratic engagement because it focuses on solving real-world problems that no single generation can solve on its own. Moreover, these processes ensure that all participants, regardless of age or background, are treated as equals. Embracing this diversity amplifies innovation, leading to outcomes that are more impactful and inclusive.

Under the new agreement, both organizations will develop and implement evidence-based methods for ethical co-creation across generations and cultures. United Co-Creation Lab will take the lead in developing research-based methodologies and creating an Open Source Toolbox, while UNITAR will spearhead the Train-the-Trainer (ToT) programme implementation.

This partnership exemplifies UNITAR's commitment to innovative approaches in capacity-building and decision-making. By bringing together young voices with experienced leaders, we're creating a powerful platform for developing sustainable solutions to global challenges. And we will build on the call heard most recently during the Summit of the Future to meaningfully engage with the young generation." —Mr. Nikhil Seth, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UNITAR