to integrate UNITAR's sustainability training into IBU programmes and develop socially conscious global leaders.
4 December 2025, Geneva, Switzerland - On 4 December 2025, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and International Business University (IBU), based in Toronto, Canada, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish a strategic partnership aimed at developing socially conscious, globally competent leaders. This landmark collaboration will embed UNITAR's expert training and sustainability frameworks directly into IBU's academic programmes, empowering a new generation of professionals to drive sustainable prosperity.
Through this partnership, UNITAR and IBU will jointly develop training programmes, capacity-building workshops, and conferences on key sectors such as adult education, green finance, sustainability, and economic development. The collaboration will also explore opportunities to bridge the digital divide, particularly in underserved communities, aligning with UNITAR's mission to enhance global knowledge and skills for a more sustainable future.
IBU will leverage its Centre for Sustainable Business as the academic and innovation hub for all UNITAR-aligned training, applied projects, and the annual sustainability conference. The Centre will coordinate curriculum integration, faculty engagement, and industry collaboration, ensuring that students apply United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to real-world business challenges. This partnership aligns with the SDGs, particularly in promoting quality education (SDG 4), decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), industry, innovation, and infrastructure (SDG 9), and reducing inequalities (SDG 10).
The collaboration aims to drive sustainable economic prosperity across diverse regions by leveraging technology and innovation. The IBU Centre for Sustainable Business will serve as the academic host of the joint sustainability conference, curating SDG-aligned themes, convening international experts, and showcasing student capstone and consulting projects that emerge from the IBU-UNITAR partnership.
Ms. Mihoko Kumamoto, Director of the Division for Prosperity at UNITAR, emphasized,
This partnership with International Business University represents a powerful convergence of academia and multilateral action. IBU brings academic rigour and a forward-thinking curriculum, and by combining this with UNITAR's global training and adult learning expertise, we stand to scale our collective impact by leaving no one behind. Together, we will empower a new generation of business leaders to drive meaningful change and implement sustainable practices that benefit both industry and society at large.
She added,
Achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a shared responsibility, and the business community is an indispensable partner in this global effort. Our core mission at UNITAR is to develop capacities and equip leaders with the knowledge to tackle the world's most pressing challenges. Empowering businesses to integrate sustainability into their core strategies is therefore not just an objective, but a necessity for building a resilient and equitable future.
Dr. Asima Vezina, President and Vice-Chancellor of International Business University, said,
Sustainability is one of the three core pillars of IBU and is prioritized as part of our commitments to ensure graduates from our business university have the knowledge and skills required to support industry with the integration of sustainable practices and SDG's. As such, the Centre for Sustainable Business was created to provide our students and future leaders with the interdisciplinary knowledge and practical skills and tools they need to lead the necessary transformation underway globally toward a more sustainable economy.
She added,
Partnering with UNITAR provides a wonderful collaborative opportunity to scale that mission globally by leveraging the expertise of both partners. In this way we can ensure increased access to environmentally and socially responsible business practices, education and training leaving a positive impact today and in the future.
The MoU underscores both organizations' dedication to empowering a global workforce and ensuring that progress and innovation contribute to sustainable development and the well-being of all communities worldwide.
