VIENNA, 30 October 2020 – The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Graduate School of Advanced Integrated Studies in Human Survivability (GSAIS), Kyoto University in Japan, have signed a cooperation agreement on UNIDO’s Internship Programme.

“I firmly believe that internship opportunities can provide students with invaluable experiences to learn how to realize industrial development in developing countries that have different conditions. This time, the agreement between UNIDO and GSAIS, Kyoto University has found a way to do so. I expect that students will obtain wider perspectives by learning policies of the governments and industries and practices of investment and technology transfer. I very much appreciate those who realized this agreement and UNIDO’s kind consideration to arrange internship activities for students who aim to become global leaders,” said Professor Kaoru Takara, Dean of GSAIS.

Shutaro Takeda of the IAEA in Vienna, who was a graduate and former assistant professor at GSAIS, played an instrumental role in realizing this agreement by acting as a conduit between GSAIS and UNIDO, which is also a Vienna-based international organization like the IAEA.

“The aim of UNIDO’s internship programme is for students to gain practical experience in working for an international organization and in particular, to enhance their knowledge of inclusive and sustainable industrial development. It is my sincere hope that internship opportunities at UNIDO will inspire students to pursue a career in international development and become the next generation of leaders of global missions,” said Hiroshi Kuniyoshi, Deputy to the Director General of UNIDO.

On this occasion, Ambassador Takeshi Hikihara of the Permanent Mission of Japan to the International Organizations in Vienna expressed his hope for this agreement to be a stepping-stone for youths to make an innovative contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“Innovation is indispensable in order for us to continue advancing towards the implementation of the SDGs. The COVID-19 crisis has exposed this need even more clearly. We hope that this new partnership between UNIDO and GSAIS, Kyoto University, will encourage motivated youths to work together with UNIDO, and consider innovative ways to achieve these Goals, by making best use of their capacities and cutting-edge knowledge”

The Graduate School of Advanced Integrated Studies in Human Survivability (GSAIS), Kyoto University was established in 2013. GSAIS is a 5-year graduate programme striving to produce top-level global leaders who have the ability to resolve complex and diversified social issues with a strong sense of responsibility, humanity and morality. Internships, fieldwork and project-based research are key components of the programme. Students undergo more than a half-year overseas internship at an international organization or overseas office of a Japanese organization.

UNIDO’s Internship Programme was created in the 1990s, and continues to grow thanks to new partnerships and increased youth involvement in sustainable development projects. The programme provides interns with on-the-job training, exposure to global development issues and opportunities to design innovative solutions.