GFMC and the United Nations University (UNU)

GFMC Associate Institute of the United Nations University (UNU)


The mission of the United Nations University (UNU) is “to contribute, through research and capacity building, to efforts to resolve the pressing global problems that are the concern of the United Nations, its Peoples and Member States”. UNU is the “Think Tank” of the UN and ranked globally as a Top-Ten Government-Affiliated Think Tank and Top-Ten International Development Think Tank in 2010. The following four key roles represent the core of UNU’s activities

  • An international community of scholars
  • A bridge between the United Nations and the international academic community
  • A think-tank for the United Nations system
  • A builder of capacities, particularly in developing countries
  • a platform for dialogue and creative new ideas

One of the UNU Institutes is the Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNUEHS). UNU-EHS addresses the probability of the occurrence of risks which are the consequence of complex –both acute and latent- environmental hazards. It aims to improve the in-depth understanding of the cause-effect relationships to find possible ways to reduce risks and vulnerabilities. The Institute is conceived to support policy and decisionmakers with authoritative research and information.

Between 2005 and 2014, the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) was an Associated Institute of UNU and a formal partner of UNU EHS. This cooperation is continuing since then on an informal level. The activities of a UNU-GFMC Joint Programme are based on the scope of the UNU mandate as stipulated by the Strategic Directions of UNU. The five thematic areas of UNU, namely, (i) Environment and Sustainability, (ii) Science, Technology and Society, (iii) Development and Poverty Reduction, (iv) Good Governance from Local to Global, and (v) Peace and Security are receiving GFMC contributions from the in a cross-cutting and synergetic way.

The contribution of the GFMC to the UNU-EHS mandate includes applied research for the development of concepts for capacity building in advanced wildland fire management. Depending on projects and requests the GFMC services aim to cover:

  • Methods of science and technology transfer for application in local fire management (wildland fire prevention, preparedness, suppression, rehabilitation) under different cultural, socio-economic and ecological environments
  • Methods and application of people-centred fire management (Community-Based Fire Management)
  • Development of national strategies and policies for wildland fire management, including legislation
  • Development of standards for international cooperation in wildland fire management (common terminology, standard procedures for cooperation in wildland fire emergencies)
  • Training courses for international wildland fire management specialists, including experts for assessment and intervention missions

GFMC cooperates closely with the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS), a leading research and teaching institute based in Tokyo, Japan. Its mission is to advance efforts towards a more sustainable future, through policy-oriented research and capacity development focused on sustainability and its social, economic and environmental dimensions. At Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia, UNU-IAS is hosting the

Documents about the cooperation / affiliation agreement:

Photographs of the ceremony of signing the agreement between the United Nations University (UNU) and the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry / Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) for Participation as an Associated Institution of the United Nations University.

Signing ceremony of the cooperative agreement between UNU and the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry /Global Fire Monitoring Center. From left: Meinrat O. Andreae (Director, Biogeochemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry) and Hans J.A.Van Ginkel (Rector, UNU) (sitting); Johann G. Goldammer (Director, GFMC) and Janos Bogardi (Director, UNU EHS)

In front of the UNU Institute for Environment und Human Security (EHS), from left to right: Meinrat O. Andreae, Johann G. Goldammer, Janos Bogardi, Hans J.A. Van Ginkel and Günter Klein (UNU EHS consultant) 

In front of the UNU Institute for Environment und Human Security (EHS): UNU EHS staff with signatory parties


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