Memorandum of Understanding - Between the United Nations and the University of Westminster - Cooperation in Training of Candidates for Competitive Language Examinations

Sep 11, 2026

Upload by Rowan

Memorandum of Understanding sets out cooperation between the United Nations and the University of Westminster on training students for the UN’s competitive language examinations. It defines the UN’s responsibilities, including providing training materials, advising on curriculum structure, assigning staff for workshops and teaching, and supporting internships and orientation seminars. It also specifies the University’s obligations to adapt or create training programmes aligned with six UN official languages and to ensure students understand that recruitment requires passing the competitive examinations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLetters

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

ARTICLE 1

Purpose

ARTICLE 2

Responsibilities of the UN

ARTICLE 3

Responsibilities of the University

ARTICLE 4

Use of the Name and Emblem of the UN

# MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDINGBETWEEN THE UNITED NATIONS AND # UNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER ON # COOPERATION IN TRAINING OF CANDIDATESFOR COMPETITIVE LANGUAGE EXAMINATIONS o sMs # MEMORANDUMOFUNDERSTANDING BETWEENTHE UNITED NATIONSANDUNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER ON COOPERATION IN TRAINING OF CANDIDATESFOR COMPETITIVE LANGUAGE EXAMINATIONS This Memorandum of Understanding(hereinafter"MOU")is madebetween the United Nations,an international intergovernmental organizationfounded by its Member States,pursuant to the Charter of the United Nations,signed on 26 June 1945(hereinafter the “UN”),represented by its Department forGeneral Assembly and Conference Management (hereinafter “DGACM”)andUniversity of Westminster,London,the United Kingdom of Great Britain andNorthern Ireland (hereinafter the“University”). WHEREAS,for the past several years,international organizations thatemploy language professionals globally have been confronted with increasingshortages of qualified conference interpreters and conference translators,especially for certain language combinations, WHEREAS,the UN has been making consistent efforts to address thisproblem by,inter alia,sharing with various educational institutions informationabout its competitive language examinations and employment opportunities fortheir qualified graduates; WHEREAS,the General Assembly,in its resolution 62/225¹,requestedthe Secretary-General to continue to address the issue of succession planning byenhancing internal and external training programmes,developing staff exchangeprograrnmes between organizations and participating in outreach to institutionsthat train language staff for international organizations;and sMs WHEREAS,the University has Masters programmes to train students tobecome professional conference interpreters and conference translators,andwishes to cooperate with the UN in preparing its students to language careers inthose fields; NOW,THEREFORE,the UN and the University(hereinafter separatelyreferred to as a "Party"and jointly referred to as the "Parties")have agreed onthe following: ## ARTICLE 1 Purpose Subject to the terms and conditions of this MOU,the Parties agree to cooperatein programmes with the aim of training students to take the competitive languageexaminations organized by the UN (hereinafter the “Training Programmes”). ## ARTICLE 2Responsibilities of the UN The UN shall: ·Subject to the prior written approval of relevant texts by the UN,allowthe University to state in its course prospectuses or promotionalmaterials that Training Programmes are geared,in particular,topreparing students to take the competitive language examinationsorganized by the UN and to state that parts of the TrainingProgrammes have been developed in cooperation with the UN; ·Subject to a request by the University,provide training materials (e.g.,texts of speeches,documents and sound recordings of speeches,terminological and reference materials); ·Subject to a request by the University,provide a description of thesubject matters relevant to the UN language services so that theUniversity may provide a list of its faculty members possessingexpertise in those fields (see Article 3); 1A/RES/62/225 (http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N07/477/27/PDF/N0747727.pdf?OpenElement). a sms ·Subject to a request by the University,advise on the structure andcontent of curricula for the Training Programmes and assist indeveloping course modules and teaching materials; ·Subject to a request by the University,assign UN staff to conducttraining in the form of,for example,workshops,lecture series,andmaster-classes,the details of which would be agreed upon by theParties in advance in writing; ·Subject to a request by the University,provide UN staff to participateas observers for end-of-course examinations in the TrainingProgrammes,to be agreed upon by the Parties on a case-by-casebasis,and subject to the conclusion of separate agreements; ·Subject t

FAQs

What is the purpose of this Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)?

The MOU establishes cooperation aimed at training students to take the UN’s competitive language examinations.

What responsibilities does the United Nations assume under the agreement?

The UN provides or enables training materials, advises on curriculum and course modules, assigns staff for training activities, and supports arrangements such as internships and orientation seminars.

What responsibilities does the University of Westminster have in the training cooperation?

The University adapts or creates training programmes leading to a master’s degree in conference interpretation and/or translation across the UN’s six official languages, disseminates examination announcements, and informs students that recruitment still depends on passing the UN competitive examinations.

Sep 11, 2026

Upload by Rowan