This report covers the year 2006 and contains, as mentioned in the MOU:

• An overview of the scientific activities carried out;
• A detailed financial overview of all income and expenditure;
• The envisaged use of possible budget transfers;
• A self-assessment of the progress realised with a reference to the strategic directions 2005-2009 of UNU-CRIS;
• The performance realised in terms of scholarly output, capacity building and policy impact;
• A self-assessment of the impact generated by the activities of UNU-CRIS;
• An assessment of the societal relevance of the research carried out by UNU-CRIS;
• A quantitative and qualitative projection of the performance objectives for the subsequent year.

Being part of the United Nations University, the work of UNU-CRIS has been guided by the UNU Strategic Directions 2005-2008, as adopted by the UNU Council. Within that framework, the Council in its 52nd Session in December 2005, adopted the UNU-CRIS academic programme and budget for the biennium 2005-2006.

In 2006, following the UNU-CRIS Scientific Advisory Committee, the portofolio of UNU-CRIS activities and projects have been organised into five priority themes:

• Monitoring and Assessing Regional Integration worldwide
• The Political Dimensions of Regions and Systems of World Governance
• Interlinkages between Regional Integration and Peace and Human Security Issues
• Interlinkages between Regional Integration and Social and Economic Development
• Perceptions, Cultures and Regional Integration

For each of these themes, activities are deployed that stress the overall UNU-CRIS perspective, which is: the study of the relations between micro- and macro-regions and the study of the interlinkages between the different levels of integration.

The global relevance of UNU-CRIS’ academic output is increasing. This has been reflected in the fact that in the UN Secretary-Generals 2006 report of the Organisation a reference was made to UNU-CRIS:

“Our joint working groups have also decided to enlist the support of the United Nations University’s comparative regional integration studies programme to study the organisational, operational and resource capacities of partner organizations in the maintenance of peace and security. Meanwhile, I have moved to ensure that the Secretariat itself is adequately resourced to service the strengthening partnership”.

Also, in the Secretary-Generals’ report to the Security Council, UNU-CRIS was mentioned:

“The preliminary results of the survey on the capacities of partner organizations conducted by the United Nations University Comparative Regional Integration Studies programme have shown that capacity exists in conflict prevention both in constitutional mandates and operational mechanisms in all such organizations. This holds great potential for building an effective interactive process between the United Nations and its partners”.
 

Luk Van Langenhove
Director UNU-CRIS