UNU Council

The UNU Council serves as the governing board of the United Nations University. It is composed of 24 appointed members, who serve six-year terms (in an individual capacity, not as representatives of their countries), three ex officio members (the UN Secretary-General, the UNESCO Director-General and the UNITAR Executive Director) and the UNU Rector. The UNU Council is responsible for devising the principles and policies that govern the University’s operations, and for considering and approving the UNU budget and work programme.

The UNU Council holds a regular session at least once a year, and reports annually to the UN General Assembly, the UN Economic and Social Council and the Executive Board of UNESCO. As of February 2012, the UNU Council had convened fifty-eight times in seventeen countries, welcomed five Rectors and established a number of subsidiary bodies (including the Committee on Finance and Budget; the Committee on Status, Rules and Guidelines; the Committee on the Report of the Council; and the Bureau, which acts as the executive committee of the Council).