Third Conference of MoU Universities
Prof. Jayne Mutiga, the Director for the Centre for Translation and Interpretation attended the Third Conference of the Universities that signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management of the United Nations
(DGACM) on cooperation in preparing candidates for the United Nations Language Competitive
Examinations (MoU universities). This conference was held in Shanghai, China from 22 to 24 April 2013 and hosted by signed, Shanghai International Studies University (SISU). The First Conference was hosted by the Universidad de Salamanca in May 2011 and the Second by the Université de Mons in May 2012.
The aim of each MoU Conference is to bring together representatives of DGACM and the MoU universities, as well as other stakeholders, to strengthen ties, compare initiatives and methods in the training of language professionals and discuss and agree on ways to further cooperation within the MoU universities network with a view to creating synergies between the academic training of language professionals and the needs of international organizations, particularly the United Nations. Three themes were chosen for the Third Conference:
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Examination procedures,
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E-learning,
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Continuous learning opportunities for United Nations language staff.
Representatives of 16 MoU universities (out of a total of 22) attended the conference and of the four duty stations of the United Nations (United Nations Headquarters in New York and the United Nations Offices at Geneva, Nairobi and Vienna) attended the Third MoU Conference, together with the representatives of other United Nations entities, the International Annual Meeting on Language Arrangements, Documentation and Publications (IAMLADP), the European Commission and the European Parliament, professional associations and universities that had been invited as observers.
Pictures from the conference are available in the picture gallery.