About Us

The Language and Communications Training Unit

The Language and Communications Training Unit (LCTU) is part of the Capacity Development and Operational Training Service (CDOTS) in the Department of Operational Support (DOS).The Unit has a long-standing expertise in providing training in language learning and written and oral communications skills training for UN contexts and text types.

Since the completion and promulgation of the United Nations Language Framework, the LCTU leads initiatives in support of staff language skills development. This is decisive for a more linguistically-diverse and multilingual workforce.

The LCTU partners with interested entities to provide guidance and services to existing or new language and communications programmes at the local level. The range of specific topics include creating examples, tools and resources aligned with the UN Language Framework, such as language samples illustrating the UN levels. The LCTU is also pioneering initiatives to provide recognition and effective language assessment of proficiencies and fluency.

The Language and Communications Training Unit email contact is dos-cdots-lctu@un.org.

A Long-standing Programme

The New York language programme was created in the 1980s and it has since been a cornerstone in enhancing staff multilingual skills. As time passed, the programme redefined itself, adapting to meet the ever-changing learning needs of UN staff, including offering courses in writing skills to master specific UN texts, e-learning and digital content, emerging technologies and responding to the pandemic outbreak.

What ranks highest is the people. It is always the people, day in and day out, through reforms, restructuring and remodelling.

This includes current or potential language learners, instructors, a range of clients and stakeholders excited to embrace new products. This is essentially everyone who joins us in embracing the value of multilingualism and believes in the positive effects it has on our brains and in our lives as staff members in a multicultural organization.

In 2018, the New York Language Programme’s flagship projects received three nominations to the UN Secretary-General Awards in the Multilingualism category.

  • Supporting gender equality in multilingual contexts - in collaboration with the Department of the General Assembly and Conference Management (DGACM), the former Department of Public Information (DPI) and UN Women
  • Online Language Learning Licenses Programme
  • Harmonization of Language Learning and Assessment throughout the United Nations Secretariat - in collaboration with the UN Office at Geneva. *This project obtained the 2018 Secretary-General Award.

Our Partners

The Language and Communications Training Unit at UNHQ partners with UN entities/teams to provide solutions, tools and services aimed at fostering multilingualism. Some examples of our partnerships and joint projects with both internal and external entities include:

  • Establishing the UN Language Framework and creating applications to mainstream the UN Levels, jointly with the Language Training Programme at the UN Office at Geneva (UNOG) and with the support of other language programmes
  • Developing and publishing UN Guidelines for Gender-inclusive language in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish, in partnership with the Department of General Assembly and Conference Management (DGACM), the Department of Global Communications (DGC) and UN Women
  • Producing exams and grading the Language Proficiency Exam, in partnership with the Special Assessment Section of the Department of Operational Support
  • Organizing the Chinese Summer Immersion Programme, in partnership with Nanjing University and the Centre for Language Education and Cooperation.
  • Advancing innovative projects, such as illustrating the UN levels through video-stories, in partnership with the International Organization of the Francophonie (OIF)
  • Welcoming a Chinese Guest Teacher in cooperation with the Centre for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC); and providing tutoring to Chinese learners in cooperation with the Beijing Language and Culture University and CLEC.
  • Enthusiastically providing opportunities for staff to embrace multilingualism by actively contributing to the Coordinator for Multilingualism efforts and network initiatives

We have long-established agreements with Agencies, Funds and Programmes and UN Secretariat Volunteers for their staff members to be eligible and benefit from the language and communications skills courses.

Our Commitment to Supporting a Multilingual and Diverse Workforce

We provide open access resources for everyone interested in exploring language learning by curating informative packages with tips, strategies and resources to maintain or develop language skills.

We regularly hold open, interactive learning events, workshops and gatherings in celebration of multilingualism that build community to practice our languages and connect with one another.