The United Nations Institute for Namibia (UNIN) was an educational body set up by the United Nations Council for Namibia from 1976 to 1990. Based in

Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

's capital of

Lusaka Lusaka ( ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zambia. It is one of the fastest-developing cities in southern Africa. Lusaka is in the southern part of the central plateau at an elevation of about . , the city's population was abo ...

, UNIN was the brainchild of

United Nations Commissioner for Namibia United Nations Commissioner for South West Africa was a post created by the United Nations General Assembly ( UNGA) in 1966 to assert the UN's direct responsibility for South West Africa which was then under illegal occupation by apartheid South A ...

Seán MacBride Seán MacBride (26 January 1904 – 15 January 1988) was an Irish Republican activist, politician, and diplomat who served as Minister for External Affairs from 1948 to 1951, Leader of Clann na Poblachta from 1946 to 1965 and Chief of Staff o ...

, the proposal creating UNIN was adopted by the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...

in December 1974.A Future 'University of Namibia'?: The Role of the United Nations Institute for Namibia
by Christian M. Rogerson, 1980,

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press was the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted a letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it was the oldest university press in the world. Cambridge University Press merged with Cambridge Assessme ...

The forerunner to the current

University of Namibia The University of Namibia (UNAM) is a multi-campus public research university in Namibia, and the largest university in the country. It was established by an act of Parliament on 31 August 1992. Background UNAM comprises the following fac ...

, UNIN sought to educate Namibians for roles in an independent Republic of Namibia.

Background

As states across Africa achieved independence, Namibia remained illegally ruled by

Apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. Treated as a fifth province, Namibia did not have its own tertiary educational system. Bantu Education, or purposely inferior education for Black Namibians, was the norm

education in Namibia Education in Namibia is compulsory until the year a learner turns 18.https://www.lac.org.na/laws/annoSTAT/Basic%20Education%20Act%203%20of%202020.pdf There are approximately 1900 schools in Namibia of which 100 are privately owned. Namibian s ...

for Black Namibians. The United Nations Council for Namibia under Seán MacBride put forth a plan in February 1974 for a tertiary educational institution for Namibia in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

, preferably Zambia. On 26 August 1976 ( Namibian Heroes' Day),

President of Zambia The president of the Republic of Zambia is the head of state and head of government of Zambia and is the highest executive authority in the country. The president is elected by popular vote for a five-year term and is responsible for the admin ...

Kenneth Kaunda Kenneth Kaunda (28 April 1924 – 17 June 2021), also known as KK, was a Zambian politician who served as the first president of Zambia from 1964 to 1991. He was at the forefront of the struggle for independence from Northern Rhodesia, British ...

formally inaugurated the institute in Lusaka.

Funding

Funding for UNIN was provided for, on a short-term basis, by the United Nations Fund for Namibia, itself funded by individual government donations and private organizations such as the

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a $25,000 (about $550,000 in 2023) gift from Edsel Ford. ...

Since independence

Closing in September 1990 (6 months after formal independence was achieved), UNIN's files have been transferred to the archival unit at the University of Namibia.

Notable people affiliated with the United Nations Institute for Namibia

Martti Ahtisaari Martti Oiva Kalevi Ahtisaari (, 23 June 1937 – 16 October 2023) was a Finnish politician, the tenth president of Finland, from 1994 to 2000, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and a United Nations diplomat and mediation, mediator noted for his inte ...

, member of the Senate of UNIN from 1975 to 1976; Finnish politician and diplomat *

Hage Geingob Hage Gottfried Geingob (3 August 1941 – 4 February 2024) was a Namibian politician who served as the third president of Namibia from 2015 until his death in February 2024. Geingob was the country's first prime minister A prime minister ...

, founding director from 1975 to 1989,

President of Namibia The president of Namibia is the head of state and head of government of Namibia. The president directs the executive branch of the Government of Namibia, government, acts as chair of the Cabinet of Namibia, Cabinet and is the commander-in-chie ...

* Petrus Damaseb, High Court Judge, CAF and FIFA official * Kalla Gertze, student and future

Congress of Democrats The Congress of Democrats (CoD) is a Namibian opposition party without representation in the National Assembly and was led by Ben Ulenga from 2004 to 2015. It was established in 1999, prior to that year's general elections, and started off w ...

MP * Tsudao Gurirab, earned diploma in Management and Development Studies in 1982, future

MP *

Hidipo Hamutenya Hidipo Livius Hamutenya (17 June 1939 – 6 October 2016) was a Namibian politician. He died aged 77 after a short illness. A long-time leading member of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), Hamutenya was a member of the Cabinet ...

, founding member, deputy director and head of the history and political science department from 1976 to 1981; founding member of opposition party Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) * Albert Kawana, earned diploma in management and development studies in 1979, future SWAPO MP and prominent cabinet member beginning in 2000 * Nangula Mbako, obtained a diploma in development studies and management in 1986; permanent secretary in the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources of Namibia since April 2000 * Ngarikutuke Tjiriange, assistant professor from 1977 to 1982; Minister for Veteran's Affairs of Namibia * Inge Zaamwani, 1981 graduate in development studies, managing director of Namdeb mining venture since 1999.Inge Zaamwani
at the Namibia Institute for Democracy * Martin Andjaba, longest serving Namibian Permanent Representative to the United Nations, and current Namibian Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany.

References

{{Authority control Education in Namibia University of Namibia Education in Lusaka Namibia–Zambia relations Educational institutions established in 1974 Educational institutions disestablished in 1990 UN in Africa 1974 establishments in Africa 1990 disestablishments in Africa 1970s in Zambia 1980s in Zambia 20th century in Lusaka 20th century in Namibia