Privacy Policy

This privacy statement explains how the United Nations University (UNU) uses data collected from you when you visit and interact with our domain, www.unu.edu, including any of our subdomains (“our Website”).

What data does UNU collect and how does UNU collect and use it?

UNU collects the following data from you when you visit and browse our Website through the use of server logs, cookies, and similar technologies:

Non-personally identifiable data – e.g. IP address, browser information, and the operating system you are using, as well as navigational information such as the files you download, the pages you visit, and the dates/times of those visits are collected.

UNU collects that data to:

Analyse trends, administer our Website, track user movements and gather aggregated broadly defined geographic information;
Email you with products and services you have signed up for or registered for, or to respond to your feedback or enquiry as necessary;
Improve website user experience;
Shape content to better meet the needs of website users; and
Detect, prevent and remediate technical issues

UNU also collects the following information from you when you voluntarily sign up to our newsletter, register for a UNU event, or submit feedback or enquiries on our Contact Us page:

Personally identifiable data – e.g. name, email address, organisation or affiliation (if provided), title/prefix (if provided).

UNU may share aggregated contact, demographic and other data with institutes and programmes in the UNU system.

Subject to certain security measures under the UNU Policy on Personal Data Protection, UNU shares personally identifiable data with third-party service providers or processors to the extent necessary for the proper functioning and performance of our Website or to provide any applicable service.

How does UNU store your data?

UNU stores non-personally identifiable data we collect about you on our third-party hosting provider within the web server and separate from website files. Access to the backend of the web server and its storage system is restricted and monitored.

UNU stores personally identifiable data we collect about you in systems on-premises that operate according to the UNU Policy on Personal Data Protection using third-party service providers that operate within its own privacy policy.

How long will UNU store your data?

UNU will retain your data for the period of time necessary for the proper functioning and performance of our Website or to provide any applicable service, provided that no other legitimate and fair basis of data processing persists under the UNU Policy on Personal Data Protection.

What are your data protection rights?

Subject to certain exemptions under the UNU Policy on Personal Data Protection (see paragraphs 14 and 21 of the UNU Policy on Personal Data Protection), every user of our Website is entitled to the following:

The right to access and verification – You have the right to request access to, and verification of accuracy of, your information.

The right to rectification – You have the right to request correction or completion of inaccurate information.

The right to erasure – You have the right to request erasure of personal data when it is no longer used for legitimate purposes.

How does UNU use cookies?

UNU uses first and third-party cookies in a range of ways to improve your experience on our Website, including:

Understanding how you use our Website;
Optimise user website journeys;
Improve website performance; and
Achieve high availability

What types of cookies does UNU use?

Our Website uses the following types of cookies:

Necessary cookies – to ensure all digital features and services of our Website work correctly. These cookies are required to ensure functionality, security, high availability and accessibility.
Functionality cookies – to recognise you on our Website and remember your previously selected preferences.
Performance cookies – to understand how you interact with our Website by tracking visits and traffic sources. These cookies assist us to improve accessibility and gather information in a way that does not directly identify you.
Advertising cookies – UNU uses these cookies to collect information about your visit to our Website, the content you viewed, the links you followed and information about your browser, device and your IP address. UNU sometimes shares limited aspects of this data with third parties for advertising purposes. This means that when you visit another website, you may be shown advertising based on your browsing patterns on our Website.

How to Manage Cookies

You are free to decline cookies if your browser permits, however, certain Website features may not function as a result.

Links to other websites

This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by our Website. Our Website contains links to other sites. Please note that UNU is not responsible for the privacy practices of these other sites. We encourage users to be aware when they leave our Website, and to read the privacy statements of each and every website that collects personally identifiable information.

UNU’s Privileges and Immunities

In accordance with Article XI.1 of the UNU Charter, UNU enjoys the status, privileges and immunities provided in Articles 104 and 105 of the UN Charter and other international agreements and United Nations resolutions relating to the status, privileges, and immunities of the Organisation. Pursuant thereto, the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations (General Convention), applies to UNU. Under the General Convention, UNU enjoys certain privileges and immunities that are necessary for the fulfilment of its purposes and for the independent exercise of its functions. Nothing in this privacy statement shall be deemed to be a waiver, express or implied, of the privileges and immunities of UNU under international law.

Notification of changes

UNU will post any changes to its privacy statement on this page. This privacy statement was last updated in November 2021.

How to contact us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Statement, the personal data we hold on you, or you would like to exercise one of your data protection rights, please contact us here.