Bhubaneswar: KIIT has signed two international Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with UN Volunteers (UNV) and UN System Staff College (UNSSC) to create global volunteering and leadership opportunities for students of KIIT and KISS.
The agreements were signed during the visit of KIIT and KISS founder Achyuta Samanta to Germany.
According to the university, the partnership with the UNV programme is aimed at providing students with international exposure while encouraging participation in volunteer-driven social initiatives across global platforms.
Dr. Samanta said the initiative would help students contribute meaningfully to society through volunteerism and added that KIIT has become the first university in South Asia to establish such a pathway with UNV for youth volunteering.
During the visit, discussions were also held with UNV leadership on future collaboration in areas linked to youth engagement, service-oriented learning, and global community participation.
In another development, KIIT agreed with the UNSSC through the Nelson Mandela Global Academy for Social Change. The collaboration is expected to support programmes focused on leadership, peace-building, dialogue, social transformation, and humanitarian values for young learners.
Dr. Samanta said education should extend beyond academics and help nurture compassion, responsibility, and a commitment towards humanity. He also thanked the UN bodies for partnering with KIIT and expressed confidence that the collaborations would open new global learning avenues for students of KIIT and KISS.
The MoU signing and related discussions were attended by Louise Chamberlain, Deputy Executive Coordinator of UN Volunteers; Sukhrob Khoshmukhamedov, Chief of External Relations and Communications Section at UN Volunteers; and Silke Weinlich, Deputy Director of Learning and Knowledge Services at UNSSC.
