Call for Applications:
Hosted by Narxoz University, Kazakhstan
Sunday, June 21st – Sunday, June 28th, 2026
Almaty, Kazakhstan
The Workshop will be organized by:
- Workshop Director: Prof. Dr. Aigul Kulnazarova, Tama University, Japan, and ACUNS Board
- Workshop Coordinator: Dr. Frank Mattheis, Research Fellow, UNU-CRIS, Belgium
- 2026 Guest Speaker: Prof. Dr. Philippe De Lombaerde, Director, UNU-CRIS, Belgium
- Additional guest speakers to be announced.
ACUNS invites applications from early-career scholars (faculty, doctoral, and postdoctoral researchers) and mid-level professional category staff of the United Nations System and other international or regional organizations for its 2026 Annual Workshop, hosted by Narxoz University, in collaboration with United Nations University Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU-CRIS).
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Sunday, 26 April 2026, 11:59 PM EST
Founded in 1963 as the Alma-Ata Institute of National Economy, Narxoz is a leading private university in Kazakhstan with over six decades of academic excellence, serving as the alma mater for generations of economists, financiers, business executives, policymakers and civic leaders in the region and beyond.
Today, the university offers a diverse range of programs at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels across disciplines including Cybersecurity, Digital Engineering, Digital Management, Ecology and Sustainability, Economics, Finance, HR and Business Planning, Hospitality, International Relations, Law, Management, Marketing, Mass Communications, Political Science, Psychology, Public Administration, Sociology, and Tourism — delivered in Kazakh, Russian, and English. Research and innovation are central to Narxoz’s mission, coordinated through multiple centers including the Sustainable Kazakhstan Research Institute (SKRI), positioning the university as a regional leader in sustainable development. Narxoz also serves as Vice Chair for SDG 16 within the United Nations Academic Impact Hub and maintains over 100 global partnerships across 31 countries, making it one of the most internationally oriented universities in Central Asia.
The theme of the 2026 ACUNS Annual Workshop — The Regional Turn in Global Governance?
Regionalism, Multilateralism, and the Future of Shared Responsibility — explores the interplay
between regionalism and multilateralism, and how these frameworks interact, support, and
challenge in advancing effective global governance structures.
Participants will examine the rising influence of regional bodies across Africa, Asia, Australasia,
Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East, and North America, alongside transregional groupings such as APEC, BRICS+ and G20, and nongovernmental networks.
The theme carries renewed urgency in light of Chapter VIII of the UN Charter, which emphasizes
the role of “regional arrangements” in maintaining international peace and security. Yet, as regional
organizations and transregional groupings expand their mandates and institutional capacities,
increasingly stepping in to fill global governance gaps, pressing questions arise about the evolving
architecture of international cooperation and the future of shared responsibility.
THEMATIC FOCUS
ACUNS invites submissions that engage with one or more of the following dimensions:
- Analyze the theoretical and conceptual foundations of the relationship between regionalism and multilateralism, including questions of sovereignty, subsidiarity, legitimacy, and institutional design, and how these dynamics are being reshaped in a more fragmented and polarized world order.
- Discuss how regional organizations and transregional groupings are redefining the boundaries of shared responsibility in areas such as conflict and cooperation, economic and financial security, climate change and environmental governance, nuclear arms control, and data and AI governance.
- Map the institutional landscape of regional governance across different world regions, identifying patterns of convergence, divergence, and competition among regional bodies and their relationship to the broader UN multilateral system.
- Examine the role of Chapter VIII of the UN Charter as a framework for regional action, including its opportunities and limitations in practice, and the extent to which regional arrangements complement or challenge UN authority.
- Compare how organizations in different regions respond to similar global challenges, and what lessons can be drawn for the future design of multilateral institutions.
- Interrogate the politics of representation and inclusion within regional and transregional governance structures, including questions of voice, equity, and the participation of the Global South in shaping global governance agendas.
Narxoz University will provide single-room accommodation at the campus Guest House, daily lunch, coffee breaks, and transportation from/to the Almaty International airport. ACUNS will offer limited travel grants to individuals from conflict-affected countries and developing regions. All other selected participants will be responsible for their own international travel and visa arrangements.
Applicants are encouraged to verify their visa requirements for the Republic of Kazakhstan prior to completing the application. They may consult the official Visa and Migration Portal of the Republic of Kazakhstan which provides up-to-date information on entry requirements based on nationality. Applicants requiring a visa should indicate this on their application form.
The workshop is intended for both academics and professionals. Eligible applicants include senior doctoral students, postdocs, faculty members, and other academic or research affiliates, as well as mid-level professional category staff of the United Nations system, international and regional organizations, government agencies, and nongovernmental organizations whose work applies to the workshop theme. Selection will be conducted by a committee that will consider balanced geographic representation, disciplinary background, thematic focus, regional expertise, and methodological approach. Relevant aspects of personal background (e.g. region, nationality, and gender) may also be considered as part of ACUNS’ commitment to diversity.
Participation is limited to twenty selected individuals, ideally comprising an even split of ten academics and ten professionals. Selected participants must submit the complete draft of their written work by the end of May. Participants will engage in an intensive week-long workshop, during which they will be guided to produce individual or collaborative outputs such as policy briefs or full-length research articles, all addressing the workshop’s core themes. Ultimately, this intensive workshop will lay the groundwork for a special forum, a dedicated issue, or an edited volume that will capture the workshop’s distinctive blend of academic and policy perspectives.
The working language of the workshop is English.
Eligible candidates should complete the application form by clicking the blue button on this page. You will be asked to provide personal information, as well as details about employment, research, and proposal.
Applicants must provide:
- A summary of their specialized area of knowledge or expertise (250 words).
- A description of how participation will help advance their career goals (250 words).
- A concise proposal for the written work, which they plan to present (500 words).
- CV or resume (max. 2 pages).
- The name and email of an individual who can be contacted as a professional reference.
Applicants will be notified by early May if they have been selected to participate. Due to the high number of applications, the review committee will not be able to provide individual feedback on applications or explanations of its decisions.
- Sunday, 26 April – Deadline for submission of applications (23:59 EST).
- Tuesday, 5 May – Selected applicants notified and sent guidelines for the written work.
- Sunday, 10 May – Deadline for selected applicants to confirm participation.
- Friday, 15 May – Formal invitations issued to confirmed participants.
- Friday, 29 May – Full draft policy briefs or research articles due.
- Sunday, 21 June – Workshop commences.
- Sunday, 28 June, Workshop ends.
Last Updated: Friday, 20 March 2026