Dec 2023: UN SDG:Learn Retreat “Transforming Sustainable Development Learning on the way to the Summit of the Future”.
UN SDG:Learn
8 December 2023, Geneva, Switzerland - To celebrate a milestone of the partnership and to strategize the way forward, UN SDG:Learn partners gathered for a Retreat “Transforming Sustainable Development Learning on the way to the Summit of the Future”.
July 2023: 2023 HLPF VIRTUAL SIDE EVENT "UN SDG:LEARN: A ONE UN+ INITIATIVE TO TRANSFORM SKILLSETS AND MINDSETS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT"
On 10 July 2023, UN SDG:Learn partners teamed up for a virtual side event during the 2023 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) on the following theme: "UN SDG:Learn: A One UN+ initiative to transform skillsets and mindsets for sustainable development”. The main focus of the event was about the importance of education in driving change and empowering individuals for sustainable development. UN SDG:Learn partnership, which aims to improve access to quality learning opportunities worldwide and promote sustainable and inclusive development, is an example of One UN+ approach to addressing this challenge that no single entity could meet alone.
June 2023: CAN INNOVATION HELP ACCELERATE THE CROSS-CUTTING SDG COMPETENCIES AGENDA?
June 2023, Geneva, Switzerland - Halfway down the road, we still have a long way to go to reach the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. On some goals, we fell behind due to the COVID-19 pandemic which taught us one important thing: actions and policies cannot be developed in silos. While a wildlife issue can have effects on public health, measures in this area may in turn affect the economy, access to education and other health services and contribute to gender-based violence. They can also have short-term and longer-term effects on the environment – and all this with complex effects across countries, regions and time. Anticipating and understanding the effects of actions across different policy areas and geographies has been a challenge for all: be it a policy-maker, businessperson, care-provider, scientist, civil society advocate or just as an individual. The COVID-19 response has been a glaring demonstration of how important it is for all stakeholders to fully embrace the eight core cross-cutting SDG or sustainability competencies defined by UNESCO - systems-thinking, anticipatory, normative, strategic, critical thinking, self-awareness, collaboration, and integrated problem-solving as an overarching competency.
April 2023: LEARNING SESSION AT 2023 WDF “THE FIVE “WS” OF CITIZEN SCIENCE OR CITIZEN GENERATED DATA
UNITAR
27 April 2023, Hangzhou, China - UNITAR’s 2021 and 2023 survey among the National Statistical Offices and Systems (NSOs and NSSs) and international organizations, conducted as part of the EC-Funded Crowd4SDG project, showed that 31% of respondents were aware of citizen science data (CSD) projects run by their NSOs in 2023 compared to only 17% in 2021. The awareness of citizen science (CSD) or citizen-generated data (CGD) is growing, and so are the questions on how such data could be collected and used for the monitoring of progress on sustainable development. To shed some light and shine a spotlight on the use of CSD, on 27 April 2023, UNITAR organized a learning session “The Five “Ws” of citizen science or citizen-generated data” during the 2023 World Data Forum (2023 WDF) in Hangzhou, China. The session focused on rigorous studies and findings of the Crowd4SDG project that explored the potential of such data for monitoring the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), more closely on the impacts of climate change (SDG 13) and in relation to SDG 11, 5, and 16 in its three years’ run.
April 2023: LEARNING SESSION AT 2023 WDF “LEARNING AND TEACHING OFFICIAL STATISTICS WITH THE HELP OF UN SDG:LEARN”
26 April 2023, Hangzhou, China - Tremendous amounts of data generated every day represent significant opportunities for National Statistical Systems (NSS) to improve the timeliness, granularity and quality of information about our societies. Yet, many NSOs, particularly in developing countries, struggle to ensure they have sufficient staff with relevant competencies to harness these opportunities or at times even to produce basic statistics. Building sustainable statistical programs at the national level can help strengthen the capacities of staff of the NSOs and NSS over short, medium and long-term to achieve their priorities. This is also crucial for ensuring consistency and effectiveness in human resource investments, and can draw on a mix of globally available e-learning and nationally tailored training solutions. Finding relevant e-learning, however, may not always be easy due to a multitude of providers.
February 2023: UNITAR’S SUPPORT TO CYPRUS TO IMPLEMENT AND MAINSTREAM SDGS IN THE NATIONAL POLICY FRAMEWORK
UNITAR
In a collaborative endeavour spanning from December 2020 to February 2023, the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) joined forces with the Directorate-General for Growth within the Ministry of Finance in Cyprus and the DG Reform of the European Commission to execute a project generously funded by the European Commission, aptly titled "Implementation and Mainstreaming of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the National Policy Framework" in Cyprus.
February 2023: "DATA ANALYSIS TO INFORM SDG FORMULATION AND EVALUATION" PROGRAMME
On the 20th of December 2022, UNITAR launched its latest initiative, the "Data analysis to inform SDG formulation and evaluation" programme. Tailored for public officials overseeing planning and evaluation, researchers seeking to delve into public policy evaluation, evaluators aiming to enhance their quantitative skills, and professionals requiring strengthened statistical and causal inference abilities, the programme stands as a comprehensive online training opportunity.
December 2022: THE HANDBOOK ON MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF NATIONAL STATISTICAL SYSTEMS
December 2022, Geneva, Switzerland - Over the past months, UNITAR has been supporting UN Statistics Division in developing an e-version of the Handbook on Management and Organization of National Statistical Systems. It is launched now and available on UNSD's website.
December 2022: CHANGEMAKER SCAN IS ON UN SDG:LEARN NOW
December 2022, Geneva, Switzerland - UN SDG:Learn is featuring a new tool “Changemaker Scan” developed by Ubiquity University. It is a self-appraisal for you to build your changemaker profile in 8 SDG cross-cutting competencies defined by UNESCO!
July 2022: Presenting UN SDG:Learn's SDG Fitness Test, 2022 HLPF
12 July 2022, Geneva, Switzerland, Paris, France, New York, USA – UNITAR participated in Learning Session 9 on Innovative tools for target setting, peer learning and policy dialogue on SDG 4 and SDG competencies. This session is organized by UNDESA and UNITAR - SDGs Learning, Training and Practice Center – during the 2022 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (2022 HLPF). The event brought together UN experts, academics, and government actors to discuss education and the Sustainable Development Goals as well as showcase their experiences in integrating the SDGs into innovative pedagogical tools, educational programs, and policies.
This event also provided UNITAR the opportunity to present the work of UN SDG:Learn and present its new product, the SDG Fitness Test.
July 2022: 2022 HLPF Side Event "Enabling Small Island States to Achieve the SDGs Through More Forward-looking and Holistic Planning and Governance"
On 13 July 2022, during the 2022 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) organized jointly with the Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA/DPIDG) a virtual side event entitled "Enabling small island states to achieve the SDGs through more forward-looking and holistic planning and governance".
May 2022: Presenting UNDESA-UNITAR’s analytical paper at Multi-Sector Policy Dialogue between the Government of Seychelles and UNCT
UNCT
19 May 2022 - The First Multi-Sector Policy Dialogue between the Government of Seychelles and the United Nations Country Team provided space for discussing areas of focus for the UN’s support for the implementation of national development strategies and SDGs, as well as the areas of focus for the next Strategic Partnership Framework. On this occasion, UNITAR’s representative had an opportunity to present to the Ministers of the Seychellois Government and UN Regional and Country Directors UNDESA-UNITAR’s analytical paper illustrating the use of system thinking and how it can be used to bridge long-term priorities and immediate needs as part of an integrated planning approach.
April 2022: Asia-Pacific Stats Café Series: Demand-driven Data Planning Tools
11 April 2022 - Policymakers and Data producers tend to work in silos, disconnected from one another, preventing them to benefit from the synergies and benefits collaborative efforts would bring, especially to advance the SDGs and ensure No One is Left Behind.
To address this disconnect, UNESCAP, PARIS21 and UNITAR respectively developed EPIC, ADAPT and StaTact, three free-standing and complementary data-planning tools intervening at different stages of the data production process and concerned with multi-stakeholder collaboration.
April 2022: UNECE 2022 RFSD SIDE EVENT "MAKING THE MOST OUT OF CITIZEN SCIENCE DATA TO MONITOR SDGS"
6 April 2022 - This virtual side event organized by UNITAR, as part of the Crowd4SDG project, brought together passionate stakeholders involved with Citizen Science Data (CSD). Speakers shared their experience working with citizen scientists, as well as enabling the use of CSD by National Statistical Offices and Systems (NSOs and NSSs).
April 2022: Launch of Massive Open Online Course “Develop & Implement STI for SDGs Roadmaps - Level I”
UNDESA, UNITAR
On the 5th of April 2022 - As an important input to the 7th STI Forum, to celebrate the launch of the Massive Open Online Course Develop and Implement Science Technology and Innovation for SDG Roadmaps - Level I, developed by UNITAR and UNDESA's Division of Sustainable Development Goals (UN DESA/DSDG), partners and stakeholders gathered online and discussed its significance, journey and the road ahead for the United Nations Inter-agency Task Team on Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs (IATT).
March 2022: INNOVATIVE CITIZEN SCIENCE PROJECTS FOR GENDER-DISAGGREGATED DATA
UNITAR has been supporting several projects focused on generating citizen science data during the 2nd GEAR Cycle of the Crowd4SDG. The projects focused specifically on SDG 13 and SDG 5 data.
February 2022: UN SDG:LEARN BLOGS - NEW SERIES ON SMES AND SDGS
Robert Marinkovic
February 2022 - UN SDG:Learn is very glad to announce the launching of the Second Series of the UNSDGLearn Blog, "SMEs and the Implementation of the SDGs".
This Series will shine a light on Small and Mediums Enterprises (SMEs), their realities and the challenges they face as well as their philosophies, level of involvement and opportunities in regards to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
December 2021: MOOC ON SDG-ALIGNED BUDGETING
December 2021 - United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have developed a new self-paced Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) "SDG-aligned Budgeting". It aims to build the capacity of countries to foster policy coherence by anchoring the SDGs in the national budgets; develop nationally tailored approaches, apply best practices and tools to align budgeting with SDGs and national priorities, and enhance the Parliaments’ engagement.
December 2021: Third UN SDG:Learn Steering Group meeting
On the 2nd of December 2021, UNITAR hosted the third meeting of UN SDG:Learn Steering Group entirely online. The meeting was co-organized with the UN System Staff College (UNSSC).
November 2021: MICROLEARNING VIDEOS
November 2021 - UNITAR joined forces with several partners to develop microlearning videos on the topics of policy coherence, human rights-based approach to data, data quality, and official statistics among others.
November 2021: NEW MODULE ON LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND
November 2021 - A new Module focusing on “Leaving no one behind: Approaches, tools and best practices to promote meaningful engagement of all stakeholders in the implementation and follow up of the 2030 Agenda” of the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Strengthening Stakeholder Engagement for the Review and Implementation of the 2030 Agenda is now available.
October 2021: MOOC ON INFRASTRUCTURE ASSET MANAGEMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Fernando Granados Franco
11 October 2021 - United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) at Columbia University have launched a new Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Infrastructure Asset Management for Sustainable Development. The course was developed based on the UN publication “Managing Infrastructure Assets for Sustainable Development: A Handbook for Local and National Governments” – the result of a joint collaboration of UN DESA, UNCDF and UNOPS.
October 2021: The World Data Forum "Statistics and Data Smart: Innovative solutions for increasing statistical literacy of the general public"
UNITAR
On the 6th of October 2021, Bern, Switzerland, during the 2021 World Data Forum (WDF), UNITAR, UN Statistics Division (UNSD) and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) organized, in collaboration with the Global Network of Institutions for Statistical Training (GIST), organized a hybrid session “Statistics and Data Smart: Innovative solutions for increasing statistical literacy of the general public”. Conversations focused on strategies and initiatives to improve statistical literacy of different stakeholders from children, journalists to policy-makers and business people as well as citizens at large and promote effective use of data in support of better societies.
September 2021: UN SDG:LEARN BLOG AND PODCAST SERIES
Mans Nilsson
September 2021 - UN SDG:Learn launched its Blog and Podcast series featuring unique organic contact with inputs from various experts.
September 2021: Strengthening the competencies of policy makers for better use of data in public policy design
September 2021 - UNITAR, as a member of the Global Network of Institutions for Statistical Training (GIST), has recently published an article entitled “Strengthening the competencies of policymakers for better use of data in public policy design” in the Statistical Journal of the International Association for Official Statistics (IAOS).
August 2021: CLIMATE CHANGE & GENDER – HOW CAN CITIZENS HELP TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES AROUND THEM?
August 2021, Geneva, Switzerland - Crowd4SDG launched the second GEAR Cycle of the project. This year’s GEAR Cycle focuses on two Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – SDG 13 on Climate Change and SDG 5 on Gender Equality. GEAR Cycles include four phases in its implementation: Gather, Evaluate, Accelerate and Refine. The first phase, Gather, kicked off in August with the launch of a call for projects for Open Seventeen (017). This year’s call focused on projects tackling the many challenges related to climate change and gender issues, with the application of crowdsourcing solutions.
July 2021: 2021 HLPF side event "How can citizens contribute through innovation towards the implementation and tracking progress on the SDGs?"
UNITAR, CROWD4SDG
12 July 2021, Geneva, Switzerland - Achieving SDGs is the responsibility of not only governments but of everyone else – every citizen. There are several ways to do so. Support with data collection and monitoring of progress on SDG implementation is one of them. National Statistical Offices (NSO) have been experimenting with different new sources of data to bridge the data gaps to be able to track progress on the SDGs. This side event, on 12 July 2021, on the sidelines of the 2021 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) aimed to demonstrate how exactly citizens can make their contributions through innovative solutions and how such citizen science or citizen-generated data can be of use to the National Statistical Offices (NSO)s. The event was organized by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) together with members of the Crowd4SDG Consortium, University of Geneva, Politecnico di Milano, CERN, Spanish National Research Council, and Université de Paris.
July 2021: SDG Learning session: Integrating Recovery Planning from COVID-19, Building Resilience and Strengthening Policy Coherence Towards the SDGs
UNDESA, UNITAR
On the 7th of July 2021, UNDESA and UNITAR, jointly with CANEUS, FILAC, UNOOSA and GNDR, organized a session entitled “Integrating recovery planning from COVID-19, building resilience and strengthening policy coherence towards the SDGs” as part of the SDGs Learning, Training & Practice Center’s learning sessions on the sidelines of the 2021 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). It was an opportunity to present the new UNDESA-UNITAR course “Integrated Recovery Planning and Policy Coherence Towards the SDGs” to policy-makers and other stakeholders.
May 2021: Unleashing the potential of citizen science data for monitoring the SDGs. Crowd4SDG Panel Discussion and Call for NSO challenges
UNITAR, Crowd4SDG
On 27th May 2021, United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), which is a partner in the EU-funded Crowd4SDG project, organised a panel discussion “Unleashing the potential of citizen science data for monitoring the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” as part of the Crowd4SDG project. The panel had a two-fold objective – to disseminate emerging good practices among National Statistical Offices (NSOs) and National Statistical Systems (NSSs) on leveraging citizen science for monitoring progress on SDGs and related national and local level objectives, and to create space for discussing the needs of NSOs that could be addressed through concrete citizen science projects using a challenge-based approach.
April 2021: UNEP, UNSIAP and UNITAR Massive Open Online Course "Environmental SDG Indicators"
UNITAR
UNEP, UNSIAP and UNITAR are delighted to announce a new self-paced e-learning course – “Environmental SDG indicators”. Targeted primarily towards National Statistical Offices, Ministries of Environment, civil servants, and other stakeholders that support broader national sustainable development monitoring and decision making. The course comprises 10 individual modules, that provide an overview of all 25 SDG indicators under UNEP custodianship, due to vast thematic knowledge, each module can be regarded as a stand-alone module and taken individually.
March 2021: INFF and Budgeting for the 2030 Agenda: Financing Sustainable and Inclusive Recovery [Regional training for Asia-Pacific region]
UNITAR
From 29th to 30th March 2021, UNITAR, ESCAP, UNDP, and UNDESA teamed up for a virtual training on the Integrated National Financing Frameworks (INFF), held over 3 half-days. Titled “Integrated National Financing Frameworks (INFF) and Budgeting for the 2030 Agenda: Financing Sustainable and Inclusive Recovery”, the first day took a deep dive into the INFF building block on integrated financing strategies, including country cases and practical experiences based on DFA findings. The second and the third days focused on the alignment of budgeting processes with nationally determined SDG priorities. 382 participants attended the training sessions, coming from 39 Asia-Pacific and 7 other countries working in national governments, UN and international organizations, think tanks, civil society organizations, private sector, and academia.
March 2021: UNECE Regional Sustainable Development Forum - StaTact side event
UNITAR
On March 15, 2021, UNITAR and UN Statistics Division conducted a side event – “Adjusting statistical activities with StaTact to monitor the SDGs for a COVID-19 recovery and acceleration of the 2030 Agenda” – as part of the UNECE Regional Sustainable Development Forum 2021. Attended by over 50 participants, the side event consisted of three segments – first, an introduction of the platform and its principles: second, a demonstration of StaTact, and third, sharing of a practical country experience where StaTact has been utilized.
March 2021: INFFs and Budgeting for the 2030 Agenda: Financing Sustainable and Inclusive Recovery
UNITAR
21 March 2021, Geneva, Switzerland - The need for an integrated approach to financing is greater now than it has ever been – to build forward better within the context of deep socio-economic impacts and rapid changes across the financing landscape that have been triggered by the COVID-19 crisis.
Building on the successful experience of the pilot training held for North and Central Asian countries in January 2021, UNITAR, ESCAP, UNDP, and UNDESA have teamed up - in collaboration with the country-led platform Asia-Pacific SDG Finance Facility (APFIN) - to create a knowledge sharing and learning space for Asia-Pacific countries to share experiences related to strengthening INFFs and to learn about possible approaches and steps for choosing the right approach to align budgets with the SDGs.
January 2021: INFF for Sustainable Recovery from the COVID-19 Crisis and for Achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development [Subregional training for NCA countries]
UNITAR
Between 18-27 January 2021, UNITAR, UNESCAP, UNDP, and UNDESA jointly organized a Subregional Introductory Training for Countries of North and Central Asia on Integrated National Financing Frameworks (INFF) for Sustainable Recovery from the COVID-19 Crisis and for Achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
With the beginning of the decade of delivery for the 2030 Agenda, mobilisation of finance for the SDGs remains a challenge. The Covid-19 pandemic and the economic disruption it has caused has exacerbated this challenge and threatened the trajectories of countries’ long-term development plan. As the focus now begins to turn towards ensuring a sustainable recovery from the economic shock caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the training aimed to share knowledge and build capacity within the INFF steering committees and core ministries of the nine North and Central Asian countries on how to design and implement a coordinated approach to financing the 2030 and Addis Ababa Action Agendas.
December 2020: National StaTact Workshop for the Philippine Statistics Authority
UNITAR
On three dates in December 2020 (7, 10, 11), UNITAR and UN Statistics Division hosted an online workshop for the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on the uses and applications of the updated StaTact online tool for resolving short-term tactical data problems.
December 2020: New Features of UN SDG:Learn
UNITAR
December 2020, Geneva, Switzerland - We are pleased to announce that UN SDG:Learn has new functionalities that allows users to register on the platform and get recommendations on the learning and make own learning lists. In addition, one get certified on SDG Primer test directly on the platform.
November 2020: Collaborative StaTact Webinars to deal with emerging data problems
UNITAR
In November 2020, UNITAR hosted – in collaboration with the UN Statistics Division - three regional online workshops for the Latin American, African and Asian regions to demonstrate the use of the updated, collaborative StaTact platform to respond to new challenges that have arisen as a result of the COVID-19 crisis and to make necessary adjustments to the annual statistical programmes of work. This was followed by the presentation of StaTact during the Webinar of the Global Network of Data Officers and Statisticians by UNITAR and UNSD on 8 December 2020.
July 2020: UNICEF, UNECA and UNITAR side event on Embedding Evaluation in Voluntary National Reviews during 2020 HLPF
On 14 July 2020, UNICEF, UNECA and UNITAR organized an online side event “Strengthening National Capacities for the World We Want – Embedding Evaluation in Voluntary National Reviews” during the virtual 2020 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). The event aimed to explore and promote the use of evaluative thinking and evidence within Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs). Representatives from UNICEF, UNECA and UNITAR were joined by panelists from several African countries to share their experiences and the challenges and opportunities they have faced in their VNR and evaluation processes.
May 2020: CROWD4SDG - A New Project on Citizen Science to Monitor Climate Impacts and Achieve Climate Resilience
Launched on 20 May 2020, a new consortium project Crowd4SDG will aim to examine opportunities for leveraging citizen science for monitoring climate impacts and achieving climate resilience. It is Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Action supported by the European Commission's Science with and for Society (SwafS) programme. In addition to UNITAR, the consortium coordinated by the University of Geneva (UNIGE) includes a number of other leading European research centers and University: Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Polytechnic University of Milan (POLIMI), Center for Research and Interdisciplinarity of University of Paris (UPD) and CERN.
November 2019: First UN SDG:Learn Steering Group meeting
UNITAR
21 November 2019, Geneva, Switzerland - On 21 November 2019, UNITAR hosted the first meeting of UN SDG:Learn Steering Group in Geneva, organized together with the UN System Staff College (UNSSC). The Steering Group is composed of representatives of 51 partner organizations, making up 53 UN SDG:Learn partners in total with UNITAR and UNSSC. The main objective of the meeting was to jointly discuss the ways forward in terms of leveraging UN SDG:Learn to amplify each organizations’ efforts in serving the needs of their target audiences, sharing experiences and innovative approaches on delivering effective learning, as well as promoting synergies across the work of partners on the SDGs.
November 2019: Strengthening the capacities of the Caribbean SIDS for system-based approaches and integrated policy design in the context of the SDGs
UNITAR
On 13-15 November 2019, UNITAR with the Division for Public Institutions and Digital Governance (DPIDG) of UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) as partners on board conducted a training workshop on Integrated policies and policy coherence for SDGs for the Caribbean SIDS.. This three-day regional event held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, aimed to strengthen the capacities of senior government officials to promote an institutional shift in their countries from linear planning processes to system-based analysis and approaches critical to integrated policy-making and the successful implementation of the SDGs.
September 2019: Empowering SIDS to fill in data gaps on some of their priority SDG indicators, Port Vila, Vanuatu and Nadi, Fiji
UNITAR
On 19-20 and 23-25 September 2019, UNITAR together with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) and in collaboration with the custodian agencies as the World Health Organization (WHO), UN Women, the World Bank and the Pacific Financial Technical Assistance Centre of the International Monetary Fund (IMF - PFTAC) conducted two regional workshops for 14 Asia – Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS) on Monitoring the Tier 1 and Tier 2 SDG indicators.
July 2019: Launch of UN SDG:Learn at 2019 HLPF
UNITAR
On 9 July 2019, an innovative gateway entitled UN SDG:Learn was launched at the Opening Session of the SDGs Learning, Training and Practice Center on the sidelines the 2019 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).
June 2019: Strengthening national capacities to develop integrated policies for the SDGs in the African region
UNITAR
On 20-21 June and 24-25 June 2019, UNITAR has joined forces with UNDESA’s Division for SDGs and Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government (DPIDG) as well as UNDP Regional Service Center for Africa to organize two regional workshops on “Integrated policies and policy coherence for SDGs in the African region” in Addis Ababa. The main objective of the workshops was to strengthen the capacities of senior government officials to apply systemic approaches to analyze the interactions between different SDG areas and to design integrated policies. An added objective was to roll out the new training toolkit developed by UNITAR and UNDESA and refine the latter based on the feedback from the pilots.
June 2019: National StaTact workshop in Uganda
On 11 – 12 June 2019 Kampala, Uganda - The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) together with UNITAR and UN Statistics Division in collaboration with UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) held a national StaTact workshop in Kampala, Uganda. This workshop was initiated to review selected challenges related to the implementation of the Extension of the UBOS Strategic Plan for Statistics 2018 – 2020 in its pre-final year and train participants on the use of tactical approach and StaTact in their work.
May 2019: LEVERAGING STATACT IN ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATES
3 May 2019, Nadi, Fiji - Following its application by 16 countries, including Caribbean Small Island Developing States, StaTact has been successfully introduced to SIDS countries in the Asia-Pacific region during regional workshops that ran from 23 April to 3 May 2019 in Sydney, Australia, and Nadi, Fiji. The workshops are part of the one-year training programme aimed at strengthening the statistical capacities in the Asia-Pacific Small Island Developing States in the context of SDG monitoring requirements, and implemented in partnership with UN Statistics Division, Secretariat of the Pacific Community and UNESCAP. The programme benefits from the funding support of the Italian Government.
March 2019: Grenada joining the StaTact Process and testing a newly developed web-version of StaTact
UNITAR
On 13 – 15 March 2019 Grenada has become the first country to use a newly developed web-based version of the StaTact tool during a national workshop organized by UNITAR and UN Statistics Division (UNSD) together with the Central Statistical Office of Grenada (CSO). As a result of the workshop, 6 twelve-month action plans have been developed to address a bottleneck or kickstart a process in such diverse areas as as agricultural statistics, gender-based violence and child abuse, epidemiology surveillance system, education, disaster-related data collection system and environmental statistics.
March 2019: A web-version of the StaTact tool launched by UNITAR and UN Statistics Division at the 50th Session of the United Nations Statistical Commission
UNITAR
5 March 2019, New York, USA - A new web-version of the StaTact tool was launched by UNITAR and UN Statistics Division (UNSD) at the side event of the 50th Session of the United Nations Statistical Commission (UNSC) on 5 March 2019 in New York. The side event show-cased experiences of the two pilot countries - Togo and Grenada.
StaTact is a tactical action planning tool addressing and resolving measurement related data gaps in support of monitoring the SDGs in a multi-stakeholder fashion through improved institutional arrangements. Excel-based versions of the StaTact have been piloted in 15 countries, including 13 African and Asian Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and one Small Island Developing State (SIDS). Grenada is the first pilot country for a web-based version of the StaTact.
November 2018: Piloting the “Policy cycle, integrated approaches and SDGs” toolkit in Togo
On 13-15 November 2018, the Togolese Public Administration School (ENA), UNITAR and UNDP held a national workshop aimed at strengthening the capacities of senior civil servants to lead the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and SDGs. This was the first national-level pilot of UNITAR’s toolkit “Policy cycle, integrated approaches and SDGs” targeted towards African Least Developed Countries (LDCs).
The three-day workshop commenced with opening speeches by Mr. Djifa K. Adjeoda, Director-General of ENA, Ms. Elena Proden, UNITAR, M. Damien Mama, UN Resident Coordinator in Togo, and Mr. Atissim Assih, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Public Administration. It has brought together Secretary-Generals from across various Government Ministries as well as several planning officers and the faculty of the Public Administration School or in total more than 50 participants.
July 2018: A new data tool StaTact launched by UNITAR and UNSD at HLPF2018
UNITAR
11 July 2018, New York, USA - UNITAR and UNSD launched their new data tool StaTact during an official side event of the HLPF2018 on 11 July 2018 in New York. The side event featured experiences of the three pilot countries and was opened by UNITAR Executive Director Mr. Nikhil Seth and Director of UN Statistics Division Mr. Stefan Schweinfest.
StaTact is a tactical tool enabling data producers and data users to discuss pressing data gaps and develop a short-term, realistic action plan to address them. The tool has been used over the past six months by 15 pilot countries, including 13 African and Asian LDCs and one SIDS country. StaTact provides a five-stage analytical and action planning framework and a methodology for a multi-stakeholder dialogue. It aims to leverage low-hanging fruits, primarily related to governance and institutional arrangements for data ecosystems as well as some easy to solve data production challenges to address SDG-relevant measurement gaps.
July 2018: HESI Global Day
UNITAR
11 July 2018 - The 2018 High-Level Political Forum has provided space for representatives of the Higher Education Institutes to share best practices, innovative approaches and discuss challenges as Universities embrace the 2030 Agenda and start mainstreaming the SDGs in their curricular, research activities and programmes. The last panel of the HESI Global Day was chaired by UNITAR Executive Director Nikhil Seth and included Secretary-General of the Association of the Commonwealth Universities, and representatives of the University of Geneva, Tecnologico de Monterrey, University of Pennsylvania, University of Papua New Guinea, and SDSN.
June 2018: Launch of StaTact in Suriname to Support SDG Monitoring
On 20-22 June 2018, the General Bureau of Statistics (GBS) of Suriname, UNITAR and UN Statistics Division (UNSD) organized the first national StaTact workshop in Paramaribo, Suriname. The workshop brought together the representatives of the GBS, Planning Authority, line ministries, as well as research centers and private sector. A total of 80 stakeholders partook in the workshop and related discussions around pressing data gaps and bottlenecks in data governance preventing effective monitoring and the implementation of the SDGs. The workshop used the StaTact methodology developed by UNITAR and UNSD to enable participants to tactically leverage institutional and coordination aspects to help fill in data gaps in priority areas using SDG indicators and national development results frameworks as a point of reference. The purpose of the StaTact tool is to help countries address bottlenecks and plan tactic actions to attain realistic quick wins within a short period and with minimum costs involved
March 2018: Rolling out the Statact in Africa
The StaTact came to Africa last week when 10 countries participated in its roll-out during dedicated regional workshops. UNITAR and UN Statistics Division teamed up with UNECA African Centre for Statistics and UNDP to deliver two two-day workshops - one in English and one in French – with a focus on the governance of data ecosystems for the SDGs. The first workshop brought together government officials from Ethiopia, Liberia, Malawi, Sudan, and Uganda representing National Statistical Offices, Planning Ministries, selected line Ministries and non-traditional data sources. The second workshop used a similar format with participants from Cote d’Ivoire, DRC, Madagascar, Mauritania, and Togo.
February 2018: First StaTact workshop for Asian LDCs to strengthen governance of data ecosystems for the SDGs, Bangkok, Thailand
A two-day regional workshop on “Governance of data ecosystems for SDGs” held on 19-20 February 2018 in Bangkok was marked by the pilot testing of the new StaTact toolkit by four countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Nepal. The toolkit is part of the joint initiative developed by UNITAR and UN Statistics Division in collaboration with other UN and international organizations. The objective is to enable National Statistical Offices, Planning and line Ministries to identify solutions to specific data coordination issues using a participatory, problem-solving methodology. The workshop concluded with the simulation of integrated planning using a SDG-model-inspired Learning Environment (LEiP).
December2017: Symposium on Governance for Implementing the Sustainable Develpment Commitments in Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
A three-day “Symposium on Governance for Implementing the Sustainable Development Commitments in Africa” took place from 11th to 13th December 2017 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This Symposium organized in partnership by UN DESA, UNITAR, UNDP and OIF featured a keynote address by Ambassador Kamau and plenary and break-out sessions with the participation of several Ministers and senior public officials from most of the African countries. The meeting has called for maintaining the high level of ambition instilled in the Agendas and rising to the challenge of implementation, for ensuring a sustained and exemplary leadership and whole-of-government approaches, and for empowering people and societies at large to actively shape policy design. It has provided a practical knowledge-sharing and showcasing space for government officers leading work on the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063 and international partners.
October - November 2017: Latin American Learning Conference on a Holistic Implementation of the 2030 Agenda, Cartagena, Colombia.
UNITAR teamed up with the Governments of Colombia and Spain, ECLAC, UNDP and UNDESA to hold a Latin American Learning Conference on the Holistic Implementation of the 2030 Agenda in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, from 30 October to 1 November 2017. The Conference for more than 70 participants featured strategic thinking sessions with the participation of several Ministers of Planning from the region and international and regional experts from the UN family, and a session with the private sector representatives. It also included knowledge sharing sessions with the presentation of good practices and discussion of challenges with the participation of more than 25 other international, regional and Colombian speakers and the showcasing of analytical tools for promoting more integrated decision-making.
July 2017: The SDGs Learning, Training and Practice sessions within the framework of the HLPF 2017, New York, US
As part of the "HLPF SDGs Learning, Training and Practice Centre 2017", UNITAR and United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) delivered two learning sessions that aimed to promote understanding of the use of policy-relevant data and meaningful stakeholder engagement for the implementation and review of the 2030 Agenda.
Session on "Monitoring and data for evidence-based, integrative SDG decision-making and reporting: RBM 2.0, iSDG model and other tools" (11 July 2017)
Session on "Strengthening Stakeholder Engagement For Eradicating Poverty And Achieving the SDGs” (14 July 2017)
March - May 2017: UNITAR and UNDESA Support UN Member States to Ensure Inclusive Reviews and Implementation of the 2030 Agenda
Following the successful launch last December, the joint UNITAR-UNDESA e-learning course on “Strengthening Stakeholder Engagement for the Implementation and Review of the 2030 Agenda” was rolled out for the second time in spring 2017. This edition has helped to strengthen the capacities of 57 government officials to apply inclusive approaches, map key stakeholders and design national stakeholder engagement strategies as they « localize » the 2030 Agenda and prepare voluntary national reviews (VNRs). Since December 2016, a total of 22 countries presenting their VNRs in 2017 and 2018 have benefitted from the course.
March 2017: Learning conference "Holistic approaches for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda", Abuja, Nigeria
The UNITAR learning conference “Holistic approaches for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda” provided a practical learning and knowledge-sharing space for senior government officers in charge of leading the process of mainstreaming the SDGs in LDCs. On top of international facilitators and speakers, the main highlight of this conference was enshrined in its interactive nature, where participants contributed with their own experience and expertise to the learning of others. 74 participants coming from 18 different countries shared their experience of implementing the 2030 Agenda during each of the sessions organized as part of the conference.This conference is part of a longer-term strategy of UNITAR to provide learning and knowledge support to LDCs on mainstreaming the SDGs and promoting policy integration.
December 2016: UNITAR-UN DESA’s facilitated e-learning course “Strengthening Stakeholder Engagement for the Implementation and Review of the 2030 Agenda”
UNITAR’s Capacity for the 2030 Agenda Initiative together with UN DESA organized a facilitated e-learning course on strengthening multi-stakeholder engagement for the implementation and review of the 2030 Agenda. Engaging stakeholders is a tremendously important step to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. If we are to succeed in implementing them, everyone must be on board. This first session of the course for government officials in charge of the mainstreaming and review of the SDGs took place from 5 to 21 December 2016 and received enthusiastic feedback from participants throughout the world.
October 2016: UNDP-UNITAR Regional Training Workshop “Developing National Evaluation Capacities to Support the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda”, Bangkok, Thailand
UNITAR’s Capacity for the 2030 Agenda Initiative together with UNDP and in collaboration with other partners (UNICEF, EvalSDGs, EvalPartners & others) is conducting a Regional Workshop on strengthening national evaluation capacities in the context of the roll-out of the SDGs. This time, 7 countries will take part in this workshop. In addition to training, the aim of this workshop is also to explore the opportunities to establish a peer-to-peer learning network.
July 2016: The SDGs Learning, Training and Practice sessions within the framework of the HLPF 2016, New York, US
UNITAR was co-organizing the SDGs Learning, Training and Practice sessions within the framework of the HLPF – a capacity building, networking and experience-sharing event, with high-level speakers and experts on crucial topics related to the implementation of Agenda 2030 and the SDGs.
Session on "Harmonizing global, regional and national commitments to implement the SDGs" (14 July 2016)
Session on "Strengthening national reviews and M&E systems for the SDGs" (15 July 2016)