September 2021 - The world is still in shock about how the military disengagement of the West and the implosion of the Afghan government led to the Taliban victory, taking full control over almost the entire territory of Afghanistan within days. Many civilian endeavours of international assistance operating under a military umbrella ceased their operations.

7 September 2021, New York, USA – The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) New York Office successfully implemented its two-day training, the “Transition Workshop for the 76th Office of the President of the General Assembly (OPGA),” in partnership with the Permanent Missions of Ecuador, Finland, and Malaysia. This workshop was organized to support the Office of the President of the General Assembly in its transition between the 75th and 76th OPGA, and to specifically facilitate opportunities for existing, former, and incoming OPGA staff to share experiences and best practices for a successful transition. This workshop marked UNITAR NYO’s first in-person training workshop since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and was attended by more than 30 delegates, following social distancing measures.

11 August 2021, Geneva, Switzerland - Despite the many challenges brought forth in the past months, the team of the Multilateral Diplomacy Programme Unit (MDPU) has grown, quasi-doubling its size compared to pre-pandemic times. Here is how they managed to keep connected with each other!

UNITAR and AGFUND’s unique microfinance training program has upskilled and inspired more than 1,200 people around the world to eradicate poverty and inequality through microfinance and financial inclusion.

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 (NSOs). 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.

7 July 2021, Geneva, Switzerland - 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.

23-25 June 2021, New York, USA, Virtual - The United Nations Institute for Training and Research's (UNITAR) office in New York organized a three-day virtual workshop, “Solving Disputes at the WTO for developing Countries” held on 23-25 June 2021. This training was supported with funding allocated from the Swedish International Development Agency’s (SIDA) contribution to the UNITAR Strategic Framework Fund, under the programme ‘Leveling The Playing Field’ which focuses on the development of skills and knowledge of Least Developing Countries.

June 2021 - In Southern Africa, radio continues to be the primary means of mass-communication and a source of information and entertainment especially to young people and their families. More than a tool to share information, radio continues to be a key site for community-building and foster positive change. In this spirit, a climate change radio programme “Our Changing Climate – Our Time to Act!” was created by the MIET Africa, UN CC:Learn Partnership and relevant environment Ministries as part of the COVID-19 emergency response in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Between November 2020 and February 2021, 108 episodes were broadcast with an estimated reach of more than 27 million listeners from all ages across the three countries.

What are the most effective tools in preventing and countering corruption? What connects anti-corruption to diplomacy and international relations? And which role does education and training play in this regard? Those are the main points and questions that UNITAR’s Executive Director and United Nations Assistant Secretary General Nikhil Seth and the Dean of the International Anti-Corruption Academy Dr. Thomas Stelzer discussed in the June edition of UN Today. The interview underlines the crucial role and immense importance of training and education in the fight against and the prevention of corruption. Only through the creation of specialized agencies and institutions, as well as multilateral and diplomatic efforts such as the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), combined with effective training and education in the field, true attitudinal and behavioural shifts can be achieved and lead to long-term positive impacts.

1 June 2021, Geneva, Switzerland – Working in the post-COVID space we find ourselves in involves interconnectedness from all over the world. As this year has passed, we have overcome the challenges presented to us by the coronavirus through resilience, creativity, and innovation. Alongside this global realignment, UNITAR’s professional and learning solutions have evolved to ensure quality content delivery, regardless of obstacles.