Informal Consultation with Small Island Developing States: Training Requirements Towards 2030 Agenda Implementation

25 February 2016, Geneva, Switzerland – The United Nations Institute for Training and Research hosted an informal consultation with Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to discuss training requirements towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.  As H.E. Rhoda Jackson, Ambassador of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas to United Nations Office at Geneva, mentioned in the meeting, “Education is the key to development.”  As the world strives to achieve the sustainable development goals outlined in the 2030 Agenda, UNITAR embraces the opportunity to enhance national capacities in the SIDS and other countries through its comprehensive training portfolio.

At the informal consultation, Mr. Nikhil Seth, Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director of UNITAR, and Mr. Alex Mejia, Senior Manager at UNITAR, shared the training opportunities provided by UNITAR that have potential to enrich the efforts of SIDS to mainstream, implement and monitor the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.  Additionally, UNITAR foresees trainings in 2016 in the Pacific, Indian and Caribbean regions on the theme of geo-spatial technologies, particularly on how satellite images and geographic information systems can aid in identifying and addressing a country’s vulnerability to natural disasters and facilitate the recovery process after such disasters occur. 

As Mr. Seth stated at the briefing, “Societal change is rooted in public awareness, education and training.”  UNITAR is committed to assisting SIDS in building national capacities, building public awareness and skills through education and training regarding the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, geospatial imaging and other aspects of its training portfolio.

Photo 1: SIDS representatives gather for an informal consultation