UNITAR
27 September 2023, New York, USA – On 15-22 September 2023, UNITAR Executive Director and Assistant Secretary-General Mr. Nikhil Seth paid an official visit to New York City for the 78th United Nations General Assembly and high-level meetings with United Nations executives.
On September 15th, Mr. Seth's initial meeting was with UN Deputy Secretary-General Ms. Amina Mohamed to discuss the transition of UNITAR’s Nigeria Project Office. Following this, Mr. Seth met with H.E. Mr. Dennis Francis, President of the 78th United Nations General Assembly, to explore collaboration opportunities between UNITAR and the Office of the President of the General Assembly, including the President of the General Assembly Fellowship Programme in partnership with the UNITAR New York Office.
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During his official visit, Mr. Seth actively participated in various side events, with a particular focus on the SDG Summit. On September 16th, he took on the role of moderator for the Science and Academia segment of the SDG Action weekend. Furthermore, he was in attendance at the side event titled "Accelerating Multilateralism with Transformations in Science Policy Practice Interfaces." The following day, September 17th, Mr Seth participated in the University Global Coalition Steering Committee meeting and also engaged in the SDG Partnership Symposium, which aimed to harness the potential of multi-stakeholder partnerships in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals.
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On Monday, Mr. Seth continued his active involvement by attending and moderating the UNITAR side event, "What if Women Designed the City?" In addition, he participated in discussions related to "Addressing Global Water Insecurity: Harnessing the Power of Big Data, Novel Technologies, and International Collaboration." Mr. Seth's commitment to these events underscores his dedication to advancing important global goals and fostering collaboration across various sectors.
During his visit, Mr. Seth signed two Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs). One of these agreements was with Microsoft East Africa, while the other was with CORPEI, a private, non-profit agency dedicated to promoting productive competitiveness and enhancing the country's and its companies' international market presence.
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The collaboration with Microsoft East Africa is geared towards providing industry-aligned digital skills training content. UNITAR will gain access to Microsoft's comprehensive training courses, enriching the skill sets of beneficiaries and enhancing their employability and livelihood prospects. It's important to note that this MoU's initial focus encompasses 24 English-speaking African countries. Microsoft has expressed keen interest in exploring various avenues of support, including digital curriculum development, creating learning pathways, offering technological platforms, and capacity building for trainers. These collective efforts aim to significantly scale UNITAR's impact and reach, furthering the organization's mission of promoting sustainable development and capacity building on a global scale.
In addition to attending various side events, the Executive Director engaged in productive meetings with several distinguished United Nations officials and permanent representatives. These interactions included discussions with Mr Chandramouli Ramanathan, Controller of the United Nations; H.E. Mrs. Ruchira Kamboj, Permanent Representative of India; H.E. Mr. Burhan Gafoor, Permanent Representative of Singapore; Mr Miguel de Serpa Soares, Under-Secretary-General of the Office of Legal Affairs; Mr. Ben Swanson, Assistant Secretary-General for the Office of Internal Oversight; Mr. Li Junhua, Under-Secretary-General for UN DESA; as well as meetings with Ambassador Luis Gallegos, Chair of the Board of Trustees of UNITAR, and Dr. Muhammad Al Jasser, Head of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB).
These meetings served as valuable opportunities to exchange ideas, strengthen partnerships, and explore avenues for collaboration in pursuit of UNITAR's mission and its commitment to global development and capacity building.
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