UNITAR Holds Event with FOSS Member States to Launch App
16 February 2017, New York, USA – The United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) participated in a joint event with the Forum of Small States (FOSS) and UNITAR New York Office. This event was sponsored by The Swedish Mission to the United Nations and hosted by the Singapore Mission.
The purpose of this event was three-fold. First, the event was an opportunity to present an overview of the work being done by UNITAR. The event also served as a platform for the presentation of certificates to those who successfully completed UNITAR’s collaborative course with Columbia University Law School. Lastly, the event served as a launch of UNITAR’s mobile app “UN How-To”.
Mr. Marco Suazo, UNITAR’s head of Office in New York opened the event by giving a brief address which thanked the Swedish and Singaporean Mission for their graciousness. He then invited H.E. Mr. Joseph Teo, Deputy Permanent Representative of Singapore to say a few words. Mr. Teo expressed that the Singapore Mission was incredibly pleased to be partnering with UNITAR on behalf of FOSS. He stressed the importance of FOSS in building cooperation and development for small states. He highlighted Singapore’s dedication to partnering with UNITAR in the future to help small state delegates. He ended by thanking H.E. Mr. Per Thöresson for his dedication to FOSS’ mission and wished him good luck as he took on a new role as Sweden’s ambassador to Germany.
Mr. Thöresson in response spoke fondly of his time in New York and the great pleasure Swedish Mission takes in participating in FOSS events. He made it clear that despite Sweden’s new role as a member of the Security Council, they remain dedicated to their core principles of openness, honesty and transparency. He then handed over to Mr. Nikhil Seth.
Mr. Nikhil Seth set the programme in motion by graciously thanking the Swedish Mission, the Singaporean Mission, members of FOSS and all present. He spoke about the importance of UNITAR’s collaboration with Columbia University Law School in creating more effective delegates. He also pointed out the over 52% of the course participants were female, which is in line with UNITAR’s dedication to gender equality. He then presented the certificates of completion alongside Mr. Thöresson and Professor Alexandra Carter of Columbia University.
Afterwards, Mr. Seth spoke about the essential nature of UNITAR’s app “UN-How To”. He spoke about how the app serves as a tool for helping delegates navigate the vast UN system with ease. He showed those present a preview of the app and its functions. He then briefed those present about UNITAR’s upcoming e-Learning course “Business and the 2030 Agenda: Working Together towards a Sustainable Future”. He underscored the important roles businesses play in implementing the SDGs and invited participants to take advantage of the course. The app will be available for Smartphones and Tablets and will be available on Apple and Google store by next week.
Photo Credits: UNITAR New York