23 May 2024, Hiroshima, Japan – On 27 April 2024, UNITAR signed a memorandum of understanding with the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) at a ceremony held at the 2024 Islamic Development Bank Group Annual Meetings in Riyadh. The memorandum was signed by Dr. Tarifa Alzaabi, Director General of ICBA, and Ms. Chisa Mikami, Head of UNITAR Hiroshima Office, Division for Prosperity.

22 May 2024, Geneva, Switzerland – On 6 May 2024, UNITAR and Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV) signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop and implement training programmes and organize summits, webinars, workshops and training sessions, as well as align efforts for resource mobilization. The two expect to collaborate in thematic areas such as leadership and inclusion, social innovation and entrepreneurship, digital futures, finance and trade, anti-corruption and combating crime, and business and public administration.

21 May 2024, Bali, Indonesia – UNITAR’s Global Water Academy (UGWA) proudly hosted the side event entitled ‘Enhancing Transboundary Water Management and SDGs: A Collaborative Approach’ in collaboration with CIFAL Singapore (Nanyang Technological Institute), and CIFAL Bangkok (Asian Institute of Technology) at the World Water Forum (WWF) in Bali, Indonesia.

15 May 2024, Hiroshima, Japan – UNITAR is accepting applications to its training programme “Leaders for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific: Sea and Human Security”. The programme is open to motivated government officials and others from the private sector and civil society organizations from Asian and Pacific Island countries. Applicants must be keen to learn how to enhance climate, social, economic, food and maritime security in the region and apply what they learn to make a positive impact on their countries and communities. The programme is scheduled to start on 21 June 2024. The application deadline is 14 June 2024 (midnight, JST/UTC+9).

April 2024, Bonn, Germany - UNITAR's Sustainable Cycles (Scycle) Programme published the National E-waste Monitor for Namibia and Botswana. This reports outline the current status of e-waste management in those countries and highlight significant challenges facing the countries in this regard.

2 May 2024, Mérida, Mexico – The International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders in Merida (CIFAL Merida) successfully concluded its XIX international seminar on hurricane preparedness, bringing together decision-makers from airports in Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean. A key objective of the seminar was to analyze and review emergency plans before the hurricane season to ensure that airports remain operational if impacted by a disaster.

2 May 2024, Antwerp, Belgium – The International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders in Belgium (CIFAL Flanders) launched the ESG Frontrunners initiative, supported by the Department of Chancellery and Foreign Affairs of the Flemish Government, to offer a structured programme to help organizations navigate complex European regulations like the EU Taxonomy, Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence (CSDD).

26 April 2024, Geneva, Switzerland - More than 75,000 students from worldwide have enrolled in the e-course Climate Change: From Learning to Action. Now, this course has been translated into a fifth language, Chinese, and was launched in celebration of the UN Chinese Language Day. Check out what will you learn in this course.

19 April 2024, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Division for Prosperity, and with the generous support of the Government of Canada, commemorated the graduation of over 2,000 women from the Advancing Gender Equality and Women Empowerment 2023 Online Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy Training Programme on 11 April 2024. The virtual event was attended by 500 graduates from the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS).

25 April 2024, Hiroshima, Japan – On 10 February 2024, the UNITAR Hiroshima Office and UNITAR Association held the public forum “Nuclear Disarmament and Sustainable Peace” at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. The forum aimed to deepen public understanding about nuclear disarmament, especially given the current armed conflicts in Ukraine and in Gaza, and about achieving sustainable peace.