31 January 2023, Geneva, Switzerland- The Annual Geneva Interfaith Dialogue convenes a diverse panel of Ambassadors and other high-level representatives of the world’s major faiths, as well as the International Geneva community at large, to engage on the links between faith, politics, and society. The Dialogue is held on the premises of the United Nations Office in Geneva (UNOG) each year during World Interfaith Harmony Week. It serves as a platform not simply to commemorate UNGA Resolution 65/5, but as a vehicle to raise public awareness, renew the Resolution’s commitments, and build capacity for putting the Resolution’s values into practice across the world.

09 January 2023, Geneva, Switzerland – A series of tailored training was delivered by UNOSAT experts in November and December 2022 in 3 countries of the Pacific: Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands and Fiji. Building up on past activities, these sessions aimed to enhance GIS capacity for Climate Resilience.

23 December 2022, Hiroshima, Japan – On October 7, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU) and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) signed a collaboration and cooperation memorandum. The two institutions aim to strengthen their cooperation through development projects in entrepreneurship and digital technology

14 December 2022, Geneva, Switzerland – UNITAR’s Division for Multilateral Diplomacy welcomed a delegation from the Arrowad Group under the leadership of Dr. Saad Ibrahim AlKhalaf to initiate a joint value-based leadership programme. Arrowad for Building Values, one of the entities of Arrowad International Group, specializes in creating and developing value-specific knowledge.

Background
In light of the current globalized and multi-cultural business world, UNITAR and Arrowad have joined forces to create a unique training programme that focusses on the importance of value systems of individuals, society and cultures, and how these affect organizational values and cultures. Set to be launched in the first quarter of 2023, the ten tier programme on Value-Based Leadership addresses itself to the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors. The envisioned training will provide essential value-based leadership skills to staff of international, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations; diplomats; government officials; and private sector professionals to create awareness on Values-Based-Leadership so that it can reflect into their policies and procedures, initiatives and engagements with core value connectors.

8 December 2022, Geneva, Switzerland - The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) launched a new initiative to support climate-resilient livelihood development in Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

6 December 2022, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic – The National Institute of Transit and Land Transportation of the Dominican Republic (INTRANT), hosted the Road Safety National Week taking place from 19 to 26 November 2022. To amplify the outreach of the Autosobriety Training Programme to prevent drink-driving in the country, training and public awareness activities were rolled out throughout the week with a total of 340 beneficiaries.

As UNITAR contributes to the implementation of the SDGs, a delegation participated at the COP27 to organize side events, workshops, and bi-lateral meetings to bring attention on the ‘leave no one behind’ principles in climate action and sustainable energy. The impact of climate change on displaced populations is rarely brought up in climate negotiation agenda. Therefore, UNITAR’s Global Platform for Action on Sustainable Energy in Displacement Settings (GPA) made efforts to raise awareness of humanitarian energy in the climate action discussions. This included ensuring that the displaced people were physically present at the conversations and their voices were heard. Through active participation of the GPA and displaced communities, UNITAR invited the governments to include displaced people into the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Adaptation Policies (NAPs), and energy policies.

28 November 2022, Hiroshima, Japan – In early November 2022, Green Legacy Hiroshima Initiative (GLH) welcomed five plant scientists and botanic garden experts from renowned institutions in the United States to observe and study hibakujumoku, trees that survived the Hiroshima atomic bombing. The delegation consisted of Ari Novy, President and CEO of the San Diego Botanic Garden, Todd Michael and Wolfgang Busch, lead plant scientists from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Nicole Cavender, director of the Huntington Botanical Gardens, and Philip Douglas, director of global initiatives at the Denver Botanic Gardens.

22 November 2022, Djibouti, Djibouti/Hiroshima, Japan - The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Secretariat, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), and with the financial support from the Government of Canada, is rolling out the Online Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy Training Programme for Women and Girls in the IGAD region.

18 November 2022, Lima, Peru – UNITAR and the General Secretariat of the Andean Community (SGCAN) signed an Interinstitutional Agreement to collaborate in the development, implementation and maintenance of a regional dashboard that will include relevant road safety statistics for CAN Member States.