23 - 24 January 2019, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China – UNITAR, in collaboration with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP), and the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences (SASS) successfully held the Learning Conference “Implementing the 2030 Agenda in the Asia-Pacific Region” in Shanghai, People’s Republic of China, on the 23rd and 24th of January 2019. The conference was attended by more than 95 participants, including government officials leading the SDGs process in their countries, diplomats, international civil servants as well as university professors. 23 countries were represented in this event, with many participants coming from Small Island Developing States (SIDS), thus, providing different perspectives and experiences regarding the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

13 December 2018, Geneva, Switzerland – As part of their journey around the world to promote the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Mr. Juan Pablo Caroli and Mr. Nicolas Caroli visited Geneva, Switzerland and the United Nations European Headquarters. During their visit, the Caroli brothers toured UNITAR and the Palais des Nations, meeting with UN officials, including Ms. Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the UN Information Service in Geneva, to spread the word about their unique project.

22 January 2019, Quito, Ecuador- The International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders in Quito (CIFAL Quito) jointly with the Consortium of Provincial Autonomous Governments of Ecuador (CONGOPE), the Local Governments Association of Ecuador, the National Electoral Council and the Democracy Institute hosted “The New Role of Local Authorities in Elections” in Quito, Guayaquil and Cuenca, Ecuador.

Prior to the arrival of the Holiday Season, the Durban Metro Police in partnership with UNITAR officially launched their “No Texting & Driving campaign”.

17 December, Geneva, Switzerland – A landmark report providing the first detailed account of the devastating damage to the World Heritage Property of the Ancient City of Aleppo in the wake of years of armed conflict has been published by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and UNESCO.