19 - 20 February 2018, Bangkok, Thailand – A two-day regional workshop on “Governance of data ecosystems for SDGs” held on 19-20 February 2018 in Bangkok was marked by the pilot testing of the new StaTact toolkit by four countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Nepal. The toolkit is part of the joint initiative developed by UNITAR and UN Statistics Division (UNSD) in collaboration with other UN and international organizations. The objective is to enable National Statistical Offices, Planning and line Ministries to identify solutions to specific data coordination issues using a participatory, problem-solving methodology. The workshop concluded with the simulation of integrated planning using a SDG-model-inspired Learning Environment (LEiP).

11 – 13 December 2017, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – A three-day “Symposium on Governance for Implementing the Sustainable Development Commitments in Africa” took place from 11th to 13th December 2017 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This Symposium organized in partnership by UN DESA, UNITAR, UNDP and OIF featured a keynote address by Ambassador Kamau and plenary and break-out sessions with the participation of several Ministers and senior public officials from most of the African countries. The meeting has called for maintaining the high level of ambition instilled in the Agendas and rising to the challenge of implementation, for ensuring a sustained and exemplary leadership and whole-of-government approaches, and for empowering people and societies at large to actively shape policy design. It has provided a practical knowledge-sharing and showcasing space for government officers leading work on the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063 and international partners.

30 October - 1 November 2017, Cartagena, Colombia – UNITAR teamed up with the Governments of Colombia and Spain, ECLAC, UNDP and UNDESA to hold a Latin American learning conference on the holistic implementation of the 2030 Agenda in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, from 30 October to 1 November 2017. The Conference for more than 70 participants featured strategic thinking sessions with the participation of several Ministers of Planning from the region and international and regional experts from the UN family, and a session with the private sector representatives. It also included knowledge sharing sessions with the presentation of good practices and discussion of challenges with the participation of more than 25 other international, regional and Colombian speakers and the showcasing of analytical tools for promoting more integrated decision-making.

11 July, New York, USA - UNITAR and UNDESA held a joint session on learning and data for the SDGs on 11 July on the sidelines of the HLPF, a dedicated annual mechanism for reviewing progress on the SDGs. The session composed of a panel of experts and a showcasing segment provided space for addressing challenges and opportunities related to the use of data for policy-making purposes beyond regular national and global reporting. As a result of the session, a number of capacity gaps had been identified and a series of new tools presented. Feedback received from a group of more than 30 participants will help inform the country-level and regional work of UNITAR and UNDESA in this area.

14 of July 2017 New York, USA - The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) co-organized an event alongside the United Nations Department of Economics and Social Affairs (UN DESA) titled "Strengthening Stakeholder Engagement For Eradicating Poverty And Achieving the SDGs”. The event took place during the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on sustainable development, a week that focuses on a review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals.

22 March - 12 May 2017, Geneva, Switzerland – Following the successful launch last December, the joint UNITAR-UNDESA e-learning course on “Strengthening Stakeholder Engagement for the Implementation and Review of the 2030 Agenda” was rolled out for the second time in spring 2017. This new edition has helped to strengthen the capacities of 57 government officials to apply inclusive approaches, map key stakeholders and design national stakeholder engagement strategies as they « localize » the 2030 Agenda and prepare voluntary national reviews (VNRs). Since December 2016, a total of 22 countries presenting their VNRs in 2017 and 2018 have benefitted from the course.

UNITAR is organising a learning conferences on “holistic approaches for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda” for African Least Development Countries (LDCs). This conference will specifically target government officials from the 17 English-speaking African LDCs and will take place in Abuja, Nigeria on 1-2 March 2017.

22 December 2016, Geneva, Switzerland – Engaging stakeholders is a tremendously important step to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. If we are to succeed in implementing them, everyone must be on board. UNITAR and United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) partnered to develop a facilitated online course for government officials in charge of the mainstreaming and review of the SDGs. The first session of this course took place from 5 to 21 December 2016 and received enthusiastic feedback from participants throughout the world.

April 2016, Geneva, Switzerland - The year 2015 was marked by the adoption of four landmark United Nations agreements: Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, Addis Ababa Action Agenda, 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the Paris Agreement. The 2030 Agenda provides an overarching vision for all of them as well as a global framework for national strategies and policies to put the world on a path to sustainability. UNITAR has developed a new Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) to help interested persons improve their knowledge about the new Agenda and related Global Goals.

10 March 2016, New York, USA - Mr. Nikhil Seth, UNITAR Executive Director, met today with the United Nations Secretary-General , Mr. Ban Ki-moon at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.