25 May 2021, Geneva, Switzerland – The President of the 74th World Health Assembly and Minister of Health, Royal Government of Bhutan, Ms Dechen Wangmo visited the Defeat-NCD Partnership’s office at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) in Geneva today to set the tone at a high-level panel discussion aimed at tackling the twin challenges of COVID-19 and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). “I understand that time has passed for mere statements and rhetoric in addressing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of universal access to health”, she said. “It is time to act now”.

25 May 2021, Hong Kong, China / Hiroshima, Japan - UNITAR and ITS Education Asia will jointly launch the UNITAR Youth Ambassador Asia Pacific Programme. The 10-week programme empowers high school students to help our world build back better, greener, and stronger from the COVID-19 pandemic. The programme will debut in Hong Kong in September 2021 with the support of 20 official school partners. It will be expanded to various cities in China in 2022, followed by other Asia-Pacific countries in 2023.

20 May 2021, Geneva, Switzerland - UNITAR is proud to announce that Professor Paul Arthur Berkman, Associated Fellow, has been awarded a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program Award to Norway for 2021-22. This award is conferred by the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

27 April 2021, Kabul, Afghanistan / Hiroshima, Japan – UNITAR Division for Prosperity and Afghanistan's first think-tank Capacity for Afghanistan, launched a new partnership. On 22 April 2021, the signing ceremony was held in Kabul. 

26 April 2021, New York, United States of America and Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and a Joint Action Plan to strengthen cooperation in IsDB member countries.

21 April 2021, Abu Dhabi, UAE - The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) is delighted to announce the signing of a joint agreement between Rabdan Academy, UAE, and UNITAR. The MoU was signed at Rabdan Academy’s campus in Abu Dhabi by Mr. James Morse, President of Rabdan Academy, and Mr. Nikhil Seth, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director of UNITAR. Both partners stressed the importance of joint training and educational efforts to address the challenges facing the UAE and the wider international community.

3 November 2020 - COVID-19 has led to a parallel pandemic of disinformation that directly impacts lives and livelihoods around the world. Falsehoods and misinformation have proven deadly and sowed confusion about life-saving personal and policy choices. We are in the midst of a disinfodemic.

23 October 2020, Bonn, Germany - The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) is now the 24th and newest member of the UN family in Bonn. UNITAR, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, opens its third out-posted office in the UN City in Germany, following the offices in the United States (New York) and Japan (Hiroshima). The Institute has several project offices and affiliated training centres around the world.

A record 53.6 million tonnes (Mt) of e-waste was produced globally in 2019 — the weight of 350 cruise ships the size of the Queen Mary 2; $57 billion in gold and other components discarded — mostly dumped or burned.

30 June 2020, Geneva, Switzerland – The first phase of United Nations Institute for Training and Research's (UNITAR) Training Programmes on International Diplomatic Law for Honorary Consuls was successfully launched on Tuesday 30th June 2020.