7 July 2026, Hiroshima, Japan - On 1 July 2026, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) officially launched RISE (Resilient Ideas for Sustainable Entrepreneurship) LAB 2026: Advancing Youth Skills in Business and Innovation for Food Security in South Sudan through an onboarding webinar, welcoming 238 young participants from across South Sudan.

30 June 2026, Hiroshima, Japan – The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) invites young people from participating countries across the Asia-Pacific region to apply to the free Youth Leaders for World Tsunami Awareness Day 2026 Online Course (1–30 September 2026). Through the course, participants will develop a stronger understanding of disaster risk reduction, preparedness and resilience. The application deadline is 14 August 2026 (11:59 p.m. JST [UTC+9]).

May 2026, Geneva, Switzerland — When Tan Yu Xian first joined Cohort 1 of the Pathway to Prosperity Programme, he found himself in a room of working professionals: engineers, managers and specialists, some with twenty or thirty years of industry experience behind them. The programme has been designed for exactly this audience: early and mid-career professionals upskilling in AI and data centre infrastructure, two of the fastest-moving fields in the global economy.

May 2026, Geneva, Switzerland — When Danny McQueen joined Cohort 1 of the Pathway to Prosperity Programme, he was carrying twenty years of project management experience and a misconception most people share. "I always thought AI was actually ChatGPT. That's it. I thought you just ask questions and it answers back." Data centres, he assumed, were equally modest: "I thought it was just a small centre which keeps your data. I didn't know it was a huge kind of construction — with cooling systems and diverse equipment."

22 June 2026, Seoul, Republic of Korea - As artificial intelligence and frontier technologies continue to reshape education, work and global development, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), and Seoul National University (SNU) have opened discussions on potential collaboration to strengthen future-oriented skills among students and young professionals.

22 June 2026, Geneva, Switzerland - The High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) will be convened from 7 to 15 July 2026, under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). UNITAR will convene leaders, policymakers, academia, UN partners, local authorities and practitioners to explore practical solutions for accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through a series of high-level events and strategic dialogues, UNITAR will showcase innovative approaches to capacity development, knowledge sharing and multi-stakeholder partnerships that support sustainable, inclusive and resilient development worldwide.

19 June 2026, Hiroshima, Japan – Masato Yakabe from Japan worked with a Japanese NGO supporting communities in Gaza for four years. Masato joined the FY2025 Primary Course of the Program for Global Human Resource Development for Peacebuilding and Development, where he affirmed what it takes to be a good global citizen, gained practical skills for United Nations work, and clarified his career path in humanitarian affairs.

17 June 2026, Hiroshima, Japan – Layla Merzah from Iraq works as a communication and media specialist with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). She joined the FY2025 Primary Course of the Program for Global Human Resource Development for Peacebuilding and Development to help further direct her humanitarian career.

May 2026, Geneva, Switzerland — When Captain Muru joined Cohort 1 of the Pathway to Prosperity Programme, he was not looking for a career pivot. He had already built one through decades in the private sector, a PhD in Digital Economy, and a steady shift towards community leadership through the Rotary Club of Nilay Central and District 3300 Malaysia.

June 2026, Geneva, Switzerland — As Vice President and Legal Advisor of FOMCA, Indrani P. Thuraisingham days are usually built around consumer grievances, policy analysis, community outreach, and ensuring that ordinary Malaysians are not left behind as the country accelerates into its digital future. It was exactly this background that brought her into a room full of like-minded, enthusiastic learners and mid-career professionals comprising Cohort 1 of the Pathway to Prosperity Programme.