August 2026, Geneva, Switzerland – Most participants came to the Pathway to Prosperity programme from a workplace, hoping to bring new skills back to their teams. Harenthirah Gopala Krishnan came from a lecture hall, with a hunch that Malaysia's data centre industry was about to escalate in terms of presence and scale. He had curiosity and a little exposure to the field, and he saw the programme "as an opportunity to bridge that gap by learning more about modern data centre operations, infrastructure, and how AI is transforming the industry".

26 August 2026, Geneva – More than 7,000 applications were received from young people and women across sub-Saharan Africa for a new United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) programme supported by the Government and People of Japan.

28 August 2026, Geneva – The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) is collaborating with HP Inc. to strengthen practical learning on artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies for young professionals and women participating in a Japan-funded capacity development programme for sub-Saharan Africa.

26 August 2026, Hiroshima, Japan – For more than 15 years, Haruka Ueda has supported communities affected by conflict, displacement and disasters across Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Today, she leads emergency response and recovery efforts for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Mozambique.

20 August 2026, Hiroshima, Japan－Balancing English-language learning with demanding work schedules can be difficult for young professionals. After observing this challenge in Iraq, UNITAR alumnus Mujtaba Abd Al - Hussain co-founded an online platform offering flexible and structured English-language learning.

18 August 2026, Hiroshima, Japan – For 15 years, Gerald Cirilo Reyes has worked across humanitarian and development settings within the United Nations system. When Gerald was leading the Resource Mobilization and Partnership Unit at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Syria, he joined the FY2025 Mid-Career Course of the Program for Global Human Resource Development for Peacebuilding and Development to pause and take stock on what he has learned and what he still needs to learn to become a better leader.

25 August 2026, Hiroshima, Japan – On the 81st anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, 6 August 2026, the 2026 Hiroshima Youth Ambassadors engaged with experts to explore the concept of nuclear deterrence and actions towards the abolition of nuclear weapons at the public event “From Hiroshima’s Youth to the World: Nuclear Deterrence and Peace”. The event, organized by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) in collaboration with Hiroshima Prefecture and Hiroshima Organization for Global Peace (HOPe), brought together the Youth Ambassadors and experts in disarmament, international affairs and peacebuilding. It was attended by more than 100 people and livestreamed for audiences beyond Hiroshima.

7 August 2026, Seoul, Korea – The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) successfully concluded the youth study programme “Prosperity Unleashed: Skills for Tomorrow”, held at Seoul National University (SNU) from 3 to 6 August 2025. The initiative brought together 40 aspiring young leaders from China and the Republic of Korea, providing a collaborative platform to deepen their understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), explore evolving future labour markets, analyze the impact of frontier technologies across key industries, and formulate actionable solutions for inclusive global development.

30 July 2026, Geneva, Switzerland – The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) concluded its Summer Residential Programme for the aSSIST-SDG MS Dual Master's Degree in AI Engineering and Business Administration. Two cohorts of executives completed the 2026 programme, themed “Leading in the Age of Intelligent Systems: Driving Business, SDGs and Global Impact”, in Geneva, during 13–17 July and 20–24 July 2026, respectively.

30 July 2026, Hiroshima, Japan – The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and ITS Education Asia Foundation invite motivated youth across Asia-Pacific to apply for the 2026 UNITAR Youth Ambassador Asia-Pacific Programme. The programme will run for 6 weeks, from 17 October to 21 November 2026.