The UNITAR training took place just one week after his first session as a UN mandate holder — the youngest person ever appointed to a UN indigenous-specific mechanism and with the least amount of international experience. “There was no accommodation time, as the work of mandate holders is very responsible and challenging, and indigenous peoples around the world expect results and efficiency from experts.”

29 November 2019, Geneva, Switzerland - The Board of Trustees of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) concluded its Sixtieth Session, which convened from 28 to 29 November 2019. Key decisions of the session include adoption of the $88 million programme budget for 2020-2021 and the integration into UNITAR of The Defeat-NCD Partnership with a biennial budget of $31 million.

23 October 2019, New York, USA – The United Nations Institute for Training and Research’s (UNITAR) New York Office kicked off the first of a series of workshops that will be held for the newly elected members of the Security Council for the 2020-20201 period: Tunisia, Niger, Vietnam, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Estonia.

18 October 2019, New York, USA – The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) New York Office, in partnership with the Permanent Mission of Qatar to the United Nations, B4 Development, and Generation Amazing, hosted an event on using behavioral insights and sports in preventing violent extremism. The event took place in Conference Room 6 at UN Headquarters on 18 October 2019.

15 - 16 October 2019, New York, USA - The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) New York Office held a two-day training course titled “Training for New Delegates of the Permanent Mission of Sudan to the United Nations” at the Permanent Mission of Sudan to the United Nations.

September 2019, Geneva, Switzerland - Thirty indigenous representatives from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Arctic, the Americas and the Pacific took part in the 2019 UNITAR Training Programme to Enhance the Conflict Prevention and Peacemaking Capacities of Indigenous Peoples’ Representatives. The intensive international programme provided advanced training in conflict analysis, dialogue, principled negotiation and reconciliation processes to indigenous representatives and leaders working to advance the rights and well-being of their peoples.

27 September 2019, New York, USA – The Assistant Secretary-General (ASG), Executive Director of United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), Mr. Nikhil Seth, delivered a speech at the ‘International Conference on Peace and Investment Prospects in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Great Lakes Region’ which took place at the Millennium Hilton Hotel, New York.

22 September 2019, New York, USA – The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) in collaboration with member institutions launched a university global coalition which was hosted by the Rockefeller Foundation, New York. The coalition is “a collaborative platform of globally engaged universities and higher education associations working in partnership with the United Nations and other stakeholders to create a more sustainable future for all.” Some of the founding member schools represented include the Yonsei University, Georgia Institute of Technology, George Mason University and McGill University.

21 September 2019, Koge, Japan - 21 September 2019 was the International Day of Peace. On this day, at the geographical mid-point between Hiroshima and Nagasaki a special planting ceremony took place under the leadership of Mr. Akio Nishikiori - an A-Bomb survivor, long-time GLH Committee member as well as a dedicated architect for Hiroshima's revival. This project, to plant A-Bomb saplings from both Nagasaki and Hiroshima respectively on the two sides of the lake in Oike Park of Koge Town, Fukuoka Prefecture, was initiated last year. A bridge is also planned to be built across the lake connecting the Nagasaki and Hiroshima sites.

Together with our partners the Clean Cooking Alliance, UNITAR’s Humanitarian Energy team hosted the first ever gathering of practitioners dedicated to improving and expanding access to clean energy in humanitarian settings. The 2-day event took place in Ethiopia on 31 July-1 August and brought together over 180 representatives from 31 countries.