The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) are pleased to announce a two-day Orientation Course on Human Rights. The course will be held in New York on 14 and 15 June 2010 and will be run by a team of human rights experts from OHCHR.

“The wealth and breadth of experience as well as the practical examples given by the trainer reinforced and enriched the workshop.”

The Multilateral Diplomacy Programme will be offering a new set of e-Learning courses in the fall of 2010, including: Multilateral Conferences and Diplomacy (13 September – 8 October); Bilateral and Multilateral Negotiation (4 – 29 October); Chairing Meetings and International Conferences (18 – 29 October), and much more!
Please see the list of e-Learning courses on our website.

The face-to-face workshop on Multilateral Conference Diplomacy from 28-29 June 2010 is available for members of the diplomatic community in Geneva, and will equip participants with the tools to enhance their performance as a conference delegate by discussing how multilateral conferences unfold, formal and informal consultations, negotiation tactics, rules of procedure, and much more.

Aiming to provide participants with a historical, political, and analytical framework to better understand the United Nations, this e-Learning course will be launched on 14 June  2010. The 6-week course will cover the major bodies, agencies, and issues pertinent to the United Nations system, as well as its financing system.
 

Historically, the role of women in diplomacy has remained marginal, at best, evidenced by the low- though increasing- rates of women’s participation in senior level positions in the UN system. Among diplomats to the UN, currently, women account for 23 of the 192 permanent representatives and observers to United Nations headquarters in New York. Women’s participation at senior level positions in the UN system also remains dismal.

The European Space Agency (ESA) will host an Earth observation conference during the ILA 2010 Berlin Air and Space Show to present how the space community and other major players, among which the United Nations, are responding to the increasing demand for remote-sensing applications.

The European Union and Developing countries in Asia agree to work together for stronger climate action.

Dr. Jane Goodall, the keynote speaker of the 4th edition of the Geneva Lecture Series that took place on 26 May at the Palais des Nations, urged the current generation to stop borrowing from the future generations and to change its ways before it is too late. Pointing to the sometimes pessimistic attitudes among youth, Dr. Goodall explained, “When I think about how we have harmed the planet since I was their age, I feel this desperation and shame. We have compromised their future. But it’s not true that there’s nothing that can be done about it”.