19-21 November 2018, Brussels, Belgium – UNITAR hosted the Annual Meeting of its Network of Affiliated International Training Centres for Authorities and Leaders (CIFAL) in Brussels and in Antwerp, Belgium. The Directors of 15 CIFAL Centres gathered for three days to review its performance in 2018, discuss opportunities for collaboration, exchange knowledge and expertise, and to develop the training calendar for 2019.

17 December, Geneva, Switzerland – A landmark report providing the first detailed account of the devastating damage to the World Heritage Property of the Ancient City of Aleppo in the wake of years of armed conflict has been published by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and UNESCO.

In West Africa we are a community of countries. Learning about the goals of other countries helped us to figure out our priorities, we can’t develop our private sector just for us.

On 13-15 November 2018, the Togolese Public Administration School (ENA), UNITAR and UNDP held a national workshop aimed at strengthening the capacities of senior civil servants to lead the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and SDGs. This was the first national-level pilot of UNITAR’s toolkit “Policy cycle, integrated approaches and SDGs” targeted towards African Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

29-31 October 2018, Atlanta, United States - The International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders in Atlanta (CIFAL Atlanta) in partnership with Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Airports Council International held a seminar on Air Service Development in Nadi, Fiji.

Ambassadors and representatives of Permanent Missions in Geneva were invited to join our 5th Friends of UNITAR Meeting, to learn more about UNITAR, its activities and our new Strategic Framework 2018 - 2021.

24 May 2018, Geneva, Switzerland - UNITAR has entered into a new partnership with the International Development Law Organization(IDLO), the only intergovernmental organization exclusively devoted to promoting the rule of law. The new cooperation agreement was signed by UNITAR’s Executive Director, Nikhil Seth and IDLO’s Director-General, Irene Khan and it will be a foundation for collaboration on capacity development initiatives in the justice and legal sectors.

United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) organized a workshop titled “Climate Change and the Paris Agreement: Challenges and Expectations” conducted by Professor Narinder Kakar, the Permanent Observer for the United Nations mandated University for Peace, and Mr. Santiago Villalpando, the Chief of the Treaty Section of the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs. Professor Kakar also serves as Director and Adjunct Professor on UN Environmental Diplomacy Programme at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law of Pace University. The workshop began with a few opening remarks on the importance of the Paris Agreement by Mr. Pelayo Alvarez, who also thanked Professor Kakar and Mr. Villalpando for all their efforts in preparation for the workshop. He then gave participants a brief summary of what to expect from the workshop.

Ms. Christina Pita Lukudu is a legal counsel working for the Directorate of Public Prosecution in the Ministry of Justice of South Sudan, the world’s newest nation. She was among a group of Fellows who participated in the first cycle of the UNITAR South Sudan Fellowship Programme, launched in September 2015.  

The Seychelles is an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Africa. It is known for its beaches, coral reefs and nature reserves. As such, sustainable fishing is a critical issue for the remote Indian Ocean Republic.