December 2022, Hiroshima, Japan – Climate vulnerability and food insecurity threaten the already conflict-torn areas in the Middle East and North Africa. In Iraq, infrequent rainfall and rising temperatures in recent years has especially worsened water scarcity. With more than 80 per cent of the country’s water resources being used for agriculture, water scarcity has devastating consequences on the sector that employs 30 per cent of the Iraqi population.

8 December 2022, Geneva, Switzerland - The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) launched a new initiative to support climate-resilient livelihood development in Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

7 December 2022, New York, USA – The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) office in New York partnered with Miraflores Films LLC to organize a screening of With This Light, a documentary on Sister Maria Rosa Leggol. The event was attended by over 70 guests, who were able to learn more about Sor Maria’s story.

6 December 2022, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic – The National Institute of Transit and Land Transportation of the Dominican Republic (INTRANT), hosted the Road Safety National Week taking place from 19 to 26 November 2022. To amplify the outreach of the Autosobriety Training Programme to prevent drink-driving in the country, training and public awareness activities were rolled out throughout the week with a total of 340 beneficiaries.

6 November 2022, Hiroshima, Japan - Shumoos Jaber advocates for plant-based solutions to health and climate change in Iraq. Shumoos had become a vegan while she was in Malaysia, where she completed her master’s degree in biotechnology. When she returned to Iraq, she found that plant-based meals were not readily available in the country. This gap in the market sparked the idea that Shumoos transformed into a business over the next few years.

5 December 2022, New York, United States - On the night of 2 December 2022, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) office in New York, together with Oberlin College and Conservatory, and the Global Foundation for the Performing Arts (GFPA), hosted an Orchestra & Conservatory Choral Ensembles at the Carnegie Hall in New York City. The performance is in celebration of the work of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). It has attracted more than 1500 audiences from both within and beyond the UN Secretariat, and the Permanent Missions of the Member States to the United Nations (UN).

5 December 2022, New York, USA - The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Office in New York hosted the third and last training session of the Columbia Law School 2022 Fall Series entitled “Leadership and Self-Awareness” in collaboration with the Columbia Law School Mediation Clinic. Gathering more than 100 participants, the event aimed at understanding one’s leadership style and approach as wee as the importance of self-awareness.

2 December 2022, New York, United States - The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) office in New York launched its training series for the Malta delegation in preparation for their membership at the United Nations Security Council which was attended by more than 45 delegates from the capital and the mission in New York, in person and virtually.

December 2022, New York, USA - For this year’s final external newsletter addition, the topic Key Takeaways from the COP27 - How UNITAR is contributing to preparing new leaders for the future, allowed us to reflect on how our work in New York throughout this year has left a footprint on the battle with climate change. COP 27, the 2022 UN Climate Change Conference, was held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt this year. As a representative of the training arm of the UN Community in New York, the UNITAR worked hard this year to insure that our work paralleled the subjects addressed at COP27 to give the necessary tools and skills to our partners and beneficiaries to help protect our environment and build a safer future for the generations to come.

As UNITAR contributes to the implementation of the SDGs, a delegation participated at the COP27 to organize side events, workshops, and bi-lateral meetings to bring attention on the ‘leave no one behind’ principles in climate action and sustainable energy. The impact of climate change on displaced populations is rarely brought up in climate negotiation agenda. Therefore, UNITAR’s Global Platform for Action on Sustainable Energy in Displacement Settings (GPA) made efforts to raise awareness of humanitarian energy in the climate action discussions. This included ensuring that the displaced people were physically present at the conversations and their voices were heard. Through active participation of the GPA and displaced communities, UNITAR invited the governments to include displaced people into the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Adaptation Policies (NAPs), and energy policies.