Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) play a critical role in advancing sustainable development by shaping the knowledge, skills, and mindsets of present and future generations. Developed by UNITAR, UNESCO, and a collective of HEIs, the Leaders in Higher Education Alliance and Programme - for Accelerating Sustainability Transformations (LEAP-FAST) aimed to strengthen this role by fostering a global movement of sustainability leaders in higher education. The initiative comprises four components: a Leadership Dialogue, a Certificate Programme, an SDG Ambassadors' Programme, and Regional and National Spin-offs.

For more than 10 years, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations Satellite Centre (UN Satellite
Centre) have worked together on satellite-based monitoring of cultural and natural heritage affected by armed conflict and disasters resulting from natural or
human-made hazards. This partnership was formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2015 and subsequently strengthened through a series of joint agreements, funded by UN Member States, to monitor and safeguard cultural and natural heritage around the world. What began as ad-hoc assessments for Iraq and Syria has evolved into systematic, joint operations with rapid, global response capabilities.

4 May 2026, Atlanta, USA – Large-scale high-profile governmental, cultural, sporting, or entertainment events such as the FIFA World Cup, G20s, Olympics and Paralympics, Super Bowls, Champions League finals attract significant visitors, bring important economic benefits and opportunities for improving urban development, while reducing environmental impact.

28 April 2026, Budva, Montenegro - UNITAR in collaboration with the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and support from the FIA Foundation, launched the Central and Eastern Europe edition of the Safe Mobility for All and For Life (SM4A4L) initiative. SM4A4L aims to equip FIA automobile clubs and local authorities with training, mentorship, and evidence-based actions to develop concrete projects that improve road safety for everyone.

28 April 2026, Hiroshima, Japan – On 27 April 2026, UNITAR, with the Hiroshima and Nagasaki Prefectural Governments, co-hosted a side event to the 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The side event, titled “Nuclear Disarmament Obligation: Humanitarian, Development, and Peace” and led by the Government of Kazakhstan, featured a panel discussion of government representatives, experts and young people and aimed to identify actions that raise awareness of the humanitarian and environmental impacts of nuclear weapons, support implementation of the NPT Action Plan and strengthen advocacy for nuclear disarmament.

15 April 2026, London, United Kingdom - Against a backdrop of mounting urgency around food security, sustainability, and behavioral change, CIFAL London has launched a purpose-built Hackathon to channel the creative and analytical energy of participants toward one of the most pressing, and most preventable challenges of our time: household food waste. Designed as a high-impact applied learning intervention, the event tasks interdisciplinary teams with moving from systemic understanding to concrete action, producing scalable, real-world solutions aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger.

23 April 2026, Hiroshima, Japan – Twelve youth from Hiroshima Prefecture gathered at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Hiroshima Project Office on 18 April to mark the launch of the 2026 “UNITAR Hiroshima Youth Ambassador Programme: Leaders for a New Era”.

Over the past years, the Tanzania Peacekeeping Training Centre (TPTC) has undergone a significant transformation: from a relatively low-profile national training institution to an increasingly recognized centre of reference for peacekeeping training in Africa. UNITAR’s support in 2025 contributed to accelerating this trajectory by reinforcing the centre’s institutional capacity, training methodologies, and ability to adapt to evolving operational demands.

10 April 2026, Geneva, Switzerland – UNITAR’s affiliated International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders in Poland (CIFAL Płock) concluded a series of training workshops for local and regional law enforcement agencies in Poland aimed at strengthening their capacities to implement the Autosobriety Training Programme to Prevent Drink-Driving.

10 April 2026, Hiroshima, Japan –The UNITAR Women’s Leadership in Tsunami-based Disaster Risk Reduction for World Tsunami Awareness Day 2025 training programme concluded on 12 March 2026, having brought together emerging leaders, especially women from Asia and the Pacific, to strengthen their skills in disaster risk reduction and community resilience.