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.

18 – 19 September 2019, New York, USA – The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), New York Office, supported the launch of newly published Negotiation book at the United Nations Book store in New York and welcomed a visit from the Director of El Instituto Centroamericano de Administración Pública - Central American Institute of Public Administration (ICAP).

The United Nations Institute for Research and Training (UNITAR) New York Office has launched a training course for delegates of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Mission to the United Nations entitled, “Core Diplomatic Training for United Arab Emirates Diplomatic Corps.”

4 September 2019, Geneva, Switzerland - Strategy consultants from Simon-Kucher & Partners visited UNITAR over the summer to explore and assess new income streams for growth.

3 September 2019, New York, USA - The United Nations Institute for Research and Training (UNITAR) New York Office organized a training course with the sponsorship of the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations, entitled “Joint Swiss-UNITAR Briefing on United Nations Budgetary Matters.” The course is comprised of several sessions across four days and introduces delegates to the work, rules, and procedures of the Fifth Committee and the United Nations budget system.

21 August 2019 - New York, USA – The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and Columbia Law School organized a Mediation briefing for students and faculty members from the University of Fortaleza - UNIFOR (Fundação Edson Queiroz - Universidade de Fortaleza), Brazil at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

28 July 2019, Geneva, Switzerland – The Global Plan of Action Coordination Unit, hosted by UNITAR, has embarked on its first field project, together with colleagues from UNHCR Djibouti, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the German Foreign Ministry. To kick off the project, the team has developed a set of common objectives with major humanitarian and host government partners in Djibouti. They also assessed the current state of energy provision in two of the three refugee camps in the country, as well as in other premises used for humanitarian operations that support displaced people, such as food and medicine storage centres.