14 December 2020, New York, USA (Virtual) – The United Nations Institute for Training and Research New York Office successfully launched the first day of a three-day virtual seminar with its event partners, the Permanent Mission of the State of Qatar to the United Nations and Generation Amazing. Generation Amazing is an organization geared toward youth that uses football to encourage sustainable development, specifically through the principles of gender equality, inclusivity, teamwork and leadership, ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Doha. This seminar was designed by UNITAR for Generation Amazing’s Youth Advocates, who are a group of young Qataris and non-Qatari residents living and studying in Doha. The first day of the three sessions of the seminar was attended by 15 Young Leaders and will continue through 16 December 2020.

UNITAR and UN CC:Learn joined forces to deliver the Online Training Programme on Climate Change Diplomacy, at which 35 Kenyan diplomats, government officials, and civil society representatives were trained on climate diplomacy. The training took place between 13 November and 8 December 2020 and provided participants with knowledge on climate change and climate diplomacy, building their capacity for the upcoming climate negotiations at COP 26.

11 December 2020, Geneva, Switzerland - On three dates in December 2020 (7, 10, 11), UNITAR and UN Statistics Division hosted an online workshop for the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on the uses and applications of the updated StaTact online tool for resolving short-term tactical data problems.

3 December 2020, New York, United States (Virtual) – The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) New York Office, along with the Columbia Law School, hosted the “amplification strategies for diplomatic leadership” workshop on Thursday, 3 December 2020. The workshop was the third endowment of the training series presented by the two entities, and 233 participants joined the session virtually from different parts of the world and was supported with funding allocated from the Swedish International Development Agency’s (SIDA) contribution to the UNITAR Strategic Framework Fund, under the programme ‘Leveling The Playing Field’ which focuses on the development of skills and knowledge of Least Developing Countries.

26 November 2020, Geneva, Switzerland - Following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, UNITAR and the International Ocean Institute launched the Online Diploma on Ocean Governance for Sustainable Marine Ecosystems.

04 November 2020, New York, USA (Virtual) - The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) New York Office (NYO) launched its series with Columbia Law School on Mediation, Conflict Resolution and Negotiation 2020. This activity is supported with funding allocated from the Swedish International Development Agency’s (SIDA) contribution to the UNITAR Strategic Framework.

19 October 2020, New York, USA. – In parallel with the environmental objectives set forth by the United Nations as it celebrates its historic 75th Anniversary, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) New York Office and the Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy hosted a training workshop for UN delegates and interested participants, entitled “Achieving Sustainability Through Metrics” on 15 October 2020. As with the other workshops, this session took place in an online format attracting over 60 participants from all over the world.

5 October 2020, Geneva, Switzerland – UNITAR, in partnership with the Geneva-Tsinghua Initiative, the University of Geneva and the Tsinghua University, launch the SDG Innovation Bootcamps, a series of short programmes (online or hybrid) aimed at a new generation of impact entrepreneurs, willing to collectively act in order to identify, delineate and address outstanding challenges for the SDGs, through open innovation.

24 September 2020, Geneva, Switzerland - On 24 September 2020, 50 participants took part in a four-hour webinar on the topic “Sustainable Development Goals in the Private Sector”, organized and implemented by UNITAR and the Global Institute of Excellence in Hong Kong.  In a short introduction, UNITAR’s executive director Nikil Seth explained how the Sustainable Development Goals and the private sector are ultimately connected and how the business sector has an immense influence on the impact of climate change and the ecological footprint. Especially now, in the midst of a global pandemic, Mr. Seth highlighted the urgent need to take action against the climate crisis and focus on water and energy efficiency, the protection of biodiversity, gender equality, sustainable infrastructures and much more.

18 September, 2020, New York, USA, Zoom Conference – The United Nations Institute for Training and Research New York office (UNITAR NYO), the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations, and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), hosted the final module of the 2020 training series on the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review (QCPR), entitled “Realizing the Future We Want” training series on 17 September 2020. As with the previous modules, the “finale” took place in an online format, attracting over 170 delegates that participated from all over the world.