13 May 2024, New York, USA – The UNITAR New York Office, in collaboration with the Permanent Missions of Ecuador and Portugal, successfully conducted a workshop on the relationship between the General Assembly and the Security Council. The workshop took place in the UNHQ Trusteeship Council Chamber, with approximately 150 United Nations personnel in attendance.

Branson Pitakia, Information Technology Officer at the Solomon Islands National Disaster Management Office, illustrates the potential of knowledge and innovation in disaster management. His story shows how geospatial technology can help in disaster preparedness and response, and ultimately protect communities.

2 May 2024, Geneva, Switzerland - In the wake of the ongoing hostilities in the Gaza Strip, the Education Cluster, in collaboration with UNOSAT, has released a comprehensive report detailing the devastating impact of the conflict on the education infrastructure.

April 2024, Bonn, Germany - UNITAR's Sustainable Cycles (Scycle) Programme published the National E-waste Monitor for Namibia and Botswana. This reports outline the current status of e-waste management in those countries and highlight significant challenges facing the countries in this regard.

2 May 2024, Mérida, Mexico – The International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders in Merida (CIFAL Merida) successfully concluded its XIX international seminar on hurricane preparedness, bringing together decision-makers from airports in Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean. A key objective of the seminar was to analyze and review emergency plans before the hurricane season to ensure that airports remain operational if impacted by a disaster.

2 May 2024, Antwerp, Belgium – The International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders in Belgium (CIFAL Flanders) launched the ESG Frontrunners initiative, supported by the Department of Chancellery and Foreign Affairs of the Flemish Government, to offer a structured programme to help organizations navigate complex European regulations like the EU Taxonomy, Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence (CSDD).

26 April 2024, Geneva, Switzerland - More than 75,000 students from worldwide have enrolled in the e-course Climate Change: From Learning to Action. Now, this course has been translated into a fifth language, Chinese, and was launched in celebration of the UN Chinese Language Day. Check out what will you learn in this course.

19 April 2024, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Division for Prosperity, and with the generous support of the Government of Canada, commemorated the graduation of over 2,000 women from the Advancing Gender Equality and Women Empowerment 2023 Online Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy Training Programme on 11 April 2024. The virtual event was attended by 500 graduates from the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS).

At the Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS), Rovil Kumar, a scientific officer specialising in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), coordinates the development of maps and geospatial portals that contribute to Fiji's resilience to extreme weather events. As part of his role, he compiles various maps for climate monitoring, flood mapping, and forecasting of heavy rainfall and tropical cyclones. By doing so, Rovil and his team contribute significantly to Fiji's preparedness and response strategies. To harness the skills to develop these products, Rovil Kumar participated in many trainings conducted by the United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) over the years, more recently attending the course "Geospatial Training on Flood Susceptibility and Cyclone Exposure Modelling". This training covered fundamentals of QGIS, cyclone mapping, hydrological mapping, and flood modelling using the Height Above Nearest Drainage (HAND) method. The training focused on using this HAND modelling method to perform flash flood vulnerability mapping and tropical cyclone risk mapping.  

25 April 2024, Hiroshima, Japan – On 10 February 2024, the UNITAR Hiroshima Office and UNITAR Association held the public forum “Nuclear Disarmament and Sustainable Peace” at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. The forum aimed to deepen public understanding about nuclear disarmament, especially given the current armed conflicts in Ukraine and in Gaza, and about achieving sustainable peace.