26 April 2021, New York, United States of America and Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and a Joint Action Plan to strengthen cooperation in IsDB member countries.

21 April 2021, Abu Dhabi, UAE - The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) is delighted to announce the signing of a joint agreement between Rabdan Academy, UAE, and UNITAR. The MoU was signed at Rabdan Academy’s campus in Abu Dhabi by Mr. James Morse, President of Rabdan Academy, and Mr. Nikhil Seth, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director of UNITAR. Both partners stressed the importance of joint training and educational efforts to address the challenges facing the UAE and the wider international community.

20 April 2021, New York, USA – Mr. Nikhil Seth, Executive Director of UNITAR, is visiting New York to discuss strategic matters with officials from the United Nations. During his first day, he had a meeting with Mr. Abdel Abdellatif, Director of the UN Office for South-South Cooperation. The two discussed the cooperation between both offices through the Operational Satellite Applications Programme (UNOSAT) focusing on the use of maps, reports, and data from satellite images to assess the impact of flooding as the most frequent type of disaster. This initiative is to better support and provide technical assistance to Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) with the cooperation of the Government of India, South Africa, and possibly China.

7-8 April 2021, New York, USA (Virtual) - The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) successfully delivered its skills-building workshop “Elections to UN Organs: Workshop for Election Officers” from 7-8 April 2021. With sponsorship by the Swedish contribution under the programme “Levelling the Playing Field”, the two day-long workshop consisted of five sessions. It included UN staff and elections officers with the aim to help delegates better understand the election processes and procedures of various United Nations organs.

30 March 2021, Geneva, Switzerland - The BLC and UNITAR presented a joint webinar series, the first of which airing on 22 March 2021, to announce the initiative and ensure that both organizations’ audiences, especially from the Latin American region, may be introduced to further opportunities to advance their skills, networks, and careers.

UNITAR is pleased to announce the launch of the new partnership with the Geneva Macro Labs, a Geneva-based Think and Do Tank with the goal to shape international collaboration, build capacity and support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals

15 March 2021, New York, United States (Virtual) – United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) New York office concluded the Columbia University Law School Spring Series with its successful third endowment of the ser on conflict resolution for innovative program-solving on Monday 15 March 2021. The online event attracted over 120 participants from different countries around 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. Participants of the whole series will receive a certificate signed by the Dean of Columbia Law School, Gillian Lester and ASG, Executive Director, Mr. Nikhil Seth.

1 - 4 March 2021, New York, USA (Virtual) - The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) New York Office, in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, successfully implemented its four-day seminar series entitled “Gender Equality in the International Rights Framework: Building Back Better” from 1-4 March 2021. Over 150 participants joined the session virtually from all over the world during the duration of the series. This series was developed to coincide with the beginning of Women’s History Month and discussed various concerns related to gender equality. This series 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 the skills and knowledge of Least Developing Countries.

This week, UNITAR is delighted to announce an innovative new partnership with the British Legal Centre. This collaboration is meant to implement four courses providing instruction on various legal aspects for lawyers, law students, businesspeople, and others who may be interested in the legal process.

The year-long global fight to contain and eliminate the threat of SARS-CoV-2 overshadowed international efforts to achieve the SDGs of Agenda2030. The world needs the brightest minds to step into leadership roles at the forefront of the transformational change required to realize the ambitious goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.