This forum aims to give diplomats a comprehensive knowledge of the complexities of sustainable development issues and provide them with the necessary tools to participate in the negotiation process. This opening workshop addressed the main themes of the Rio+20 Conference: the institutional framework for sustainable development and a green economy.

21 October 2011, New York, United States of America – The United Nations Institute of Training and Research (UNITAR) organized a two-day workshop on Environmental Negotiations and Climate Change Diplomacy on the 20 and 21 of October at the Office of the Permanent Observer of the African Union to the United Nations, as part of the 2011 Negotiation Series “Towards a level playing field” organized in collaboration with the Olof Palme Memorial Fund.

14 October 2011, New York, United States of America – On 14 October 2011, the UNITAR New York Office, jointly with the Permanent Mission of Switzerland, organized a half-day workshop on “United Nations Reform: Institutional Adaptation of UN Governing Bodies.” The workshop opened UNITAR’s four-part series on UN reform in New York that covers topics such as management reform, system-wide coherence and new approaches to mediation and preventive diplomacy.

October 2011, Geneva, Switzerland. Peacekeeping Training Programme of UNITAR, in partnership with the African Leadership Centre of King’s College London, offered, an executive training course on “Leadership, Team work and Team Management in Peace operations from 17 to 21 October 2011”.

On October 18, 2011, Mr. Carlos Lopes, Executive Director of UNITAR and Mr. Mohammed El Amine Bencherif, Director General a.i. of Political Affairs and International Security of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, signed a Partnership Agreement for the establishment of an International Training Centre for Local Actors (CIFAL Maghreb) in Algiers.

October 2011, Geneva, Switzerland. The United Nations Development Programme – Regional Bureau for Africa (UNDP RBA) and UNITAR’s Public Finance and Trade Programme successfully conducted the skills-building workshop on “Négociations financières multilatérales: les défis pour l’Afrique” (Geneva, 20 to 21 October 2011).

18 October 2011, Accra – In the context of the GEF/UNDP/UNITAR/EPA-Ghana Project on Capacity Building for the Elimination of PCBs in Ghana, a Project Steering Committee was held in Accra on 18 October 2011. The Committee reviewed progress to date, the current workplan for 2011 and in particular progress related to the inventory of electrical transformers in Ghana. The next Committee meeting will take place in December 2011.

18 October 2011, Geneva, Switzerland.  In keeping with its strategic commitment towards community mapping, UNOSAT has joined resources with Google to make online crisis maps available for the current Thailand floods and the ongoing complex emergency and drought in the Horn of Africa.

On the occasion of the Third session of the Advisory Board of the UNITAR Peacekeeping Training Programme a well-attended high-level Round Table discussion entitled: “They Fight Like Soldiers, They Die Like Children.