Barcelona, Spain, 8-12 November 2010. The Police Platform for Urban Development hosted its second training from 8-12 November 2010 in Barcelona, Spain at the police training facilities of the Catalan Institute for Public Security (ISPC).

UNITAR’s Multilateral Diplomacy Programme (MDP) is currently conducting a three-week long workshop with participating trainers from the Diplomatic Academies of South Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The unique setup of this Training of Trainers consists of several related workshops that mutually reinforce each other, thereby leading to an unprecedented added value for both diplomatic academies.

Cyclone Giri hit western Rakhine state in Myanmar packing winds of up to 177km/h, hitting the major town of Kayaukpyu among other locations. Although it is difficult to estimate casualties and damage, local authorities have confirmed that 101,923 people remain homeless and at least 20,380 houses have been destroyed.

UNOSAT has been invited to present its work on Piracy Monitoring at a meeting of the UN Inter-agency Standing Committee (IASC) in October 2010. The use of satellite analysis to monitor the activity of pirates off the coasts of Somalia has been developed by UNOSAT as part of the activities of the Programme in the area of human security and monitoring.

Geospatial information and satellite analysis have the potential to generate tangible benefits in a growing number of areas.

This November 5th, 2010 CIFAL Findhorn will host the 2010 Highlands International Biodiversity and Climate Change conference, part of the United Nations’ International Year of Biodiversity in Inverness, Scotland. It is the forum to find the latest information about how climate change is affecting the unique habitats and resources of the Highlands and Islands, and learn about innovative solutions to enhance biodiversity under the pressure of climate change.

An occasion not to be missed for the Geneva public, this new edition of the Geneva Lecture Series will feature an open debate with the participation of Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Pascal Lamy - Principals of two international organizations at the cornerstone of the global economic governance architecture.

UNITAR is launching a new e-Learning course on Mediation Skills which is customized to practitioners’ special needs and due to start on 15 November 2010. This new course of the Multilateral Diplomacy Programme aspires to enable the participants to develop mediation skills which can be utilized in international diplomacy.

The field of agriculture and trade raises a host of connected issues, such as food security and food safety, environmental and other consumer concerns. It is also one where the extensive degree of domestic regulation needs to be taken into account in the negotiations. There is, as well, often a gap in policy formulation between national development objectives and the role of agricultural trade in the pursuit of these objectives.

The National Capacity Development Course in International Environmental Law was held in Bangkok, Kingdom of Thailand, on 21-23 September and 12-13 October 2010.