1- 2 September, New York USA, virtual seminar – The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Office in New York successfully launched the Joint Swiss-UNITAR Briefing on United Nations Budgetary Matters training series on Tuesday, 1 September 2020. The four-day virtual training programme caters for the needs of the incoming delegates of the United Nations General Assembly Fifth Committee. The first two sessions have directly benefited more than 120 delegates each session from numerous Member States.

Although these have been difficult times for the city, the UNITAR New York Office has been able to successfully transition all our meetings, trainings, and conferences to a virtual format. In fact, thanks to the added capacity of webinars and livestreams, recent events and trainings have been able to reach a wider and more diverse audience than ever before.

During the pandemic, UNITAR NY Office has developed 11 capacity building events and impacted 4,700 participants (including the SDG Learning Center in July). Thank you to the team and Ambassador’s vision, UNITAR NY Office feels confident that future trainings will be a success too.

27-28 July, New York, USA, online workshop - The United Nations Institute for Training and Research's (UNITAR) office in New York organized a two-day virtual workshop, “Drafting Skills: Reporting and Communications” held on 27-28 July 2020. The workshop was attended by approximately 70 delegates from around the world via video conference.

The session began with welcome remarks delivered by Mr. Marco Suazo, the head of office of the UNITAR New York office.

24 April 2020, New York, the United States – The first module of the “Realizing the Future We Want: Training series in preparation for the General Assembly’s 2020 quadrennial comprehensive policy review (QCPR) of operational activities for development of the United Nations system” successfully took place virtually with more than 225 participants. This series is a collaboration between UNITAR, the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) that aims to equip Member States with the most relevant information as they prepare for the 2020 QCPR.

14-15 July 2020, New York, USA - The United Nations Institute for Training and Research's (UNITAR) New York Office organized a two-day virtual event, “The Structure, Drafting, and Adoption of the United Nations Resolutions” on 14-15 July 2020. This training 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. The workshop was attended by approximately 120 delegates from Permanent Missions to the UN who joined virtually from around the world. Mr. Marco A. Suazo, representing UNITAR’s New York Office, opened the seminar and briefed the event’s topic of UN resolutions and introduced panelists.

7 July 2020, New York, USA, Zoom Workshop - The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Office in New York, in collaboration with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), hosted the first workshop “Learning and Training for SDG implementation in the COVID-19 era” of the High-level Political Forum (HLPF).

2 July 2020, New York, United States – On 2 July 2020, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) office in New York, in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), hosted the third module of the ‘Realizing the Future we Want’, a training series in preparation for the General Assembly’s 2020 Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review (QCPR) of operational activities for development of the United Nations system. The focus of the third module was on funding UN operational activities for development and financing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The module was held online, and attracted more than 150 participants from numerous Member States.

18 May 2020, New York, USA, Zoom Workshop - The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), in collaboration with Emerging Ag, hosted a workshop entitled Defining Transformation: A Global Food System. This is the first event of six in the Food Systems Series leading up to the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit. This activity is 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. The course was attended by 115 participants from around the world that joined remotely through Zoom. The course is aligned and in preparation for the UN Secretary-General Food Systems Summit which will aim of maximizing the co-benefits of a food systems approach across the entire 2030 Agenda and meet the challenges of climate change. The Summit will seek to inspire global public mobilization and actionable commitments to invest in diverse ways to make food systems inclusive, climate adapted and resilient, and supportive of sustainable peace.

5 May 2020, New York, USA (Zoom Workshop) - The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) in collaboration with Columbia Law School, hosted the last workshop in the Columbia Law School series. This series was is supported with funding allocated from the Swedish International Development Agency’s (SIDA) contribution to the UNITAR Strategic Framework Fund and hosted at the United Nations Headquarters. The course was attended by 150 participants that joined remotely through zoom.