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20 June 2025, Geneva, Switzerland - In observance of global efforts to address rising water stress and the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, the UNITAR Global Water Academy, the Global Water and Sanitation Center, and CIFAL Bangkok at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) co-hosted a virtual event titled ‘Streams of Change: Water Scarcity Solutions - Managing Drought Risks’. The session brought together experts in climate resilience, drought mitigation, sustainable agriculture, and water infrastructure to explore practical and technological responses ...
Sonath Abdul Sattar recalls when the Indian Ocean tsunami hit the Maldives in 2004.
We did not know what a tsunami was; we thought it was a big wave. And we waited and watched – we saw the water receding outside so we could see the reefs. And then when it crashed, it was coming with the dead fish and everything. We were not aware at all.
It was a pivotal moment in Sonath’s life. In the aftermath, Sonath began volunteering for the country’s relief efforts. It began her career in disaster management, a path which eventually brought her to Japan to take part in the UNITAR ...
12 February 2025, Geneva, Switzerland – UNITAR and RES4CITY Micro-credentials and micro-programmes are available free now: (https://res4city.boostmyskills.eu/). This groundbreaking platform equips individuals with the knowledge and skills to drive sustainable urban transformations. Developed with EU and Swiss Confederation support by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, alongside 18 pan-European universities and industry partners, RES4CITY provides micro-credentials on key topics, including renewable energy, sustainable finance, and smart urban solutions,...
Disasters affect the well-being and safety of people, communities and countries, as a whole. Globally, the most common hazardous events are road accidents, natural disasters, and industrial injuries. Approximately 190 million people are directly affected annually by emergencies due to natural and technological hazards, with over 77 000 deaths. An estimated 235 million people required humanitarian assistance in 2021 due to conflict, disasters, and overlapping crises (UNDRR, 2025). Between 2000 and 2019, extreme heat was...
17 December, Geneva, Switzerland – A landmark report providing the first detailed account of the devastating damage to the World Heritage Property of the Ancient City of Aleppo in the wake of years of armed conflict has been published by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and UNESCO.
The Ancient City of Aleppo is one of six Syrian World Heritage sites added to UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger in 2013. Five Years of Conflict: The State of Cultural Heritage in the Ancient City of Aleppo draws on satellite imagery assessment of a total of...
Particularly in the context of increased urbanization, the urban risk continues to rise. The vulnerability of cities to disasters is growing especially as poor people settle in high-risk urban areas. Unfortunately, the planning and development of cities have given little consideration to the consequences of hazards such as earthquakes, hydro-meteorological risks, and others. The implication of this reality is the need for countries to focus on creating a safer world for urban dwellers and developing a series of innovative approaches to build resilience.On the basis of these...
17 December, Geneva, Switzerland – A landmark report providing the first detailed account of the devastating damage to the World Heritage Property of the Ancient City of Aleppo in the wake of years of armed conflict has been published by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and UNESCO.
The Ancient City of Aleppo is one of six Syrian World Heritage sites added to UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger in 2013. Five Years of Conflict: The State of Cultural Heritage in the Ancient City of Aleppo draws on satellite imagery assessment of a total of...
23-26 January 2018, Lumban, Laguna, Philippines - As part of its continuing partnership with the local government of Quezon City, CIFAL Philippines facilitated an SDG Orientation and Strategic Planning Workshop for the city’s Migration and Development (M&D) Council from the 23rd to the 26th of January.
Twenty-four council members, representing various offices of the local government, participated in the event, which aimed to enhance the Quezon City M&D Council’s knowledge and skills on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
During the four-day activity, the ...
Hayder Alla’ Abdulzahra is a young Iraqi entrepreneur who aims to improve access to medical services.
Hayder is developing an app to provide online medical consultations, advice, tutorials, prescriptions and other services to Iraqis.
To build his entrepreneurial skills, Hayder joined the UNITAR Great Ideas Space 2022: Entrepreneurship for Public Health and COVID-19 Recovery programme.
, 25 May 2023, Hiroshima, Japan - Baghdad is home to a growing community of entrepreneurs looking to make a mark. However, without the proper experience and tools, many of these aspiring b...
26 July 2021, Hiroshima, Japan – The world can potentially be destroyed in a nuclear cataclysm at any moment. It only needs a small misunderstanding or technical error – never mind war between nuclear-armed nations – to unleash weapons of mass destruction that would kill millions and likely render large tracts of the earth uninhabitable for any who survive.
Setsuko Thurlow, a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, at the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony in Oslo on 10 December 2017, spoke eloquently in defence of a ban on such weapons.
“Nine nations st...