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31 March 2021, Copenhagen, Denmark - UNITAR-UNOSAT and the University of Copenhagen co-organized and delivered a 3-week Masters level course entitled “Geo-information in disaster situations” from 8 to 26 March 2021. The beneficiaries were fourteen University of Copenhagen students registered in the Master of Disaster Management programme. Instruction during the first week focused on an introduction to remote sensing, data analysis, cartographic modelling and essential software applications and was delivered by the University of Copenhagen., The second week was helmed ...
8 April 2024 - It is with a heavy heart that we learned of the passing of Mr. Marcel André Boisard, former United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and former Executive Director of UNITAR from 1992 to 2007. The news of his departure has deeply saddened us all.
Mr. Boisard was not only a respected leader but also a distinguished figure in the academic, diplomatic and humanitarian realms. He brought wisdom, guidance, and a compassionate spirit to every aspect of his work. His dedication and commitment have left an indelible mark on our Institute and all who had the pr...
The Board of Trustees is the Institute’s governing body. The Board formulates principles and policies to govern the Institute’s activities and operations; approves the work programme; adopts the budget; reviews the structure and composition of staffing and performs other statutory functions, including considering the methods of financing the Institute with a view to ensuring the effectiveness of its future operations, their continuity and the Institute’s autonomous character within the framework of the United Nations., The Board is composed of a small, yet highly diverse gr...
Tropical Cyclone Idai made landfall during the night of 14 to 15 March 2019 near Beira, a low-lying city of 500,000 residents in central Mozambique, before moving inland to neighbouring Zimbabwe and Malawi. The cyclone brought winds of up to 177 km/h (106 mph) and torrential rains that caused rivers to burst over their banks and submerge streets and homes across several provinces in Mozambique. Governmental officials described the damage as "massive and horrifying" while IFRC and UN officials described seeing “water and water for miles and miles” and “90 percent of the Beir...
27 February 2024, Geneva, Switzerland - In 2023, UNOSAT faced challenges and achieved milestones. Our mapping team was activated for complex emergencies over 107 times in 60 countries worldwide and provided 634 products and services. Across the globe, our emergency mapping service has provided life-saving information to devastated areas affected by conflicts and disasters triggered by natural hazards., In 2023, we went on leveraging our expertise to address multipolar crises and crosscutting issues in different thematic areas, from defending human rights to safeguarding end...
Name: Chika Ohashi
Organization: United Nations Development Programme
Functional Title: Programme Analyst
Country: Japan
Course participated in: 13th International Course on GIS for Disaster Risk Management
Chika Ohashi is a Programme Analyst with the United Nations Development Programme. She took a course on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with UNITAR’s Operational Satellite Applications Programme (UNOSAT).
Chika’s passion is the environment - she has a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Management and a Masters’ degree in Environment and S...
9 February 2022, Geneva, Switzerland - A category 5 Tropical Cyclone struck the Philippines in December 2021, causing significant damage and affecting a large part of the population. Following a request from the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (in Bangkok), of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UNOSAT’s Emergency Mapping service was activated to support the planning and coordination of emergency response operations with satellite imagery analysis., On the 16th of December 2021, Tropical Cyclone RAI-21 made landfall north ...
28 May 2024, Geneva, Switzerland - In the vast expanse of the Pacific, where the azure waters meet lush islands, the threat of climate change is not distant, but a reality deeply anchored in the present. Rising sea levels, frequent flooding, and coastal erosion pose relentless threats to their rich ecosystems and communities. Despite contributing minimally to global carbon emissions, these island nations face staggering costs to bolster their infrastructure against climate-induced hazards. Estimates suggest that Pacific island countries need to inve...
10 August 2023, Port Vila, Vanuatu - Vanuatu faces many threats because of climate change – the most visible of which is sea-level rise. While coastal inundation poses great risks to infrastructure, damage can be mitigated through evidence-based planning geospatial information technologies (GIT). Leveraging GIT with new and innovative technologies like drones can assist decision-makers in targeting their country’s most vulnerable sectors and communities, thereby ensuring future resilience.
One key entry point in boosting Vanuatu’s climate resilience has been in supporting ...
15 June 2022, Geneva, Switzerland – For the past twenty years, UNOSAT has been developing its expertise in using Geospatial Information Technologies to promote evidence-based decision-making for peace, security and resilience. The relevant and objective information provided to UN agencies, programme and Member States helps inform recovery activities, investigations and overall peace processes. , Damage assessment, population movements, monitoring borders, accessibility status of remote areas,.. these are some of the ways advanced geospatial analysis can help monitor t...