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“Born and bred in Nigeria”, as her typical first name indicates, 37 years old Sa’adatu Bowsan developed an interest in political topics in her early youth, although coming from a family that never was heavily implicated in politics in the first place. That interest developed further when she enrolled to study political science in Abuja’s university from 1999 to 2002, bringing back a Degree in that field that very year. Later, she took part in various trainings, monitored elections and political events, consulted with political institutions and worked with organisations in…
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 ...
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...
The son of a retired army officer, 33 years old Tayeb Toufik Dahar wasn't encouraged to follow the same path, as his father didn’t oblige him to embrace a military career. “He recognized I had the same strong leadership skills as him, but he encouraged me to break into academia instead, like he would have wanted himself, and all the more so as he had lived through troubled years on active service.”
At the young age of 22, he successfully graduated Algeria's Ecole Nationale d'Administration in 2006. It wasn't long before he started working for the Ministry of Interior as…
The United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT), part of UNITAR, delivers satellite analysis, training, and capacity development to UN entities and Member States. We leverage geospatial technologies to support humanitarian response, sustainable development, and resilience building worldwide. Through satellite analysis and targeted training initiatives, UNOSAT empowers UN entities and Member States to leverage geospatial technologies for evidence-based decision making. The project “Strengthening Capacities in the Use of Geospatial Information for Improved Resilience in Asia-Pac...
Akiko Hasegawa joined the FY2024 Mid-Career Course of the Program for Global Human Resource Development for Peacebuilding and Development of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. The Course was held in Hiroshima, Japan, in January 2025. Hiroshima University is commissioned to implement the Program, in collaboration with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).After gaining finance and operations experience in the private sector, Akiko entered the United Nations system as a Junior Professional Officer (JPO) at the United Nations Dev...
The communities of the Cook Islands have had to be self-reliant when it comes to natural disasters.
“We’ve had a fortnight of heavy, heavy rain. Just last week, a coconut tree fell across the road on my driveway. So [the community], we got out there and cleaned it up,” says Lydia Sijp, member of the Tupapa/Maraeranga disaster management committee on Rarotonga, the country’s largest and most populous island, and 2016 UNITAR training alumna.
We call for help from the government. But if the government doesn’t turn up, we just get out there and do it ourselves.
The Co...
Jacques Dembele, from Mali, is a Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at UNDP Guinea-Bissau.He participated in the Primary Course of the Program for Global Human Resource Development for Peacebuilding and Development, held in January and February 2025 both online and in Hiroshima and Tokyo, Japan.Jacques was motivated to join the course by his desire to learn about peacebuilding and development from Japan, a country he admires as a global advocate for peace.His time in Hiroshima and the course experience fuelled his commitment to continue contributing to peacebuilding and deve...
Mwikali Munyao, Kenyan carpenter and entrepreneur, participated in the first round of the UNITAR Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Leadership Training for Women Entrepreneurs in Africa.
In the COVID-19 pandemic, Mwikali lost her job as a customer service agent. She decided to pursue her interest in carpentry and turned it into a business.
The UNITAR training taught her the entrepreneurial skills she needed and helped her business overcome financial challenges.
The second round of the UNITAR entrepreneurship, innovation and leadership training programme, r...
Sayf Al Ashqar, UNITAR Entrepreneurship Training Programme alum, is the Secretary General of the Libraries (Director of the Central Library) at the University of Mosul.
In 2014, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) attacked and took control of Mosul which led to the destruction of Central Library.
In 2017, Sayf and his colleagues began the reconstruction and rebuilding of the Central Library.
The UNITAR entrepreneurship training programme helped him hone his communication and leadership skills.
, July 2022, Hiroshima, Japan ...