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18 September 2023, New York, USA – UNITAR proudly announces the launch of its three hybrid events during the 2023 SDG Summit, under the auspices of the United Nations General Assembly entitled, ‘Developing a Blueprint for Civil Society Private Sector Contributions: Towards the Elaboration of a Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on the Rights of Older Persons’; ‘What if Women Designed the City?’; and, ‘Harnessing the power of big data, novel technologies, and international collaboration to address global water insecurity’.
The 2023 SDG Summit mark...
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...
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,...
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...
27 September 2022, Plock, Poland – The International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders (CIFAL) in Plock hosted the “City Coders Hackathon Plock” on 25-26 September, bringing together 81 participants, mostly high schoolers and university students to develop an application that would respond to the needs of the city residents.
Young innovators, under the supervision of experienced experts were tasked with designing solutions related to one of the three proposed topics: Social Inclusion, Renewable energy and City for the Youth.
Hackathon is not only about compet...
Established in 2016, the International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders in the Philippines (CIFAL Philippines) is hosted by the University of the Philippines (UP) serving as a hub for the Asia-Pacific region, leveraging UP's disciplinary strengths in areas such as public policy, migration and development. The CIFAL jointly with the UP and its Center for Integrative and Development Studies (CIDS) aims to enhance data on Philippine migration and contribute to develop sound public policies. It will also serve as a hub for capacity building on how to implement the Un...
18 July 2022, New York, USA – Today, UNITAR unveiled a road safety mural offered to New York City. The artwork, curated by Street Art for Mankind (SAM) and created by street artist Dragon76, supports the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety (2021-2030), conveys road safety messages and envisions a future in which roads are safer places for drivers and pedestrians. The mural was made possible thanks to the support of AB InBev Foundation and AB InBev. The wall was donated by the Chhabra family and the production was facilitated by the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TB...
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 ...
26 May 2025, Geneva, Switzerland – In observance of the International Day for Biological Diversity, the UNITAR Global Water Academy, in collaboration with CIFAL Surrey and RECLAIM Network Plus (EP/W034034/1), hosted a virtual side event, ‘Streams of Change: Exploring the Intersection of Water, Agriculture, and Biodiversity’. The event brought together leading experts in climate resilience, hydrology, sanitation, and water governance to explore the intersections between urban infrastructure, sustainable agriculture, and biodiversity protection.Framed around three core themes...
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...