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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...
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...
The UNITAR Operational Satellite Training Programme (UNOSAT) contributes to human security, peace and socio-economic development by providing integrated satellite-based solutions for governments as well as relief and development organizations within and outside the UN system. As part of its capacity development activities, a two-week training programme took place in Bhutan, with support from the State of Qatar. With funding through the newly-established Strategic Framework Fund, the programme aimed to enhance the use of geospatial technologies for evidence-based decision ma...
Thanks to the Memorandum of Understanding signed between UNESCO and UNITAR in 2015, and building on our previous two reports on damage to archeological sites in Syria (2014) and in Syria, Iraq, Nepal, and Yemen (2015), satellite imagery analysis is now a routine tool for assessing potential damage to cultural heritage sites.
The complementary roles of UNESCO and UNITAR-UNOSAT are important as they ensure an objective UN assessment of the status of cultural heritage, free from political bias and founded on scientific methods. This comprehensive study has revealed significan...
14 – 18 October 2019, Jakarta, Indonesia - Indonesia is in one of the world’s most natural disaster-prone areas and is at risk to multiple hazards, including flooding, earthquakes, landslides, tsunami, volcano, and cyclone. Throughout 2018, Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) recorded almost 2,000 natural disasters that claimed more than 4,000 lives and displaced approximately 3 million people. Disaster events occurred in 2018 also caused severe financial losses up to 3$ billion according to Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency. The Government ...
22 October - 2 November 2018, Thimphu, Bhutan – UNITAR-UNOSAT has delivered a two-week training programme, with support from the State of Qatar, to enhance the use of geospatial technologies for evidence-based decision making in Bhutan. The in-country training was organised in cooperation with the National Land Commission Secretariat of the Royal Government Bhutan, and it also brought together government officials from the selected line ministries, such as Ministry of Information and Communications, Ministry of Agriculture and Forests and Ministry of Economic Affairs.
The ...
The IOMC Toolbox for decision making in chemicals management – Phase III: From design to action project aims to support the implementation of SAICM by enhancing the identification and implementation of guidance materials for chemicals management by developing countries and countries in transition using resources developed by IOMC partner organisations. It also continued to improve the functionalities and broadened the scope and application of the Toolbox as developed in the two previous phases. The project was implemented between December 2017 and October 2022.
The p...
09 November 2021, Geneva, Switzerland - In South Asia, the monsoon season started early and forcefully this year. Nepal was particularly hit by heavy rainfall in June 2021: flooding and landslides were reported in many parts of the country and affected thousands of families*.
In August, rainfall intensified again for several consecutive days, with rivers overflowing, landslides triggered across the hills, and widespread inundation in the southern plains. In the affected areas, many houses, informal settlements, and other buildings were destroyed, forcing people to seek ref...
19-21 November 2018, Brussels, Belgium – UNITAR hosted the Annual Meeting of its Network of Affiliated International Training Centres for Authorities and Leaders (CIFAL) in Brussels and in Antwerp, Belgium. The Directors of 15 CIFAL Centres gathered for three days to review its performance in 2018, discuss opportunities for collaboration, exchange knowledge and expertise, and to develop the training calendar for 2019.
The Annual Meeting also served to celebrate the 15-year anniversary of the CIFAL Global Network, which took place at the Flemish Parliament with s...
At the heart of Bhutan's evolving landscape, Mr. Chokila emerges as a key figure in driving geospatial developments. In his role as Superintendent Survey Engineer at the National Land Commission Secretariat (NLCS), his collaboration with UNITAR-UNOSAT has been instrumental in this progress. Chokila's quest for professional improvements led him to enrol in UNOSAT's training courses, which are part of the project “Strengthening Capacities in the Use of Geospatial Information for Improved Resilience in Asia-Pacific and Africa (2021-2024)”. He has taken part in v...