Season’s greetings to all! 2022 was an opportunity for us to embrace and adapt to the “new normal.” We remain steadfast in our commitment to our valuable learners, staff, resource persons and stakeholders and to disseminating the message of peace and prosperity.
2023 is a special year for us and we would like you to be part of it! UNITAR will celebrate its 60th anniversary and the UNITAR Hiroshima Office its 20th. It is a time to reflect on our collective efforts to achieve the SDGs through building capacities and delivering training. We look forward to sharing this milestone with you. Let’s ensure that no one gets left behind today and in the years to come.
Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy Training for Women in East Africa
Photo by wavebreakmedia, Envato Elements
On 22 November 2022, the Online Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy Training Programme for Women and Girls were launched in Eastern Africa by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development Secretariat, in partnership with the UNDP and UNITAR. Twenty-five women entrepreneurs are participating in the pilot programme, which includes 5-week online training and a 1-week in-person regional workshop. The programme aims to strengthen the participants’ entrepreneurial and financial knowledge, skills and competencies so they can identify business opportunities and design and develop solutions to local problems.
The programme was designed based on a training needs assessment conducted in 2021 by UNITAR under the “Advancing Gender Equality and Women Empowerment in Africa” project.
UNITAR Executive Director Visits Japan
Photo by UNITAR
UNITAR Executive Director and UN Assistant Secretary-General Nikhil Seth visited Japan in September 2022 to strengthen UNITAR’s partnership with stakeholders in Japan. Nikhil expressed his appreciation for the continued support from Japan to UNITAR and conveyed UNITAR’s eagerness to further collaborate with the Government of Japan in developing the capacities of conflict-affected and developing countries.
Variety of Perspectives and Solutions to Address Trade and Finance Issues
Photo by mrzphotoproducer, Envato Elements
UNITAR and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) jointly conducted a hybrid roundtable discussion “The Global Rules that Advance Local Solutions” last 24 November 2022. Distinguished diplomats and leaders shared their perspectives on ways to implement the framework and conditions in the field of international trade, finance, investment and technology transfer. The discussion revolved around the global-led solutions to promote equality, economic and social stability and sustainable development in the market and trade.
UNITAR Division for Prosperity’s First In-Person Advisory Board Meeting
Photo by UNITAR
UNITAR Division for Prosperity held its first in-person Advisory Board Meeting on 4 October 2022 in Geneva. The gathering fostered productive discussions on the timeliness and relevance of the Division’s thematic pillars. Advisory Board members, chaired by Michael Fors from Boeing and newly joined by Sarah Anyang Agbor from Forum for African Women Educationalists, shared their expertise and insights to enhance the quality of training that UNITAR offers to leaders and beneficiaries in developing countries.
The Advisory Board directed the Division to take steps to further improve training effectiveness and explore technologies for interactive learning. We remain steadfast in our commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as we foster innovation, build partnerships with stakeholders and local communities, and develop the skills of learners from developing countries.
Green Legacy Hiroshima: Studying the Survivor Trees of Hiroshima
Photo by UNITAR
In November 2022, Green Legacy Hiroshima welcomed plant scientists and botanic-garden experts from the United States, who visited Hiroshima to study the atomic-bomb survivor trees, hibakujumoku. The visitors met the Green Legacy Hiroshima master gardener, explored the biological reasons these trees could survive the atomic bombing, and learned about the conditions that help the trees to thrive. Green Legacy Hiroshima and UNITAR work together to safeguard this hibakujumoku, spread their seeds and saplings, and advance the cause of peace, ecology and biological diversity in the world.
Working Towards a Nuclear-Free World
Photo by UNITAR
On 21 September 2022, UNITAR Division for Prosperity hosted an online public discussion to commemorate International Peace Day. Youth activists talked about the challenges and opportunities in nuclear disarmament and sought breakthrough ideas towards a nuclear-free world.
The UNITAR Hiroshima Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Training Programme were conducted fully online in 2021 and 2022. An in-person round of this programme will be launched in Hiroshima in February 2023. Government nominations for diplomats and other officials to take part are being accepted.
UNITAR is exploring cutting-edge methods for its nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation training programmes. A virtual reality and augmented-reality technique, developed by Hiroshima’s private sector, offers a way to hear atomic-bomb survivors’ valuable stories. The technology allows participants to experience Hiroshima’s rich history from before the atomic bombing through to the present day.
Our Impact
Photo by drazenphoto, Envato Elements
Transforming the Health Industry in Africa
Aissata Koné is a pharmacology PhD student from Mali who joined the 2021 UNITAR Strategic Response to COVID-19 Crisis: Empowering the Sahel Region through Digital Reskilling and Upskilling to Enhance Productive Sources of Livelihood and Employment training programme. With her new digital skills, Aissata is developing an app that will help fellow Malians get better access to medication.
Photo courtesy of Angeline Mueni Mutuku
Turning to Entrepreneurship During the Pandemic
Angeline Mueni Mutuku, the entrepreneur from Kenya, expanded her business: she converted her online business selling honey and pishori rice into a physical store during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. She is an alum of the online self-paced Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Leadership Training for Women in Africa programme, which gave her confidence to pursue a 5-year plan to expand her business and open a farm someday.
Photo by nebojsa_ki, Envato Elements
The Future of Health Education and Industry
Sara Stella Mafopa Tatam is setting up an online platform with fellow medical professionals to promote health care and education, especially for people who cannot visit a hospital. As a psychometrician, she hopes that the UNITAR Social Entrepreneurship with Digital Health programme can be offered widely in Cameroon so medical professionals can run initiatives and use technologies to improve public health.
Photo courtesy of Saloni Lakhia, Eléonore Louis, and Kadri Maripuu
An Opportunity for Multilingualism to Flourish
With UNESCO and SALTO Participation & Information, UNITAR invited volunteers to promote multilingualism by translating the free online course “Defending Human Rights in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” into their languages. Some of the organizers – Saloni Lakhia, Eléonore Louis, and Kadri Maripuu – share their insights on how the volunteers will help promote multilingualism and inclusivity in societies.
Tenth NPT Review Conference (UN Photo/Manuel Elías)
Andaru Dhaniswara, an Indonesian diplomat, finds nuclear disarmament a complex field, but he remains committed to doing his part for peace. The negotiation simulation in the UNITAR Hiroshima Training Programme on Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation gave Andaru a better understanding of the framework for nuclear disarmament negotiations and recognize underlying differences in every country’s position.
Photo courtesy of Joumana El Halabi
Advancing Gender Equality in Lebanon
Through her ministry of education, Joumana El Halabi trains educators in Lebanon to correct gender stereotypes that exist in curriculums and books. Joumana appreciated the flexibility of Gender Empowerment Now! Project in Jordan and Lebanon programme, which taught her how to implement gender action plans.
Photo courtesy of Marie-Claire Tohnain and Maselina Iuta
Perspectives on Disaster Risk Reduction
Marie-Claire Tohnain and Maselina Iuta both learned from the Women’s Leadership in Tsunami-based Disaster Risk Reduction Training Programme for World Tsunami Awareness Day. Cameroonian medical student Marie-Claire believes in having a disaster-risk-reduction mindset in medicine, disaster response, and conflict prevention. Maselina, founder and project officer for Deaf Association Samoa and who is deaf, learned about disaster management while showing fellow participants and UNITAR how important it is to develop accessible training programmes.
Photo courtesy of Bello Mohamadou
Nature of Multilingualism in Division for Prosperity
Mohamadou Bello and Wendy Moran are on two different sides of UNITAR’s practice to offer training in multiple languages. Mohamadou took part in the French-language version of UNITAR 2021 Strategic Response to COVID-19 Crisis: Empowering the Sahel Region through Digital Reskilling and Upskilling to Enhance Productive Sources of Livelihood and Employment. Meanwhile, Wendy contributes her language skills to run the recently launched UNITAR and FAO joint Spanish programme on Trade, Food Security and Nutrition for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Photo by UNITAR
Embracing Learning Opportunities in International Languages
UNITAR Division for Prosperity held “The Power of Youth from Hiroshima” event with simultaneous interpretation in English and Japanese. It was an opportunity for UNITAR Hiroshima Youth Ambassadors Shizuku Yamashima, Shiori Harada and Mikie Nakamura, as well as fellow junior and senior high school students from Hiroshima, to learn across languages. The students experienced an in-person discussion on nuclear disarmament among young activists and the UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
Photo courtesy of Hana Ali
The Intersection of Entrepreneurship and Mental Health
Hana Ali runs an online mental health platform in English and Arabic with a team of five therapists to boost Iraqis’ access to therapy. Despite not having an entrepreneurship background, Hana invested in learning the fundamental concepts and marketing strategies from UNITAR COVID-19 Response & Recovery Programme: Mobilizing Resilient Social Entrepreneurs to Address Food Insecurity and Unemployment for Youth in Iraq.
Photo courtesy of Salma Khalifa
As a product development manager of a multinational company, Salma Khalifa is responsible for identifying the needs of people, conceptualizing products and making them available to the market. She found the UNITAR-FAO joint e-learning course on Trade and Food Security (Arabic edition) relevant to her work and PhD research bridging gaps found in the food supply in the Middle East and North African region.
Announcements
Division for Prosperity Director Attends Africa SME Champions Forum
Mihoko Kumamoto, Director of the Division for Prosperity, attended the Africa SME Champions Forum, which was held in Entebbe, Uganda, on 6 and 7 October 2022. The forum was co-hosted by the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) and AfricSearch. It brought together leading entrepreneurs and micro, small and medium enterprises in Africa, as well as experts and investors, to promote the growth of the African economy.
“I was excited to dive into the innovation and passions of the African business leaders. As we have developed our new initiative on climate-resilient livelihood development in Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe with BADEA, we are hoping to further contribute to a more prosperous African continent,” says Mihoko. Mihoko also met with representatives of the East African Development Bank (EADB), RUFORUM, and AfCFTA.
Online Seminar on Peacebuilding and Women Empowerment
UNITAR Association hosted an online seminar “Peacebuilding and Women’s Empowerment through Sports” on 22 October 2022. UNITAR Goodwill Ambassador Dai Tamesue, Associate Professor Chiaki Okada (Osaka University), Japanese footballer Yoshino Wataraya, and former Afghanistan national footballer and UNITAR alum Dr Hajar Abulfazl joined as panellists. The panellists identified the challenges and opportunities in pursuing sports to address equality and peace. Despite their different backgrounds, the panellists found a common ground in their work using sports to empower youth and women and foster peacebuilding on and off the field.
UNITAR broke a record in 2021: We reached 370,139 beneficiaries across the world with our programmes! The Results Report summarizes the outputs of the Institute’s learning, training and knowledge-sharing services. UNITAR Division for Prosperity reached 4,682 beneficiaries through our training in social entrepreneurship and innovation, leadership and inclusion, digital finance and trade, frontier technologies and peace. See the highlights of the Results Report or download the full report (PDF).