Here’s what the UNITAR Division for Prosperity has been working on, from late August to November 2025.
Major News
UNITAR
UNITAR, in partnership with the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Section of the US Department of State, the Financial Information and Analysis Unit of Colombia and the University of Antioquia, certified over 1,200 professionals in the first cohort of the Standard Diploma for Compliance Officers. The programme ran from November 2024 to July 2025.
UNITAR
UNITAR and IC Education Empower Youth Leadership for Local Action and a Sustainable Future
UNITAR, in collaboration with IC Education, held the second round of its global youth leadership programme, “Prosperity Unleashed: Empowering Young Innovators – Youth Leadership Workshop in Geneva”, during 12–15 August 2025. Approximately 20 participants engaged in a dynamic programme combining expert-led lectures, interactive workshops and group work.
UNITAR
On 10 September 2025, UNITAR welcomed over 1,100 participants from across Asia-Pacific and other parts of the world to the Japan-funded “Women’s Leadership in Disaster Risk Reduction for World Tsunami Awareness Day 2025” programme. This programme will run in two phases between September 2025 and March 2026, to foster women’s leadership in community-based early warning systems and disaster response.
UNITAR
UNITAR 2025 Youth Ambassador Asia-Pacific Programme Launched
On 11 October 2025, UNITAR, in collaboration with ITS Education, launched the 8-week online “UNITAR Youth Ambassador Asia-Pacific Programme 2025 – Future Skills for Grassroots Leadership”. The opening ceremony was joined by 30 motivated youth from 16 Asia-Pacific countries. Through weekly sessions with experts, the participants are learning about frameworks for identifying and solving SDG-related issues and developing social entrepreneurial skills and approaches.
UNITAR
UNITAR, with the support of UNITAR Association and Microsoft Japan Co., Ltd., organized the public workshop “Building Peace with Blocks: Minecraft and Hiroshima” on 22 November in Hiroshima. The event showcased three digital storytelling projects that were developed by 12 youth participants who completed the UNITAR “SDGs and the Digital Futures” training programme. Young people in Hiroshima joined the event and explored Hiroshima’s peace and reconstruction with Minecraft Education Edition.
UNITAR
Igniting Youth Potential: UNITAR’s RISE LAB 2025 Completes Second Phase
UNITAR’s “RISE LAB: Igniting Youth Potential in Egypt, Iraq and Lebanon Through Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Economic Resilience 2025” programme, funded by the Government of Japan, is nurturing a new generation of entrepreneurs across the three countries to address food insecurity through agribusiness innovation. The online first phase, from 4 July to 30 August 2025, welcomed 530 participants who learned business fundamentals. The second phase, which ran from September to late November, saw 160 participants completing the programme. Over six weeks, participants gained advanced knowledge and skills in finance and innovation through expert-led webinars and mentoring. The third phase is scheduled for February 2026 and will take place in person.
Photo © The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
UNITAR-FAO Partnership Concludes Course in Arabic on “Agriculture in Trade Agreements”
UNITAR and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) continue to expand their joint efforts to build national expertise in agricultural trade governance across the Middle East and North Africa. The 2025 e-learning course in Arabic “Agriculture in Trade Agreements”, which concluded on 30 October 2025, trained 76 government officials, technical officers and practitioners from 20 countries in the region. Over four weeks, participants strengthened their understanding of agricultural trade and gained practical tools to support food security and agricultural policy planning at the national level.
UNITAR
24 Program Associates Complete Primary Course of Global Peacebuilding and Development Program
On 30 November, 24 Program Associates from 13 countries, region and organization completed the Primary Course of the Program for Global Human Resource Development for Peacebuilding and Development. The course began with online preparatory sessions and asynchronous, self-paced learning on 12 October, followed by four weeks of intensive in-person training sessions held in Tokyo and Hiroshima from 3 to 30 November. Throughout the course, Program Associates strengthened their substantive knowledge, enhanced the competencies and values required for international careers, and deepened their strategic thinking regarding their future professional paths. The training featured sessions led by global experts from diverse fields, offering Program Associates valuable insights into peacebuilding and development practice. The Program is commissioned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and implemented by Hiroshima University in collaboration with UNITAR and the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme.
Call for Applications
Photo © Envato Elements
Dual Doctorate and Master’s Programmes in Business Administration and AI Engineering
Interested in advancing your expertise and leadership in business and technology? Take advantage of the dual doctorate and master’s programmes launched in 2024 by UNITAR in collaboration with aSSIST University and SDG Management School. The programmes offer a unique opportunity for professionals to advance their expertise and leadership in business and technology and gain the skills necessary to thrive in an era of rapid digital and economic transformation.
Online Application: Open year-round
Learn more and apply: https://unitar.org/about/news-stories/news/call-applications-dual-doctorate-and-masters-programmes-business-administration-and-ai-engineering
Partnerships
Prosperity Alliance Singapore
UNITAR, Prosperity Alliance Singapore – a UNITAR-affiliated initiative – and the Brotherhood Cup Foundation co-hosted the “Global Entrepreneurs Leadership and Youth Leadership Development Forum” in the San Francisco Bay Area, USA. Young leaders, investors and policymakers gathered to highlight youth empowerment, entrepreneurial vision and sustainable development.
UNITAR
On 19 August 2025, UNITAR signed a memorandum of understanding with the University of California, Davis, through the Division of Continuing and Professional Education. The two institutions aim to combine their expertise to create learning opportunities for faculty, students and professionals worldwide in promoting climate resilience, sustainable development and economic growth.
Our Impact
UNITAR
Children Can Be Active Players in Disaster Preparedness: Margo Soltis, Fiji and New Zealand
Margo Soltis is a police officer from New Zealand who supports Fiji’s national disaster risk management operation as a technical adviser. In the 2024 UNITAR Women’s Leadership in Tsunami-based Disaster Risk Reduction training programme, she learned the importance of equipping children with the knowledge and skills to respond confidently in emergencies.
UNITAR
Pursuing Nuclear Disarmament 70 Years After Castle Bravo Catastrophe: Teri Elbon, Marshall Islands
Teri Elbon serves as an Assistant Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in the Marshall Islands. In 2025, she joined the UNITAR Hiroshima Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Training Programme to expand her capacity as a diplomat and ensure that the Marshall Islands’ voice is heard in global efforts to advance nuclear disarmament and promote lasting peace.
UNITAR
A New Way to Conserve Water in Agriculture in Southern Iraq: Mohammed Albadri
Mohammed Albadri is a graduate of biomedical engineering from southern Iraq. Wanting to address his country’s food insecurity problem, Mohammed had the idea to use hydrogels to save water and make the agricultural system more sustainable. The UNITAR “Entrepreneurship and Innovation: Promoting Food Security and Economic Development in Egypt, Iraq and Lebanon” training programme in 2024-2025 built Mohammed’s skills to help make his vision come true.
This is the 18th issue of the UNITAR Division for Prosperity quarterly newsletter. If you are not subscribed, you can sign up to receive this newsletter and read past issues or stay up to date by following us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, or TikTok. If you have any questions or comments, we would love to hear from you. Please email us at prosperity_communications@unitar.org.
About UNITAR Division for Prosperity
UNITAR Division for Prosperity, one of UNITAR’s programmatic divisions, offers world-class learning and knowledge-sharing services to shape an inclusive, sustainable and prosperous world. We support change-makers from around the world, especially women and young people, to address growing inequalities.