22 March - 12 May 2017, Geneva, Switzerland – Following the successful launch last December, the joint UNITAR-UNDESA e-learning course on “Strengthening Stakeholder Engagement for the Implementation and Review of the 2030 Agenda” was rolled out for the second time in spring 2017. This new edition has helped to strengthen the capacities of 57 government officials to apply inclusive approaches, map key stakeholders and design national stakeholder engagement strategies as they « localize » the 2030 Agenda and prepare voluntary national reviews (VNRs). Since December 2016, a total of 22 countries presenting their VNRs in 2017 and 2018 have benefitted from the course.

The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) through its Operational Satellite Applications Programme (UNOSAT) and Radiant.Earth, have agreed to explore new Earth observation data innovations supporting humanitarian disaster management, global health, climate change, sustainable water management and cultural heritage. With Radiant.Earth’s capacity in combining the best in discovery and dissemination with the latest trends in image processing, and UNOSAT’s experience in satellite imagery analysis and capacity development, the two entities will collaborate to make data and solutions widely available to the global development community for overall support of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The United Nations Institute of Training and Research (UNITAR) Hiroshima Office and the Embassy of Japan in South Sudan launched the 3rd Cycle of UNITAR South Sudan Fellowship Programme. Focusing on project management, leadership and entrepreneurship skills, the six-month capacity-building training programme offers scholarship to 25 South Sudanese Fellows and coaches from public sector, private sector, academic institutions, and civil society organisations.

The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) has agreed to an unprecedented partnership with the Arab Gulf Program for Development (AGFUND), which will be concluded today as part of the Fifth AGFUND Development Forum. Both organizations, represented by Mr. Nikhil Seth, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director of UNITAR, and by Mr. Nasser B. Al-Kahtani, Executive Director of the AGFUND, will sign a Memorandum of Understanding based on mutual trust and in spirit of cooperation. The official signing will be the preamble of the “Symposium on the Role of Financial Inclusion in Achieving the 2030 Agenda of Sustainable Development”, organized by the AGFUND and taking place today at the Hotel President Wilson in Geneva.

“We need to find different ways of talking to each other about climate change, rather than leaving this to formal education, and the best way to do this is to start young.”

31 March 2017, Geneva, Switzerland - UN CC:Learn is pleased to announce the launch of a new introductory e-tutorial on "Climate Information and Services" for decision-makers and professionals from Africa and beyond, which has been developed in collaboration with United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). The tutorial is available on UN CC:e-Learn platform.

The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Hiroshima Office has successfully completed the second workshop of the UNITAR Iraq Fellowship Programme: Entrepreneurship and Leadership Youth Training, held in Tokyo and Hiroshima, Japan, from 5 – 11 March 2017. The Fellowship is a six-month specialized capacity-building programme examining entrepreneurship and youth leadership in the context of Iraq and incorporating two face-to-face international workshops, blending online and asynchronous learning, and participant-led real-world projects. The Fellowship is implemented with the generous support of the Government of Japan.

30 young South Sudanese professionals took part in a UNITAR workshop in Hiroshima last month, as a continuation of the UNITAR South Sudan Fellowship Programme: Entrepreneurship and Leadership Youth Training, a six-month specialized capacity-building training programme for select junior to mid-career level professionals. Focusing on project development and implementation, this year’s Fellowship trained 30 South Sudanese Fellows and Coaches, including 13 women, from the public sector, private sector, academic institutions, and civil society organizations. 

UNITAR is organising a learning conferences on “holistic approaches for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda” for African Least Development Countries (LDCs). This conference will specifically target government officials from the 17 English-speaking African LDCs and will take place in Abuja, Nigeria on 1-2 March 2017.

7 February 2017, Hiroshima, Japan - The final workshop of the 2016-2017 UNITAR Hiroshima Training Programme on Anti-Corruption for North Africa successfully concluded in Tokyo on Friday. Supported by the People of Japan, the workshop was held in Hiroshima and Tokyo between 30 January and 3 February 2017. Twenty-four (24) participants from government and civil society organizations came from Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.