Jelena is an adjunct lecturer at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York, and a senior consultant on topics related to Women, Peace and Security (WPS). As part of her consultancy services, she acts as an expert for UNITAR’s Global Diplomacy Initiative (GDI). Her relationship with UNITAR started in 1996, when she participated in a UNITAR training as a young diplomat from her home country, Andorra. Her journey through the intricate corridors of global governance and her transformative career pathway paints a vivid picture of resilience, dedication and continuous learning.

Salma, a food scientist, had dedicated over eight years to the role of Product Development Manager in the private sector, until she embarked on a transformative journey with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa (NENA) and the World Food Programme (WFP) Regional Bureau in Cairo. Salma holds a Master’s degree in food chemistry and is currently pursuing a PhD. Salma continues to apply the invaluable knowledge gained from the programme to her work, seamlessly weaving together her expertise and the programme's teachings to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those in need.

Kuena James Dak Kuena is a South Sudanese entrepreneur, social worker and ICT specialist who seeks to empower local farmers and advance the agricultural sector by using the power of technology. He is currently ICT and communication assistant for an NGO that promotes youth livelihoods, peace building and education among vulnerable communities and refugees in Uganda and South Sudan. Kuena joined the UNITAR programme Great Ideas Space for South Sudan 2023: Entrepreneurship and Innovation Training for Food Security so he could learn how to operationalize his agritech project.

Paulo Porta, Director of the Pollution and Chemical Substances Control Directorate at the Ministry of Environment, Peru, and his team have played a key role in the formulation of the Ley de Gestión Integral de Sustancias Químicas in Peru, as well as its regulation. His unit deals with two main branches: pollution control and chemicals management. It is in relation to this second area that Paulo has participated in UNITAR training courses and has worked hand in hand with specialists from the Institute. 

The agriculture powerhouse state of Mato Grosso in Brazil is not instantly linked to a green economy. But there are people there who want to change this, notably Karyna Rosetti. Karyna is a professor at the Federal University of Mato Grosso (UFMT), who has been working to deliver green economy education to graduate and postgraduate students in the state.

Matheus Falasco, aged 25, is the Director of the Youth Action Hub Curitiba, an initiative of UNCTAD, aimed at empowering young people. Since 2019, he has led efforts to advance the 2030 Agenda, focusing on youth engagement.

Anna Beck found herself navigating a journey from the private sector to the role of project manager within the United Nations peacekeeping mission MONUSCO in 2022. As an associated Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) officer, her work primarily focuses on Community Violence Reduction (CVR) projects. Despite her large experience in project management, Anna was eager to continue learning on peacekeeping-related issues. The UNITAR training allowed her to fulfil this objective, bringing new weapons and ammunition management (WAM) perspectives into her CVR work. 

Chapter VIII of the UN Charter highlights the importance of cooperation with regional arrangements and agencies for the purpose of the maintenance of peace and security. UNITAR’s Fellowship Programme in Peacemaking and Preventive Diplomacy, now in its 31st year, is unique in bringing together mid- and senior-level diplomats with regional organization representatives and UN staff to provide intensive training in conflict analysis, negotiation and mediation. The first of its kind in the United Nations system, the programme invites senior UN and regional organization staff, top academics and practitioners to serve as senior resource persons, sharing their lessons and strategies with Fellows from around the world. 

Amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, professionals like Serhii are expanding their skill set to adapt to new challenges. Serhii, a dedicated architect and a member of the UNESCO country team in Ukraine, shared his insights into his evolving role and the impact of recent training programmes on his work.

May 2024, Hiroshima, Japan - Agnes Chiu, a high school student in Hong Kong, leads a global youth initiative called “Design Your Life at 25” to help teenagers envision their life and career paths and make informed decisions to reach their dreams. In immersive three-hour workshops, Agnes and her team guide teenagers through self-discovery journeys to envision their lives at age 25. To date, the initiative has already trained 300 young people from 14 countries. Inspired by the UNITAR Asia Pacific Ambassador Programme, Agnes and her team are now developing an app driven by artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance engagement and accessibility for her workshops.