In 2024, CIFAL Płock achieved a major milestone with the launch of the Autosobriety Poland platform, a digital hub dedicated at promoting responsible driving behaviours and preventing alcohol-related road incidents. This platform provides a range of interactive resources, including educational materials, online training modules, and awareness campaigns designed to engage diverse audiences, from young drivers to professionals. By leveraging technology, the platform makes the programme more accessible and scalable, allowing more people across Poland to participate in road safety training. The platform also facilitates partnerships with schools, businesses, and community organizations, ensuring that road safety education is integrated into daily practices.

14 October 2025, Geneva, Switzerland - Ms Michelle Gyles-McDonnough, Executive Director of UNITAR and UN Assistant Secretary-General, has built a distinguished career in sustainable development and international cooperation, guided by a deep commitment to people, equality, justice, and peace. In the fourth episode of the Learning with Leaders podcast, listeners are invited to meet UNITAR’s Executive Director and hear her reflections on the journey that has shaped her leadership.

Marking International E‑waste Day 2025, UNITAR and its partners highlight new findings showing that Europe’s discarded electronics contain around one million tonnes of critical raw materials (CRMs) such as copper, aluminium, palladium, and rare earth elements each year.

In 2022, Europe generated 10.7 million tonnes of e‑waste, with only 54 per cent managed through compliant systems. By 2050, the amount of valuable materials could rise to 1.9 million tonnes, and with improved design, collection, and recycling, up to 1.5 million tonnes could be recovered annually.

Experts including Dr Kees Baldé (UNITAR -SCYCLE), Jessika Roswall (European Commission), and Pascal Leroy (WEEE Forum) emphasise that e‑waste is not simply waste but a strategic resource that can strengthen Europe’s economy, reduce dependency, and create green jobs if managed within a circular economy.

09 October 2025, Monaco City, Monaco - An important agreement was signed at the Monaco Yacht Show between NAVIGO, the centre for innovation and development in the nautical sector; GIOYA Higher Education Institution, a learning business club for leaders; and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).

8 October 2025, Geneva, Switzerland - On 30 September and 1 October 2025, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), through its Global Water Academy, successfully hosted the 42nd UN-Water Meeting at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

7 October 2025, Geneva, Switzerland – The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), with the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), invites women and youth agripreneurs from Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe to apply for Phase III of the UNITAR-BADEA Accelerating Sustainable and Climate Resilient Livelihoods Through Development of Small and Medium Agribusiness Enterprises for Women and Youth programme. The programme is open to applicants who participated in Phases I and II. This latest phase focuses on helping entrepreneurs move from planning to practical action – turning their business concepts into climate-smart, market-ready enterprises. Application deadline is 15 October 2025.

6 October 2025, Geneva, Switzerland - The Advisory Board of UNITAR’s Division for People and Social Development convened on 12 September 2025. The session, chaired by UNITAR’s Executive Director, UN Assistant Secretary-General Ms. Michelle Gyles-McDonnough, underscored the Division’s central role in equipping individuals, institutions, and governments with the skills and capacities needed to meet today’s pressing global challenges.

6 October 2025, Geneva, Switzerland – The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the University of California, Davis, through the Division of Continuing and Professional Education (CPE), on 19 August 2025. The agreement was signed in Davis, California, by Ms. Mihoko Kumamoto, Director of the UNITAR Division for Prosperity, and Mr. Michael Lazzara, Associate Vice Provost of UC Davis Global Affairs, together with Dean Julie Greenwood of UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education.

30 September 2025, Toronto, Canada - The International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders in Canada, CIFAL York, an affiliated training centre of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), will co-host the upcoming “Ctrl+S Culture: AI and Heritage in a Digital World International Virtual Conference”. The event was organised in partnership with ICCROM, First Aid and Resilience for Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis (FAR), Youth.Heritage.Africa (YHA), and the Flanders AI Academy (VAIA will take place online from 19 to 21 November 2025.

UNITAR in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), and its network of International Training Centres for Authorities and Leaders Global Network (CIFAL Global Network), the Integrated Research on Disaster Risk National Centres of Excellence (IRDR National Centres of Excellence), and UNDRR Science and Technology Advisory Group (UNDRR Regional-STAG_) are pleased to host a series of online sessions to present the 'Words into Action: National Disaster Risk Assessment (NDRA)'.