03 February 2026, Majmaah, Saudi Arabia - From 22 to 27 November 2025, Majmaah University, in partnership with CIFAL Saudi Arabia, hosted the Co-Creation Workshop of the UNITAR–UNESCO LEAP-FAST (Leaders in Higher Education Alliance and Programme for Accelerating Sustainability Transformations) Certificate Programme, bringing together universities and sustainability experts from across regions for six days of collaboration, reflection, and collective transformation of higher education.

2 February 2026, Geneva, Switzerland - In January 2026, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) reached a major milestone with the issuance of its first-ever digital certificate of completion. Issued on 31January 2026 by the One UN Climate Change Learning Partnership (UN CC:Learn), this certificate marks the culmination of a months-long process to introduce state-of-the-art certification at UNITAR, responding to the needs of an online learning environment that continues to evolve rapidly.

4 February 2026, Tokyo – The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) welcomed 36 participants from Egypt, Iraq and Lebanon to Japan on 3 February 2026, marking the start of an in-person workshop under the 2025 programme "RISE LAB: Igniting Youth Potential through Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Economic Resilience.”

30 January 2026 - This Statistical Guideline aims to address the lack of a detailed, globally agreed statistical methodology for measuring plastic flows at the national, regional, and global levels. It provides guidance to practitioners on producing high-quality national-level statistics on plastics that are comparable across countries.

30 January 2026, Hiroshima, Japan - Paolo Zurita is Assistant Director for the Peace and Security Division at the Office of the United Nations and International Organizations, Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs. In this role, he is responsible for handling peace and security matters, especially nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. He joined the UNITAR Hiroshima Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Training in February 2025 to build his technical skills in this highly specialized field.

2 February 2026, Merida, Mexico - The International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders (CIFAL) in Mérida, in collaboration with ITAérea Aeronautical Business School and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), is promoting the Environmental Management and Wildlife Control at Airports course, a fully online training programme designed for airport sector professionals seeking to strengthen their capacities in sustainability, regulatory compliance, and operational safety.

28 January 2026, Hiroshima, Japan - Kiana Dominique Cezar is a supply chain data analyst from the Philippines, working in a global energy and petrochemicals company, and previously volunteered with a Europe–Asia youth think tank. In 2025, she joined the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) programme “SDGs and Digital Futures: Changemaking Through AI and Digital Storytelling”, where she explored how AI and digital technologies can be used to tell stories that connect sustainable development, history and peacebuilding.

27 January 2026, Brussels, Belgium - The International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders (CIFAL) in Brussels is promoting the Sustainability Coordinator micro-credential, a short and intensive higher education programme developed by HOGENT University of Applied Sciences and Arts. The micro-credential will take place from March to May 2026, reflecting CIFAL Flanders’ activities and its strategic role in linking sustainability initiatives within the United Nations framework in Europe.

23 January 2025, Geneva, Switzerland - According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there are more than 120 million people forcibly displaced worldwide as a result of conflict, persecution or serious violations of human rights, equivalent to one in every 67 people on the planet.

22 January 2026, Hiroshima, Japan - Jinto Kanazawa is a high school student in Hiroshima. In 2025, he joined the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) “SDGs and Digital Futures: Changemaking Through AI and Digital Storytelling” where he learned how digital tools can be used to share personal stories connected to peace and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).