22 December 2024, Hiroshima, Japan – Eight Hiroshima Youth Ambassadors took their first steps as next-generation leaders aiming to abolish nuclear weapons and realize lasting peace as they completed the 2024 United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Hiroshima Youth Ambassador Programme. The Youth Ambassadors presented their action plans for peace at the closing ceremony, held on 22 December 2024 in Hiroshima City.

19 December 2024, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – UNITAR successfully concluded the XXI Annual Steering Committee of the CIFAL Global Network, which took place from 10th to 12th December 2024 in Al Majmaah and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Co organized by CIFAL Saudi Arabia and Majmaah University, the event brought together representatives from over 30 countries to review the network’s achievements in 2024 and outline priorities for 2025.

17 December 2024, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - On the 9th December 2024, the launch of the “Expert in Human Rights Programme” took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This special event was attended by several local and international officials, most of whom are engaged in human rights issues.

16 December 2024, New York, USA - United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Michelle Gyles-McDonnough of Jamaica as the new Executive Director of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). She will officially assume her duties on 1 February 2025, succeeding Nikhil Seth of India, to whom the Secretary-General expressed profound gratitude for his dedication and contributions to the United Nations.

Until 08 October 2024, Poland had received 981,335 refugees[1] from Ukraine fleeing the war in the country, most of whom are women and children (UNHCR, 2024a, 2024b). Efforts to assist refugees’ economic integration are underway, including job training and language classes, with support from international and local organizations (UNHCR, 2024b). As part of these efforts, the UNITAR Division for Prosperity, with financial support from the Government and the People of Japan, organized the programme “Emergency assistance for Ukrainian women refugees in Poland with digital 4IR training: Bolstering livelihoods” between October 2023 and March 2024. 
The programme targeted Ukrainian women refugees in Poland and aimed at enhancing their employability by providing them the opportunity to acquire new digital skills for the modern job market that either reinforced their previous professional experience to adapt to their new environment or opened ways for exploring new career paths. The programme intended to develop IT and entrepreneurial skills and mindsets to bolster participants’ livelihoods, with emphasis on refugees with more disadvantaged backgrounds. 
Five hundred women out of 1,000 applicants were selected to take part in the programme, seventy-five per cent of whom are between 30 and 46 years old. Participants have diverse professional backgrounds as illustrated in Figure 1. It is also worth noting that eighty per cent of them hold a high educational degree including a bachelor’s, master’s and even PhD. 
[1] The Ukrainian Embassies in Poland and Japan prefer to use the term “evacuees” instead of “refugees” in specific contexts.

11 December 2024, Geneva, Switwerland - The Global Surgery Foundation and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) are pleased to announce the launch of "Navigating the Global Surgery Ecosystem", an educational series hosted on SURGhub. This series is designed to equip healthcare professionals with the essential skills and knowledge to engage effectively in the complex and evolving global surgery landscape. By addressing the unique challenges of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the series empowers participants to drive meaningful, lasting change in their local and global communities.

11 December 2024 – The 2024 Youth Ambassador Asia-Pacific Programme concluded on 30 November 2024 with participants showcasing their creative proposals for projects that address local issues and create global impact. Guided by UNITAR and partner ITS Education Asia, 26 young changemakers from Afghanistan, Hong Kong, India, Japan and the Philippines completed the 8-week training programme.

11 December 2024, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – On 7 December 2024, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) hosted a high-level side event to the sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) , focusing on transformative agricultural partnerships and innovative financial solutions.

6 December 2024, Hiroshima, Japan – On 27 November 2024, the online phase of the UNITAR “Women’s Leadership in Tsunami-based Disaster Risk Reduction” training programme was brought to a successful close. Over three months, participants from the Pacific Islands and Asia learned about climate and disaster resilience, risks management and challenges in the Asian and Pacific regions. Around 130 participants joined the closing webinar of the online training phase.

26 November 2024, Guildford, Surrey, United Kingdom – In partnership with the University of Surrey, UNITAR has launched CIFAL Surrey, the newest addition to the CIFAL Global Network. Hosted by the University of Surrey's Institute for Sustainability, CIFAL Surrey will focus on key areas such as Urban Governance and Planning, Economic Development, Social Inclusion, and Environmental Sustainability. The official launch event took place in Guildford, Surrey, United Kingdom.