2 August 2024, Hiroshima, Japan – UNITAR is accepting applications to its training programme on women’s leadership in disaster risk reduction, from learners over 18 years of age, living in or from Pacific small island developing states and Asia. Women are highly encouraged to apply. This programme, “Women’s Leadership in Tsunami-Based Disaster Risk Reduction for World Tsunami Awareness Day 2024”, aims to equip learners with lifelong skills to develop inclusive disaster risk reduction plans that reflect the needs of their communities and countries. Application deadline is 23 August 2024 at 11:59 p.m. JST (UTC+9).

1 August 2024, Geneva, Switzerland,– The recent conflict in the Gaza Strip has produced a volume of debris that is 14 times greater than the combined total from all conflicts over the past 16 years. This finding comes from a comprehensive assessment conducted by UN-HABITAT and UNEP. The analysis, using satellite imagery analysis provided by UNOSAT, offers a detailed view of the extensive destruction and its implications for debris management.

31 July 2024, San Juan, Puerto Rico – UNITAR in collaboration with the International Road Federation (IRF), and with support from AB InBev and Falconi delivered a workshop on its Management Practices for Safer Roads Toolkit in the framework of the 12th IRF Caribbean Regional Congress, titled “A Roadmap to a Safe, Inclusive, and Resilient Transport System”, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Mrs Khaemeuy Chao is an employee of the technical staff of the Weather Forecasting and Warning Division, Department of Meteorology and Hydrology of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Lao People's Democratic Republic. Her role involves disseminating weather forecasts, monitoring and analysing weather conditions for issuing weather forecasts, and severe weather warnings, writing press releases, and compiling monthly summary reports. Recently, Mrs Chao decided to strengthen her capacity in this area by attending training courses organised by UNOSAT as part of the project "Strengthening Capacities in the Use of Geospatial Information for Improved Resilience in Asia-Pacific and Africa (2021-2024)". She has participated in various courses, including "Strengthening Capacities in the Use of Geospatial Information Technology (GIT) for Disaster Risk Management", "Advanced Training on Earth Observation (EO) Applications for Disaster Risk Management" and "Advanced Training on Geospatial Information Technologies for Decision Making in Disaster Risk Reduction". 

26 July 2024, San Juan, Puerto Rico – UNITAR in collaboration with the International Road Federation (IRF) will deliver a training workshop on its Management Practices for Safer Roads for government officials from across 30 countries and territories in the Caribbean region.

23 July 2024, Geneva, Switzerland - The FIA and its new partner United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) have kicked off the SafeForAll&forLife project with support from the FIA Foundation.

23 July 2024, San Salvador, El Salvador – The United Nations for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of El Salvador through their Diplomatic Institute “Doctor José Gustavo Guerrero” signed a Memorandum of Understanding to provide a cooperative framework to promote the development and implementation of training activities.

19 July 2024, Hiroshima, Japan – UNITAR invites Afghan youth to apply to the “UNITAR Training for Afghan Youth: Advancing Business Innovation and Entrepreneurship” training programme. This programme is open to youth keen on entrepreneurship and agribusiness and will run from August 2024 to March 2025, including two online phases and an in-person workshop. Participants will learn crucial digital, financial and entrepreneurship skills tailored to enhance food security and economic stability in their communities.

Vannie Djounguep is reshaping gender equality, entrepreneurship and environmental sustainability in Cameroon and beyond. Vannie is the founder and executive director of an organization that advocates for gender equality and environmental protection, especially in the informal sector. She participated in the UNITAR Advancing Gender Equality and Women Empowerment 2023 Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy Training Programme, organized in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and generously funded by the Government of Canada.

16 July 2024, New York City, United States of America – UNITAR’s Global Water Academy (UGWA) co-hosted its official side event at the High-level Political Forum (HLPF) with York University entitled ‘Pathways to Resilience: Advancing Solutions for Global Freshwater Quality’. This UGWA HLPF side event explored the multilateral and environmental drivers that exacerbated the deterioration of the quality of global freshwaters.