24 May 2018, Geneva, Switzerland - UNITAR has entered into a new partnership with the International Development Law Organization(IDLO), the only intergovernmental organization exclusively devoted to promoting the rule of law. The new cooperation agreement was signed by UNITAR’s Executive Director, Nikhil Seth and IDLO’s Director-General, Irene Khan and it will be a foundation for collaboration on capacity development initiatives in the justice and legal sectors.

United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) organized a workshop titled “Climate Change and the Paris Agreement: Challenges and Expectations” conducted by Professor Narinder Kakar, the Permanent Observer for the United Nations mandated University for Peace, and Mr. Santiago Villalpando, the Chief of the Treaty Section of the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs. Professor Kakar also serves as Director and Adjunct Professor on UN Environmental Diplomacy Programme at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law of Pace University. The workshop began with a few opening remarks on the importance of the Paris Agreement by Mr. Pelayo Alvarez, who also thanked Professor Kakar and Mr. Villalpando for all their efforts in preparation for the workshop. He then gave participants a brief summary of what to expect from the workshop.

4 April 2018, Geneva, Switzerland - The StaTact came to Africa last week when 10 countries participated in its roll-out during dedicated regional workshops. UNITAR and UN Statistics Division teamed up with UNECA African Centre for Statistics and UNDP to deliver two two-day workshops - one in English and one in French – with a focus on the governance of data ecosystems for the SDGs. The first workshop brought together government officials from Ethiopia, Liberia, Malawi, Sudan, and Uganda representing National Statistical Offices, Planning Ministries, selected line Ministries and non-traditional data sources. The second workshop used a similar format with participants from Cote d’Ivoire, DRC, Madagascar, Mauritania, and Togo.

“While donors nowadays emphasize on sustainable development, the finance of such development is becoming scarcer and scarcer. For this reason, governments will need to shift away from traditional external donor funding and move towards more sustainable finance mechanisms that can be allocated and managed in-country.”

As the training arm of the United Nations, UNITAR is committed to spearheading dynamic and creative educational methods, channeling technological advancements and pedagogical innovations into effective adult learning solutions. On 2 April 2018, UNITAR is kicking off its first ever bottom-up crowdfunding campaign, UNITAR Peace Funder, which enables selected professionals from all regions of the world to enhance their applicable knowledge and technical skills, further consolidating their ability to act as peacebuilders and changemakers.

As the training arm of the United Nations, UNITAR is committed to spearheading dynamic and creative educational methods, channeling technological advancements and pedagogical innovations into effective adult learning solutions. On 2 April 2018, UNITAR is kicking off its first ever bottom-up crowdfunding campaign, UNITAR Peace Funder, which enables selected professionals from all regions of the world to enhance their applicable knowledge and technical skills, further consolidating their ability to act as peacebuilders and changemakers.

19 - 20 February 2018, Bangkok, Thailand – A two-day regional workshop on “Governance of data ecosystems for SDGs” held on 19-20 February 2018 in Bangkok was marked by the pilot testing of the new StaTact toolkit by four countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Nepal. The toolkit is part of the joint initiative developed by UNITAR and UN Statistics Division (UNSD) in collaboration with other UN and international organizations. The objective is to enable National Statistical Offices, Planning and line Ministries to identify solutions to specific data coordination issues using a participatory, problem-solving methodology. The workshop concluded with the simulation of integrated planning using a SDG-model-inspired Learning Environment (LEiP).

UNITAR courses don’t just provide information — they help individuals develop ideas and solutions to the problems they face. They help individuals cultivate sustainable solutions. Mamunur Rahman is one of these individuals.

23-26 January 2018, Lumban, Laguna, Philippines - As part of its continuing partnership with the local government of Quezon City, CIFAL Philippines facilitated an SDG Orientation and Strategic Planning Workshop for the city’s Migration and Development (M&D) Council from the 23rd to the 26th of January.

26 January 2018, New York City, U.S.A – The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the United Nations Institute of Training and Research (UNITAR) jointly hosted a one-day orientation course for the members of Council. The event was hosted in the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.