This year, UNITAR has the pleasure to present its Executive Swiss Alps Retreat on Leadership and Excellence. This retreat is part of a series and will aim to bring together participants from both the public and private sectors, to generate synergies and opportunities for learning and mutual engagement. Leadership skills are essential to building new and strategic, personal and professional development trajectories, and in times of change must be prioritized.

13 December 2018, Geneva, Switzerland – As part of their journey around the world to promote the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Mr. Juan Pablo Caroli and Mr. Nicolas Caroli visited Geneva, Switzerland and the United Nations European Headquarters. During their visit, the Caroli brothers toured UNITAR and the Palais des Nations, meeting with UN officials, including Ms. Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the UN Information Service in Geneva, to spread the word about their unique project.

22 January 2019, Quito, Ecuador- The International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders in Quito (CIFAL Quito) jointly with the Consortium of Provincial Autonomous Governments of Ecuador (CONGOPE), the Local Governments Association of Ecuador, the National Electoral Council and the Democracy Institute hosted “The New Role of Local Authorities in Elections” in Quito, Guayaquil and Cuenca, Ecuador.

19-21 November 2018, Brussels, Belgium – UNITAR hosted the Annual Meeting of its Network of Affiliated International Training Centres for Authorities and Leaders (CIFAL) in Brussels and in Antwerp, Belgium. The Directors of 15 CIFAL Centres gathered for three days to review its performance in 2018, discuss opportunities for collaboration, exchange knowledge and expertise, and to develop the training calendar for 2019.

Prior to the arrival of the Holiday Season, the Durban Metro Police in partnership with UNITAR officially launched their “No Texting & Driving campaign”.

A landmark report providing the first detailed account of the devastating damage to the World Heritage Property of the Ancient City of Aleppo in the wake of years of armed conflict has been published by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and UNESCO.

17 December, Geneva, Switzerland – A landmark report providing the first detailed account of the devastating damage to the World Heritage Property of the Ancient City of Aleppo in the wake of years of armed conflict has been published by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and UNESCO.

"I am delighted to share our work and progress of 2018 at UNITAR Hiroshima Office. 2018 has been a fruitful year for both Hiroshima and the UNITAR Hiroshima Office. Hiroshima’s local baseball team, Toyo Carp, has claimed the Central League Championship for the third year in a row. The UNITAR Hiroshima Office has also been busy and active, celebrating its 15th anniversary since it began operations in 2003."

The two-day workshop, which was part of the Executive Diploma in Diplomatic Practice, was an opportunity for government officials, diplomats and other relevant stakeholders to strengthen their knowledge and understanding of public speaking and presentation skills.

8 December 2018, Marrakech, Morocco - UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNITAR Executive Director Mr. Nikhil Seth travelled to Marrakech to co-host the 5th Mayoral Forum on Human Mobility, Migration and Development on 8 December.