6 June 2018, Geneva, Switzerland - New digital technologies have had, and will continue to have, a profound impact on both the practice and content matter of diplomacy. The digital ecosystem in which diplomats operate offers new opportunities, especially for smaller states, but also challenges traditional activities and organisational structures. At the same time, cyberspace itself is throwing up a series of issues, range ranging from Internet governance to cyber security, which require diplomacy. This on line course focuses on both digital diplomacy (the use of digital tools to promote broader diplomatic strategies) and cyber diplomacy (the use of diplomacy to tackle the issues arising in cyberspace).

“I developed the plan for measures to reform the fuel subsidy in Kyrgyzstan with the support of other participants and mentors of the GFR e-course. Now, it’s considered as the basis for real intervention and proposed to be included in the next phase of the country development programme in Kyrgyzstan.”

After taking an e-course on “Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) in Asia”, Mr. Bumerdene Dulam developed the Green Business Handbook and training manual for the Ministry of Environment and organized a training for more than 1,000 Mongolian companies.

21 - 25 October 2018, Khartoum, Sudan – In partnership with the Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), UNITAR-UNOSAT delivered a 5-day workshop, with support from the Government of Norway, to enhance the technical capacity of officials to conduct hazard assessments using earth observation data and geographic information systems (GIS). The workshop brought together actors from the public sector, private sector and academia in Sudan, including the Federal Ministry of Health, Ministry of Justice, Sudanese Remote Sensing Authority, University of Khartoum, and the Forests National Corporation to name a few.

22 October - 2 November 2018, Thimphu, Bhutan – UNITAR-UNOSAT has delivered a two-week training programme, with support from the State of Qatar, to enhance the use of geospatial technologies for evidence-based decision making in Bhutan. The in-country training was organised in cooperation with the National Land Commission Secretariat of the Royal Government Bhutan, and it also brought together government officials from the selected line ministries, such as Ministry of Information and Communications, Ministry of Agriculture and Forests and Ministry of Economic Affairs.

The International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders in Atlanta (CIFAL Atlanta) jointly with Kennesaw State University (KSU), hosted 21 young leaders from Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam who participated in the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI).

UNITAR-UNOSAT is currently collaborating with UNDP and national stakeholders to bolster disaster management capacity in Guyana and Dominica, with a specific focus on women, through the 3-year project funded by the Government of Japan. The project “Strengthening Disaster Management Capacity of Women in the Cooperative Republic of Guyana and Commonwealth of Dominica” is being implemented in partnership with the UNDP Barbados, UNDP Guyana and the member states of OECS (Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States).

31 October 2018, Geneva, Switzerland - “The pen is mightier than the sword.” This age-old saying has been repeated time and time again throughout history for a good reason.

31 October 2018, Geneva, Switzerland - Since the end of the Second World War, diplomats have had to expand their activities in order to better communicate with their public audience.

29-31 October 2018, Atlanta, United States - The International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders in Atlanta (CIFAL Atlanta) in partnership with Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Airports Council International held a seminar on Air Service Development in Nadi, Fiji.