September 2021 - Crowd4SDG Consortium has launched the second GEAR Cycle of the project. This year the project aims to address two Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – Goal 13 on Climate Change and Goal 5 on Gender Equality. With its launch, it calls for projects that will aim to tackle climate change and gender challenges with crowdsourcing solutions. This is an open challenge competition that uses crowdsourcing as a way to gather information or stimulate actions taken by large numbers of ordinary citizens. Individuals or teams can propose projects at the scale of a community, a region, a country or the entire world.

September 2021 - The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the lives of people, and countries’ economies in unprecedented ways. The governments’ efforts to achieve the global 2030 Agenda have halted or even rolled back as a result of the global health crisis. A number of short-term measures had to be taken to respond to this health emergency and then address the recovery through significant money injections. This short-term response has, however, at times failed to account for mid-term and long-term effects and objectives. The need for a sustainable recovery as part of a more integrated and forward-looking vision has been broadly recognized by many countries and stakeholders as the basis for the achievement of the SDGs and national priorities.

Stronger cyclones, derailed seasonal floods, large forest fires, rising sea levels…, the climate crisis affects every part of human life and development. It is the most pressing issue to protect vulnerable populations and ensure a safe and sustainable future for all.

15 September 2021 - The Confederation of African Football (CAF), the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) and UNITAR’s International Training Centres for Authorities and Leaders (CIFAL Global Network) jointly announced the launch of the first UNITAR-certified Sport Safety and Security Training and Advanced Education Programme for professionals in Africa.

With the hackathon, Enas became more inspired to continue promoting healthier lifestyles and cities’ renaturalization with her students. She has replicated some of the methodologies from the hackathon in her classes.

The Online Diploma in Multilateral Diplomacy offers a unique opportunity for both students wanting to pursue a career in international relations, and professionals working in international and regional organizations as well as governmental and non-governmental institutions, to expand their knowledge on international affairs and strengthen their capacities in the field of multilateral diplomacy.

7 September 2021, Geneva, Switzerland – The current global pandemic highlighted how training to build resilience is more critical than ever. For the past 18 months, the Covid-19 crisis and its consequences have been the primary concern of world leaders and government officials. However, this poses the risk of overshadowing yet another existential challenge, which requires immediate attention and action.

In November, the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will convene in Glasgow. In light of this, UNITAR, the UN Resident Coordinator's Office for Mauritius and Seychelles, the Group of 77, and China implemented a series of e-Workshops on Climate Change Diplomacy to support the educational development of delegates and representatives. These training sessions aimed to build the capacities of government officers on climate change negotiations and provide them with essential knowledge for the upcoming COP26. The design of the workshops enabled high-level officials to extensively develop their knowledge, competency, and train their negotiation skills.

To lead the discussion on the challenges of COP26, UNITAR selected Mr. Marcelo Rocha, an agronomist, land use expert, and lead coordinating author at the IPCC, and Ms. Ana Kleymeyer, former Senior Advisor to the Argentinian Secretary of the Environment. The trainers highlighted the paramount agreements in their history, as well as the terminologies and concepts of climate finance that are beneficial to Small Island Developing States (SIDS), such as Mauritius and Seychelles, in addition to providing background information on the history of COP and UNFCCC.

29-31 August 2021, Abu Dhabi, UAE – The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) successfully hosted a three-day online workshop on the topics "Assertiveness & Influencing" and "Public & Digital Diplomacy." This workshop was conducted in partnership with the Arab Youth Center’s “Young Arab Diplomatic Leaders” program in Abu Dhabi.

The program aims to familiarize young Arab figures with diplomatic culture, helping them engage in international discussions about topics like the environment, economy, and media in the convergence and the rapid growth witnessed by the Arab World.

UNITAR was pleased to virtually welcome 42 junior-mid career diplomats from Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Iraq.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to exacerbate pre-existing problems such as food insecurity, economic inequality, and the digital divide, disrupting economies on a global scale with no end in sight.

Natural disasters occur suddenly, wreaking havoc on lives and property, Anzonetta and Jared share their experience during the 2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami.