20 February 2025, Hiroshima, Japan – John Ladu Simon Jacob is on a mission to transform agriculture in South Sudan. As a managing director of an agricultural enterprise, John is tackling one of his country’s greatest challenges: food insecurity. His vision is to reduce South Sudan’s reliance on food imports and build a self-sufficient agricultural system. The UNITAR Great Ideas Space for South Sudan 2023: Entrepreneurship and Innovation Training for Food Security programme helped John gain more skills and confidence to turn his vision into action.

20 February 2025, Hiroshima, Japan – John Isidore Laure, a youth advocate from Cotabato City, Philippines, currently serves as a monitoring, evaluation and learning officer at a local non-governmental organization (NGO), where he works with local youth councils (Sangguniang Kabataan) to promote good governance and community development. As a teenager, he co-established an organization to prevent violent extremism and misinformation in his community. This experience shaped his commitment to empowering young people and addressing pressing social issues.

20 February 2025, Hiroshima, Japan – In Kenya, where access to basic technology remains a luxury for many, Betty Mwende advocates for digital literacy and inclusivity. Learning through a UNITAR programme and applying what she learned have helped Betty – a student of applied computer technology and communication coordinator for a non-profit to foster collaboration in the tech industry – develop her project management and digital skills while championing digital literacy for marginalized youth.

Competency-based learning is reshaping education and professional training by making learning more personalized, goal-driven, and impactful. CBL empowers learners to thrive in dynamic, skill-driven environments by focusing on real-world competencies rather than passive knowledge accumulation.

17 February 2025, Hiroshima, Japan – a gender and technology lawyer from Nairobi, is creating safer digital spaces for women and girls. Currently pursuing her master’s degree in law, innovation, and technology in the UK, Lilian is the founder of a non-profit organization in Kenya that is committed to raising awareness and providing solutions to combat online harassment and cyberbullying.

Scaling up action on non-communicable diseases (NCD) to build resilient health systems in low-resource countries

Development of the National Multi Sectoral Strategy and Costed Action Plan for NCD Prevention and Control in the Gambia 2022-2027

Facilitated a global dialogue on 'From Words to Action for Better NCD Outcomes' during the World Health Summit, 2022 with ministers from around the globe, leaders of international organizations, members of the G7 and G20, representatives from the European Union and African Union.

Partnered with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in India to implement evidence-based interventions aimed at reducing premature mortality from NCD.

Myanmar Develops Cost-Efficient Plan to Tackle Non-Communicable Diseases with Support from UNITAR's Division on NCD, Digital Health, and Capacity Building