September 2022, Hiroshima, Japan – Joumana El Halabi has been working to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment since 2013. She believes that advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment in Lebanon is hampered by cultural, social and economic values, limited resources and the lack interest among policymakers. Matters have become even more difficult in recent years as the country grapples with an acute economic crisis, significant influx of Syrian refuges (1.5 million people according to UNHCR), the COVID-19 pandemic and political instability.

Ladylyn also volunteers with women leaders in a local government unit to create awareness of DRR-related issues. Currently, she has participated in some meetings with the women’s group and she expects to dedicate more time to her volunteer work in the incoming months.

August 2022, Hiroshima, Japan – Empowering any people who are marginalized in society is no easy task and that is true for the deaf community in Samoa. Maselina Iuta, founding member and project officer for the Deaf Association of Samoa, joined the UNITAR disaster risk reduction programme in her drive to promote representation and inclusion of the deaf community in her country.

22 August 2022, Geneva, Switzerland - UNITAR and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) continue to expand its collaboration by launching its first online course on Trade, Food Security and Nutrition for officials from Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).

12 August 2022 Hiroshima, Japan – Every 6 August, Hiroshima and the rest of the world commemorates the 1945 atomic bombing of the city. This year, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and young activists across Japan met for a frank dialogue at the Power of Youth from Hiroshima. In the informal session, the Secretary-General and young people exchanged their views on the challenges for nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation and innovative solutions to bring about a world free of nuclear weapons.

9 August 2022, Geneva, Switzerland – The United Nations Satellite Centre with Wuhan University are leveraging each other’s research and innovation capacities. After 2 years, strong results in AI for Remote Sensing are already here.

02 August 2022, Hiroshima, Japan – 6 August 2022 marks 77 years since an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. To commemorate the day, youth from across Japan will have a heart-to-heart talk with António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, about their ideas and solutions for achieving a peaceful, more secure and sustainable world – one without nuclear weapons. The informal, in-person gathering will be held in Hiroshima in parallel with the annual Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony. The session will be livestreamed in English and Japanese via YouTube.

29-31 July 2022, Bali, Indonesia - UNITAR, the University of Geneva and Open Geneva organised the first SDG Open Hack! Bali on Tackling Waste Management through Innovation.

New Regional Online Academy on Clean and Inclusive Energy Transitions in the Context of Green Recovery in Southeast Asia. The Academy aims to build capacities and facilitate experience-sharing among key stakeholders from SEA in support of a clean and inclusive energy transition. Registration open!

25 July 2022, Hiroshima, Japan - UNITAR Division for Prosperity invites young entrepreneurs in Egypt, Iraq, and Lebanon to apply to the Great Ideas Space 2022: Entrepreneurship for Public Health and COVID-19 Recovery in Egypt, Iraq, and Lebanon. The programme aims to train entrepreneurs and MSMEs to design and implement business/projects that address challenges coming out of COVID-19, especially in public health. The application deadline is 28 August 2022.