In Focus

Officials from Four Continents Study and Debate Key Legal and Economic Issues of Climate Change in WTI/UNITAR e-Learning Course
May 2012, Geneva, Switzerland. The World Trade Institute (WTI, University of Bern) and UNITAR’s Public Finance and Trade Programme successfully conducted the e-Learning course on “Trade, Energy and Climate Change”. Eighteen senior and middle level officials and professionals from four continents participated in this five-week event. The main goal was to allow participants to gain a comprehensive insight of the legal and economic issues arising from the ongoing climate change debate. Read More

Staying Connected to promote sustainable development
4 May 2012, New York, United States—UNITAR New York Office organized a half-day workshop on Connectedness and Sustainability as part of its Rio Preparation Forum in collaboration with the Digital Energy and Sustainability Solutions Campaign (DESSC). The workshop highlighted the possibilities of social media and ICTs as “enablers of change” for sustainable development as well as instruments for outreach and raising awareness on sustainability issues. Read More

UNITAR provides forum for making UN development policy more evidence-based
2 May 2012, New York, United States—In the fourth installment of UNITAR’s series on the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review (QCPR) “Perspectives from the field”, two consultants presented findings from the surveys of key stakeholders in United Nations development operations, to approximately 60 participants from Member States, civil society, and the UN system. The QCPR series is organized in collaboration with the UN Department for Economic and Social Policy (DESA) and the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations. Read More

Capacity Building in Multilateral Conference Diplomacy for Congolese Diplomats
April 2012, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo – Ensuring that the interests of one’s own country are well represented in a multilateral context is one of the most challenging and impactful tasks for Diplomats. This customized training by UNITAR’s Multilateral Diplomacy Programme (MDP), held thanks to the support of the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), empowered Congolese Diplomats to better employ key skills beneficial for participating in International Conferences. Read More

UNITAR and UNDP RBA build African skills on Climate Change through successful Training of Trainers activity
May 2012, Pretoria, South Africa – UNITAR and the United Nations Development Programme Regional Bureau for Africa (UNDP RBA) have been working together since 2011 to develop capacities of African countries to engage in multilateral negotiations pivotal to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Given Africa’s vulnerability to environmental change in combination with other developmental challenges, it is no surprise that climate change is at the heart of African concerns for 2012 and beyond. Read More

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