For the Division for People and Social Inclusion, multilingualism is key for the expansive outreach of our activities and events. Mr. Alex Mejia, Director of UNITAR’s People’s Division and Social Inclusion explains, “it is fundamental to embrace multilingualism for two main reasons. One because we are the United Nations, we are supposed to be multilingual, and two, we cannot teach other people to embrace multilingualism if we do not embrace it ourselves.”

Quito, Ecuador, 20 September 2022 - UNITAR in close collaboration with CIFAL Ecuador have continued to rollout the Autosobriety Training Programme to Prevent Drink Driving to expand its reach across different Provinces in Ecuador. Over 800 individuals working in different areas in the field of road safety were trained throughout 5 workshops that took place in the Provinces of Santo Domingo, Cotopaxi, Cuenca, Loja, and Portoviejo between June and July 2022.

Citizen science data (CSD) presents untapped opportunities to track progress towards the SDGs offering multiple advantages for Governments and National Statistical Offices (NSOs): help fill in data gaps for indicators where traditional data collection instruments, such as, household surveys or administrative registers may not be well suited or may not have the sufficient coverage, improve the granularity of data and sometimes timeliness, and offer an effective and cost-efficient means for NSOs to address data needs of policy-makers in the context of limited or falling resources. Many citizen science data initiatives and datasets exist already. Why then have NSOs not been using citizen science data to any large extent to date? To begin with, NSOs require a better understanding of how such data can be useful in their specific context and requirements, as well as understanding what exactly needs to be done to leverage it. Citizen science practitioners, for their part, need to better understand policy applications and know how to ensure that the generated data meets necessary quality standards. This Policy Brief aims to bring greater understanding to these issues by drawing on a research conducted as part of the EU-funded Crowd4SDG project with contributions from several international organizations and research centers. It shows how NSOs can give value to CSD benefitting official statistics, policy-making and citizen science communities and helping ensure that no one is left behind.

The Universidad Europea de Valencia and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) present the Master in International Leadership and Negotiation. The increase in volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA) in today's world means there is no longer an approach to management that can be applied to all organisations and work environments. Leaders must adjust their leadership strategies to be more flexible and adapt to a variety of challenges and situations. 

UNITAR launches programmes relating to multilateral diplomacy in Spanish, Arabic, and Chinese.

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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!

19 May 2022 - The First Multi-Sector Policy Dialogue between the Government of Seychelles and the United Nations Country Team provided space for discussing areas of focus for the UN’s support for the implementation of national development strategies and SDGs, as well as the areas of focus for the next Strategic Partnership Framework. On this occasion, UNITAR’s representative had an opportunity to present to the Ministers of the Seychellois Government and UN Regional and Country Directors UNDESA-UNITAR’s analytical paper illustrating the use of system thinking and how it can be used to bridge long-term priorities and immediate needs as part of an integrated planning approach.

UNITAR unveiled a road safety mural offered to New York City. The artwork, curated by Street Art for Mankind (SAM) and created by street artist Dragon76, supports the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety (2021-2030), conveys road safety messages and envisions a future in which roads are safer places for drivers and pedestrians. The mural was made possible thanks to the support of AB InBev Foundation and AB InBev. The wall was donated by the Chhabra family and the production was facilitated by the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA) and the City of New York Mayor’s Office.

On 13th July 2022, during the 2022 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) organized jointly with the Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA/DPIDG) a virtual side event entitled "Enabling small island states to achieve the SDGs through more forward-looking and holistic planning and governance".