Greenhouse gas emissions directly contribute to global warming and climate change. The technology and fuel used for electricity generation are often responsible for high greenhouse gas emissions. Recently, UNITAR conducted a survey among energy experts in the humanitarian system to estimate the number of diesel and petrol generators that are used to produce electricity in humanitarian operations, with a view to establishing the opportunities to transition to solar solutions.

8-15 November 2021, New York, USA - The UNITAR New York office organized a six day private online workshop, "Practical Preparation for Membership of the United Nations Security Council," for the Brazilian delegation of 25 diplomats to the Permanent Mission in New York and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. With vast experience of working with the Council, Brazil secured 181 out of 190 votes cast during the election of the five non-permanent members to the Security Council (SC), and will serve a two-year term from January 2022 to December 2023. Brazil is a founding member of the United Nations and was present at the San Francisco Conference in 1945. With this new election, it will have served the Council eleven times since 1946.

“People are used to training in which one arrives with a notebook and a pencil, sits down and takes notes, but the training offered by UNITAR was quite experiential. The facilitators shared their experiences with us and helped us build trust. This inspired us to share our own story and experiences without fear of judgment.”

"Peace depends on us... One of the most effective ways to demonstrate our impact is to invest in prevention. We spend far more time and resources managing and responding to crises than on preventing them. Our approach needs to be rebalanced.”

8-14 September 2021, New York, USA - The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) New York Office concluded a private Security Council training program for Ghana’s delegation. Ghana is one of the newly elected five countries to serve as non-permanent member of the United Nations (UN) Security Council for the 2022-2023 term. The training, which lasted for five days and attended by approximately 75 participants, provided participants with knowledge, information, and recommendations on the Security Council. It also included topics such as the formal and informal Council meetings, practices and outcomes, case studies, working methods, what makes a successful term on the Council, among other vital topics.

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.

8 September, New York USA, virtual seminar – The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Office in New York successfully launched the Joint Swiss-UNITAR Briefing on United Nations Budgetary Matters training series on Tuesday, 7th September 2021. The four-half day virtual training programme, co-organized with the Permanent Mission of Switzerland, caters to the needs of the incoming delegates of the United Nations General Assembly’s Fifth Committee. The first two sessions have directly benefited more than 100 delegates each session from numerous Member States.

September 2021 - The world is still in shock about how the military disengagement of the West and the implosion of the Afghan government led to the Taliban victory, taking full control over almost the entire territory of Afghanistan within days. Many civilian endeavours of international assistance operating under a military umbrella ceased their operations.

On 19 August 2021, Geneva, Switzerland (Virtual) – UNITAR’s Division for Peace is excited to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region of Africa Regional Training Facility (ICGLR-RTF) with the goal of contributing to international, regional, and local efforts aimed at preventing and responding to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in the Great Lakes Region. UNITAR and the ICGLR-RTF have a strong working relationship, and the signing of this MoU represents the formalisation of the partnership and a recommitment towards comprehensive joint programming.

UNITAR and Al Sharq Forum sign a Memorandum of Understanding to promote peacebuilding, conflict transformation, human rights promotion and gender equality in the Middle East and North Africa region and globally.