December 2022, Hiroshima, Japan – Climate vulnerability and food insecurity threaten the already conflict-torn areas in the Middle East and North Africa. In Iraq, infrequent rainfall and rising temperatures in recent years has especially worsened water scarcity. With more than 80 per cent of the country’s water resources being used for agriculture, water scarcity has devastating consequences on the sector that employs 30 per cent of the Iraqi population.

8 December 2022, Geneva, Switzerland - The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) launched a new initiative to support climate-resilient livelihood development in Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

6 December 2022, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic – The National Institute of Transit and Land Transportation of the Dominican Republic (INTRANT), hosted the Road Safety National Week taking place from 19 to 26 November 2022. To amplify the outreach of the Autosobriety Training Programme to prevent drink-driving in the country, training and public awareness activities were rolled out throughout the week with a total of 340 beneficiaries.

6 November 2022, Hiroshima, Japan - Shumoos Jaber advocates for plant-based solutions to health and climate change in Iraq. Shumoos had become a vegan while she was in Malaysia, where she completed her master’s degree in biotechnology. When she returned to Iraq, she found that plant-based meals were not readily available in the country. This gap in the market sparked the idea that Shumoos transformed into a business over the next few years.

As UNITAR contributes to the implementation of the SDGs, a delegation participated at the COP27 to organize side events, workshops, and bi-lateral meetings to bring attention on the ‘leave no one behind’ principles in climate action and sustainable energy. The impact of climate change on displaced populations is rarely brought up in climate negotiation agenda. Therefore, UNITAR’s Global Platform for Action on Sustainable Energy in Displacement Settings (GPA) made efforts to raise awareness of humanitarian energy in the climate action discussions. This included ensuring that the displaced people were physically present at the conversations and their voices were heard. Through active participation of the GPA and displaced communities, UNITAR invited the governments to include displaced people into the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Adaptation Policies (NAPs), and energy policies.

Over the past months, UNITAR has been supporting UN Statistics Division (UNSD) in developing an e-version of the Handbook on Management and Organization of National Statistical Systems. It is launched now and available on UNSD's website.

UN SDG:Learn is featuring a new tool “Changemaker Scan” developed by Ubiquity University. It is a self-appraisal for you to build your changemaker profile in 8 SDG cross-cutting competencies defined by UNESCO! Go to your dashboard to try it now or register on the platform here: www.unsdglearn.org/register

28 November 2022, Hiroshima, Japan – In early November 2022, Green Legacy Hiroshima Initiative (GLH) welcomed five plant scientists and botanic garden experts from renowned institutions in the United States to observe and study hibakujumoku, trees that survived the Hiroshima atomic bombing. The delegation consisted of Ari Novy, President and CEO of the San Diego Botanic Garden, Todd Michael and Wolfgang Busch, lead plant scientists from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Nicole Cavender, director of the Huntington Botanical Gardens, and Philip Douglas, director of global initiatives at the Denver Botanic Gardens.

November 2022, Hiroshima, Japan – “My dream is to set up a real pharmaceutical industry in Africa.” Aissata Koné was a participant in the 2021 UNITAR programme on digital skills for youth in the Sahel region. While studying with UNITAR, she understood the importance of digital skills in today’s world.

November 2022, Hiroshima, Japan – The challenges of running a business can discourage many potential entrepreneurs. However, some people rise to the challenge. In the town of Thika in Kiambu County, Kenya, Angeline Mueni Mutuku started her business during the COVID-19 pandemic. Seizing opportunities and gaining skills, Angeline continues to grow her business.