June 2020, Geneva, Switzerland - All communities are at risk of emergencies and disasters, including those associated with natural hazards, infectious disease outbreaks, conflicts, technological and other hazards. Particularly in the context of increased urbanization and climate change, frequency, severity and impact of those events are crucial. The health, economic, political and societal consequences of these hazards can be devastating for developed and developing countries.

Ethiopia and UN CC:Learn have developed the guideline 'Integrating Climate Change into the Ethiopian Curriculum - An Annotated Guideline for Curriculum Developers' which was accepted into the current curriculum reform process. As next steps, the partnership will look at training of textbook authors on developing climate change content for climate change carrier subjects and climate change teaching in early 2020. 

Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE) has launched a new summer course on Green Industry starting in July. Check out how to register!

Launched on 20 May 2020, a new consortium project Crowd4SDG will aim to examine opportunities for leveraging citizen science for monitoring climate impacts and achieving climate resilience. It is Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Action supported by the European Commission's Science with and for Society (SwafS) programme. In addition to UNITAR, the consortium coordinated by the University of Geneva (UNIGE) includes a number of other leading European research centers and University: Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Polytechnic University of Milan (POLIMI), Center for Research and Interdisciplinarity of University of Paris (UPD) and CERN.

18 May 2020, New York, USA, Zoom Workshop - The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), in collaboration with Emerging Ag, hosted a workshop entitled Defining Transformation: A Global Food System. This is the first event of six in the Food Systems Series leading up to the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit. This activity is supported with funding allocated from the Swedish International Development Agency’s (SIDA) contribution to the UNITAR Strategic Framework Fund, under the programme Leveling The Playing Field which focuses on the development of skills and knowledge of Least Developing Countries. The course was attended by 115 participants from around the world that joined remotely through Zoom. The course is aligned and in preparation for the UN Secretary-General Food Systems Summit which will aim of maximizing the co-benefits of a food systems approach across the entire 2030 Agenda and meet the challenges of climate change. The Summit will seek to inspire global public mobilization and actionable commitments to invest in diverse ways to make food systems inclusive, climate adapted and resilient, and supportive of sustainable peace.

15 May 2020, Geneva, Switzerland - UNITAR and Arab Gulf Program for Development (AGFUND) launched its first joint online course on Fundamentals of Microfinance as part of a series of online courses aimed at supporting financial inclusion initiatives across the Middle East and Africa.

11 May 2020, Geneva, Switzerland – UNITAR with the support of Diageo has today launched a series of online training sessions in response to COVID-19 to deliver learning solutions with a focus on drink driving to beneficiaries.

8 May 2020, Geneva, Switzerland – Motor vehicle injuries are a leading cause of death among children in many countries around the world. Unrestrained children are more likely to be killed in collisions than those using appropriate child restraints and seat belts.

7 May 2020, Atlanta, USA - UNITAR, the International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders in Atlanta (CIFAL Atlanta), Kennesaw State University, the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Serve Learn and Sustain Center, and the Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development (RCE) Greater Atlanta, with the support of Turner Foundation are launching the e-learning programme “Youth & the Sustainable Development Goals”.

5 May 2020, New York, USA (Zoom Workshop) - The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) in collaboration with Columbia Law School, hosted the last workshop in the Columbia Law School series. This series was is supported with funding allocated from the Swedish International Development Agency’s (SIDA) contribution to the UNITAR Strategic Framework Fund and hosted at the United Nations Headquarters. The course was attended by 150 participants that joined remotely through zoom.