Governments around the world have been at the forefront in the fight against global crises, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, the disruptive nature of the COVID-19 crisis has exposed a deeper level of vulnerability in our communities, by creating unprecedented socio-economic and cultural implications. During the crisis, public servants have been faced with the unparalleled urgency to formulate new ways of thinking, adapt to new realities and prepare for the unknown future.

Due to this urgent need to support Government officials, UNITAR’s Division for People and Social Inclusion is launching its new course on Monday the 2nd of November 2020, entitled: ‘Crisis Management for Public Officials: The Skills Necessary to Effectively Manage a Crisis and Continually Deliver to the People you Serve’ (also known as: ‘Crisis Management for Public Officials: Basic Skills’).

16 October 2020, Geneva, Switzerland – UNOSAT and UNDP, longstanding partners, are cooperating on a new satellite imagery analysis application, through the production of maps used in the validation of the civil and electoral registries in Vanuatu’s 83 islands.

October 2020, Geneva, Switzerland - New digital innovations have the potential to transform the way policing is delivered. This conference will bring together industry, government, and academic experts from the technological, security, and investigations industry to discuss and present the new technological innovations that have applications in the areas of crime prevention and control.

5 October 2020, Geneva, Switzerland – UNITAR, in partnership with the Geneva-Tsinghua Initiative, the University of Geneva and the Tsinghua University, launch the SDG Innovation Bootcamps, a series of short programmes (online or hybrid) aimed at a new generation of impact entrepreneurs, willing to collectively act in order to identify, delineate and address outstanding challenges for the SDGs, through open innovation.

1 October 2020, Geneva, Switzerland - UNITAR Division for People and Social Inclusion launched ‘Coming Up Next’, a new UNITAR learning podcast, on 1st October. Coming Up Next, in collaboration with the CIFAL Global Network, and the Global Challenges Forum Foundation, is part of the 1M2030 youth initiative. The learning podcast focuses on providing a platform to celebrate and further encourage global youth leadership in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

28 September 2020, Jeju, South Korea- The International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders in Jeju (CIFAL Jeju) successfully concluded a series of learning webinars on “The European Green Deal”. The webinars aimed to introduce the Green Deal policies at the national and local levels for countries transitioning to more environmentally sustainable options. The Green Deal policy package aims to promote new development models that tackle pressing issues around climate change.

24 September 2020, Geneva, Switzerland - The Partnership for Action on Green Economy has launched a series of global e-learning products that address key policy issues central to the green recovery debate. The six online courses are free, self-paced, and can act as an invaluable building block as countries plan their economic responses to COVID-19—serving to inform and shape the public policy debate around green economic reform.

September 2020 - UN CC:Learn is celebrating the issuance of its 100,000th certificate of course completion. It is a remarkable milestone in its mission to improve climate literacy around the world. But we do not want this achievement to be forgotten in a couple of weeks or months. We want the occasion to be remembered and to have lasting, meaningful impact. That is why we are issuing all UN CC:Learn alumni with the: 100,000 STORIES FOR CLIMATE ACTION CHALLENGE.

24 September, Geneva, Switzerland - UN CC:Learn has reached an important milestone: the issuance of 100,000 certificates of course completion from its e-learning platform. And to acknowledge this important accomplishment, an online event was hosted on 18 September. For one hour, people who are part of UN CC:Learn history engaged in discussions about the programme, its results, and its future.

24 September 2020, Geneva, Switzerland - On 24 September 2020, 50 participants took part in a four-hour webinar on the topic “Sustainable Development Goals in the Private Sector”, organized and implemented by UNITAR and the Global Institute of Excellence in Hong Kong.  In a short introduction, UNITAR’s executive director Nikil Seth explained how the Sustainable Development Goals and the private sector are ultimately connected and how the business sector has an immense influence on the impact of climate change and the ecological footprint. Especially now, in the midst of a global pandemic, Mr. Seth highlighted the urgent need to take action against the climate crisis and focus on water and energy efficiency, the protection of biodiversity, gender equality, sustainable infrastructures and much more.