UNITAR helps women participate actively in peace processes
Thirty-three women from around the world took part in UNITAR’s intensive two-week training programme Strengthening the Capacities of African Women Peacemakers conducted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This programme was the first dedicated training programme for women peacemakers. One of the objectives of the training programme was to provide the opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience among peers. At the Participants’ Forum, six case studies from different regions were presented, followed by active discussions. This was one of the highlights.
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Thanks to UNESCO, 24,000 students in Zimbabwe receive training in digital literacy and coding
The 2018 edition of Africa Code Week (ACW) in Zimbabwe was a tremendous success, reaching well beyond the targeted 5,000 students. In 2018, more provinces and districts participated in comparison to previous years. Both students and teachers gave positive feedback about the Information Communication Technology (ICT) skills they gained as being educative, helpful, interesting and timely.
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How to stop a city from sinking
Climate change has caused many coastal cities to be at risk. One such city is Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania. Rising sea levels have quickly eroded the Dar-es-Salaam shorelines destroying businesses and homes, many of which belong to the popular classes. Heavy rainfall has also played a major role in submerging homes and neighbourhoods. In response, UN Environment and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) have built seawalls along Tanzania’s coast and created drainage systems. Coastal businesses are now recovering and residents living near the sea, like William Buco and his family, are protected.
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Watch the sinking city of Dar-es-Salaam regain its life thanks to cooperation between UNEP and UNOPS.
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Refugee and Jordanian women receive a second chance in life thanks to UN Women
The ongoing humanitarian crisis in Syria affects many countries, especially Jordan. Women and girls’ safety from violence is at risk at times like this. In response, the UN Trust Fund’s grantee, the Arab Women’s Organization (AWO) runs two women’s centres to provide a safe space for survivors of violence, where they can discover their rights and learn about different forms of violence and how to combat them. Over 2,300 women have attended these mixed group classes, including both the local Jordanian population and Syrian refugees.
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ICRC fights urban violence in Latin America
Thousands of families in Latin America suffer the consequences of violence. Violence in cities means that people go missing, families are displaced, schools are empty of teachers and students too afraid to attend, heath centres are closed because staff are afraid to go to work and prisons are overcrowded. ICRC aims to seek long-term solutions by identifying and responding to the needs of communities.
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New ITU standards bring broadband to places as remote as Mount Everest
New ITU standards offer the world’s first standardized solution to narrow the digital divide. The standards aim to bring high-speed broadband services to rural communities with lightweight optical cable that can be deployed at low cost and with minimal environmental impact. The standards are giving developing countries, like Nepal, the opportunity to roll out optical networks in some of the world’s most challenging installation environments, including Mount Everest Base Camp and the Annapurna Trekking Circuit.
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Getting the packaging right thanks to IEC-ISO cooperation
An international guide has recently been revised to ensure safe, sustainable and functional packaging. The new guide provides direction for all decision makers involved in packaging, including product designers, manufactures and regulators. According to Christine Heemskerk, co-convener of the ISO working group that developed the standard, consumers will benefit from industry use of the revised guide with safer, more appropriate and informative packaging.
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SheTrades Invest will increase investment in women-owned businesses across 14 countries
Across the world, female entrepreneurs face substantial unmet funding needs. Women in developing countries in particular encounter numerous challenges in starting, growing and managing businesses. The International Trade Centre (ITC) and GroFin launched SheTrades Invest, an initiative to strengthen the financial and managerial capacity of women entrepreneurs, improve their investment readiness, and connect them to impact investors and financiers.
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An ILO-supported initiative helps Syrian refugees and Jordanians enter the labour market
After all the fighting, Aboud al Masoud left his life in Syria for Jordan and started working informally in construction. With the support of ILO, he was able to get a work permit and legalise his status to compete in the official labour market. The ILO-supported initiative, Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), is a programme that works with Syrian refugees and Jordanians to give access to Jordan’s formal labour market. The programme also includes training to enhance skills and increase knowledge. ILO has helped Masoud and other migrants and refugees like him to successfully integrate both a new society and the labour market.
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Meet Aboud and learn about his new life in Jordan.
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