UNITED NATIONS INSTITUTE FOR TRAINING AND RESEARCH ESTABLISHES

REGIONAL OFFICE FOR ASIA AND PACIFIC IN HIROSHIMA

NEW YORK, 29 July (UNITAR) –- The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), headquartered in Geneva and with a regional office in New York, opened its Office for Asia and the Pacific in Hiroshima, Japan, on 15 July.

Since 2001, UNITAR and its partner, the Hiroshima Prefectural Government, have been conducting a pilot phase of training workshops and conferences on the themes of cultural and natural heritage sites, sea and human security, and post-conflict reconstruction.  A pilot phase was conducted with a view to assessing the relevance of a UNITAR office in Hiroshima and the best structure for its operations.

After three years of preparations and research, the partners, convinced of the significance of this endeavour, have opened the UNITAR Hiroshima Office, located in the centre of the city and overlooking the Peace Memorial Park.  The first event the Office will organize is an International Conference on Capacity-Building in Post-Conflict Countries, to be held from 17 to 19 November, followed by a one-year Training Programme for Afghan Trainers.

The Office will conduct annually up to six programmes, including ongoing research on training methodologies, and workshops and conferences on the conservation and management of World Heritage sites, sea and human security, international economics and finance, and United Nations peacekeeping operations.  These training and capacity-building programmes are designed for the countries of Asia and the Pacific.  They will be conducted in cooperation with relevant United Nations bodies, including Department of Peacekeeping Operations, United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), World Health Organization (WHO) and bilateral cooperation agencies in the region, as well as with academia, the private sector and non-governmental organizations in Japan, Asia and beyond.

Nassrine Azimi, former Chief of the UNITAR New York Office, has been appointed Director of the UNITAR Hiroshima Office.

For more information, please contact:  UNITAR Hiroshima Office for Asia and the Pacific, Hiroshima Chamber of Commerce Building, 5-44 Motomachi, Naka-ku, Hiroshima 730-8510 Japan; tel.: +81 82 511 24 24; fax: +81 82 211 05 11; e-mail: hiroshima@unitar.org.

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