United Nations Young Leaders Online Training Programme - August 2025
The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) was established in 1963 as an autonomous body within the United Nations with the purpose of enhancing the effectiveness of the work of the UN and its member states.
UNITAR designs and conducts close to 500 different training and knowledge sharing events per year for some 50,000 beneficiaries worldwide. Participants include diplomats, other government officials, non-governmental representatives, and other stakeholders.
At the heart of UNITAR, the Multilateral Diplomacy Programme Unit (MDPU) delivers training workshops to address the needs of these international actors. MDPU’s activities cover a wide range of domains, including training on the UN system and skills development.
There are an estimated 1.8 billion people today between the ages of 10 and 24, which is the largest generation of youth in human history. Their numbers are expected to grow—between 2015 and 2030 alone, about 1.9 billion young people are projected to turn 15 years old.
Connected to each other like never before, young people increasingly contribute to innovative solutions, driving social progress and inspiring political initiatives. They are agents of change, mobilizing to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to improve the lives of people and the health of the planet.
UNITAR is therefore delighted to offer an online training programme specifically designed for the global youth. It will offer participants the chance to gain first-hand experience of the United Nations and will provide them with the necessary knowledge and skills to fully unfold their potential as global leaders.
The UN Young Leaders Online Training Programme aims to provide participants with a nuanced balance between the knowledge and the skills necessary to understand the complexities of today’s world and make a positive impact on it. After completion of the course, participants should be able to:
- Explain key components of the United Nations system and its agencies
- Understand the importance of conferences to address global issues
- Develop essential negotiation and communication skills across cultures
- Identify challenges and opportunities around the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- Adapt values and principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter
The United Nations Young Leaders Online Training Programme consists of a 4-week e-Learning course. The e-learning course will be implemented on UNITAR's e-Learning platform. It comprises 4 different modules, can be studied in a self-paced manner and requires 4-6 hours of studying per week.
- Module 1: The United Nations
- Module 2: Conference Diplomacy
- Module 3: The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- Module 4: Cosmopolitan Communication
The course includes weekly reading material, multimedia files as well as discussion boards exchanging views with fellow participants and UNITAR instructors. In addition, the Young Leaders Online Training Programme will be complemented by several 1.5 hour live-webinars. These will be delivered through the platform zoom by UN experts and comprise the following topics:
- Webinar A - The United Nations System
- Webinar B - Multilateral Conferences and Diplomacy
- Webinar C - The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- Webinar D - Cosmopolitan Communication
In addition to the above live-webinars, there will be one 3.5 hour e-workshop per week. These will focus on Leadership Skills.
The Young Leaders Training Programme will be run from UNITAR's e-Learning platform, where announcements and relevant links to activities will be posted. In addition to the above-mentioned components, the platform will contain online reading material, interactive quizzes as well as pre-recorded videos, which participants are free to study anytime best for them.
The expert webinars, e-workshops and other live components will mostly be delivered through the online software Zoom. The programme is designed to be highly interactive and participatory. Online activities will include a high level of exposure to policy practitioners and diplomatic settings, thereby allowing participants to gain a thorough knowledge and understanding of the United Nations.
In addition, the live components will all be offered in the afternoon Geneva time, for participants across all time-zones to be able to attend at reasonable times. The live components will also be recorded and be made available on the platform thereafter. All activities will run in the English language.
The Young Leaders Training Programme is open to all actors related to international affairs wishing to take on leadership roles in their respective environment and to build up knowledge and skills related to the United Nations and International Geneva.
Participants can include high school students, university students, and other aspiring young leaders of similar background. Junior professionals from public and private sector and senior officials who are young at heart are equally welcome to apply.
In order to ensure the highest quality standards, the registration will be closed after 30 participants. Slots will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. At the end of the programme, participants will receive a UNITAR certificate of completion.
UNITAR will be responsible for the overall design, coordination and implementation of the Young Leaders Training Programme. It will liaise with participants on a regular basis prior to the activity's implementation in order to ensure a smooth and flawless organization for everyone involved. For scholarships, kindly email multilateralism [at] unitar.org (multilateralism[at]unitar[dot]org) for further inquiry.
The participants are responsible to ensure they are in possession of the basic necessary hardware, software and connectivity to engage in online training activities.