UN chief renews Ali al-Marri's membership in UNITAR Board

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has renewed the membership of HE Dr Ali bin Fetais al-Marri in the Board of Trustees of the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) until 2027.The UN secretary-general had selected HE Dr al-Marri in 2020, thanks to his work and activities with several UN agencies, including the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the International Criminal Court (ICC).HE Dr al-Marri participated in the 56th session of the UNITAR Board of Trustees, which was held in Geneva on Nov 21-22.Chaired by the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador, Luis Gallegos, the UNITAR Board of Trustees listened to the annual report presented by the Executive Director of UNITAR, Nikhil Seth, in which he outlined in specifics the volume of training offered by UNITAR to roughly 140,000 beneficiaries in a sheer number of diverse training programs which significantly focus on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), through establishing new programs and forging partnerships with a wide diversity of sectors operating in the area of development, as well as identifying new global challenges and designing adequate programs to tackle these challenges.In addition, the Board of Trustees discussed the future projects and financial budget and wound up its meetings by electing a new director of UNITAR Board of Trustees, namely the Permanent Representative of Denmark to Geneva, Ib Petersen, and elected the former Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Kenya, Amina Mohamed, as deputy director.The UNITAR's annual strategy emphasises the engagement of peoples in safeguarding the earth and forging long-term strategies to achieve the UNITAR's objectives, including the UN system, as well as international financial institutions, transnational corporations, the private sector, and governments.The UNITAR Board of Trustees includes several ministers, ambassadors and permanent representatives accredited to the UN in Geneva and New York, alongside a number of representatives of non-governmental organsations.