Sharpen your skills with FREE United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

In response to the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, when over half of the world’s population was in lockdown and people were encouraged to use the time to self-study and learn new skills, we’ve maintained an overview of e-Learning tools and online courses offered by the United Nations System. There are hundreds of courses available, covering a wide range of topics, from sustainable development to human rights, climate change to nuclear safety, and many more.

Pick a course from the list below and get started.

UNESCO – United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

UNESCO Open Learning

https://openlearning.unesco.org/

The UNESCO Open Learning platform aims to provide e-learning capacities for online course development and dissemination for topics that are aligned with UNESCO’s mandate under the Natural and Human Sciences, Communication and Information, Education and Culture Sectors. The initial focus will be on science related topics, such as water resources management, Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), climate change adaptation, remote sensing, information and communications technologies (ICT) and other science related topics. Expansion of this focus will be done on a needs basis.

UNESCO offers free online courses on freedom of expression and safety of journalists (29 January 2021)

https://en.unesco.org/news/unesco-offers-free-online-courses-freedom-expression-and-safety-journalists

UNESCO Memory of the World (MoW) e-learning
https://www.unesco.org/mowcourse

Online course for teachers and educators on how to integrate the MoW International Register in their teaching. The Register consists of important historical items from all over the world, ranging from ancient manuscripts to music to audiovisual materials. Teachers can use it to foster intercultural dialogue, social cohesion and, importantly, to create engaging and creative experiences for their students.

UNFPA – United Nations Population Fund

e-Learning Modules for Midwives

https://www.unfpa.org/resources/e-learning-modules-midwives

Nine multimedia e-learning modules on key maternal and newborn life-saving skills and family planning were developed under the UNFPA/Intel/Jhpiego partnership in 2013.

UN-Habitat

Online classroom

https://unhabitat.org/online-classroom

The online classroom video series is an initiative by UN-Habitat and its partners which grew out of the Academy of Sustainable Urban Mobility (AoSUM). The experience and the knowledge of renowned experts from the private and the public sector will be shared with those who are interested in sustainable urban mobility topics. The classroom series is free and consists of 7 videos, each lasts between 10-15 minutes.

UNHCR – The UN Refugee Agency

UNHCR Learn & Connect

https://unhcr.csod.com/client/unhcr/default.aspx

This learning platform offers UNHCR staff & external partners access to a comprehensive set of learning activities. As well, the platform provides the opportunity for learners to engage with online communities of practice.

UNICEF – United Nations Children’s Fund

AGORA – UNICEF’s global hub for learning

https://agora.unicef.org/

Agora is a free portal offering tailored learning solutions to UNICEF’s staff, partners and supporters.

UNITAR – United Nations Institute for Training and Research

https://www.unitar.org/free-and-open-courses

UNITAR offers courses that run throughout the year or several times a year that are free-of-charge and open to the public.

UNODA – United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs

Disarmament Education Dashboard: Expanding Minds for Peace and Development

https://www.disarmamenteducation.org/courses/index.html

Interactive and online training courses on disarmament, non-proliferation and development issues. Navigate the catalogue, enroll in the training courses or apply for scholarships (when available)

UNODC – United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

UNODC Global eLearning

https://www.unodc.org/elearning/

UNODCs online eLearning courses deliver trainings to a community of over 50,000 Member State officials on international security threats such as transnational organized crime, terrorism, illicit drugs, trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants, wildlife and forest crime, cybercrime as well as provide training on border control, intelligence analysis, gender issues, anticorruption, HIV/AIDS and human rights.
These courses, developed by leading international experts, enable law enforcement officers and other professionals to expand their knowledge and stay up to date with the international community’s fight against illicit drugs, crime and terrorism experts in line with United Nations standards and norms and other relevant international instruments.

UNOCT – United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism

UNOCT Connect & Learn

https://learn.unoct-connectandlearn.org/

UNOCT’s Connect & Learn platform enables users to connect through inclusive collaboration and discussion in thematic communities of practice and to learn through an eLearning section with courses and modules.
To identify relevant training courses and expand your knowledge and skillset, browse content areas by programme or search all courses.
To connect with your community of experts, browse the groups, events, and knowledge areas within the community of practice fora.

UNSSC – United Nations System Staff College

https://www.unssc.org/

The UNSSC is an open, dynamic and engaged community committed to innovative learning and training programmes focused on public policy. We create high-quality learning experiences for professionals, positioning them to be outstanding leaders and effective problem solvers.

UNSTATS – United Nations Statistics Division

e-Learning Platform of the United Nations Statistics Division

https://elearning-cms.unstats.un.org/

UNODCs online eLearning courses deliver training to a community of over 50,000 Member State officials on international security threats such as transnational organized crime, terrorism, illicit drugs, trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants, wildlife and forest crime, cybercrime as well as provide training on border control, intelligence analysis, gender issues, anti-corruption, HIV/AIDS and human rights.

UNU-EHS – United Nations University, Institute for Environment and Human Security

eLearning

https://ehs.unu.edu/education/elearning

UNU-EHS recognizes the importance of digitalization in advancing the sustainable development goals and aims at developing and providing educational and capacity building opportunities through online and e-learning technologies.

UNWTO – World Tourism Organization

Tourism Online Academy

https://www.unwto-tourismacademy.ie.edu/

The Tourism Online Academy is an online learning platform that will provide self-paced, 100% online courses that mainly focus on concepts, areas of interest and fundamental principles related to the tourism sector, addressing the challenges it faces such as globalization, the digital revolution, travel marketing and sustainability, among others. These flexible courses allow participants to reconcile academic, professional and other personal commitments.

WFP – World Food Programme

nutx – WFP Nutrition’s Learning Platform

https://cdn.wfp.org/nutrition/nutx/

nutx is WFP Nutrition’s learning platform, designed to share WFP’s experience, lessons learned and research on nutrition free of charge. Our learning resources include self-paced e-learning courses, interactive tests and exercises. We also share nutrition case studies, links to online resources and interesting readings.

WHO – World Health Organization

OpenWHO

https://openwho.org/

OpenWHO is WHO’s interactive, web-based, knowledge-transfer platform offering online courses to improve the response to health emergencies. OpenWHO enables the Organization and its key partners to transfer life-saving knowledge to large numbers of frontline responders.

Three years of pandemic learning response: reaching learners across the world with life-saving health knowledge (26 January 2023):

https://www.who.int/news/item/26-01-2023-three-years-of-pandemic-learning-response–reaching-learners-across-the-world-with-life-saving-health-knowledge

WHO Academy

https://www.who.int/about/who-academy

A new focus on learning for impact and building competencies to make the world a healthier place. This is the thinking behind the World Health Organization’s new WHO Academy, a state-of-the-art training institution that aims to bring the lifelong learning revolution to the health sector and reach 10 million learners around the world by 2023.

Training for emergencies

https://www.who.int/emergencies/training

Protecting workers’ health and safety: Online training resources at your fingertips (28 April 2022):

https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/protecting-workers–health-and-safety–online-training-resources-at-your-fingertips

Open to all, anytime, anywhere: Free online courses bring vaccine knowledge to the global community (7 April 2022): https://www.who.int/news/item/07-04-2022-open-to-all–anytime–anywhere–free-online-courses-bring-vaccine-knowledge-to-the-global-community

WHO-Europe – World Health Organization, Regional Office for Europe
Training Courses in connection with the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)

https://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/health-emergencies/coronavirus-covid-19/training-courses

WIPO – World Intellectual Property Organization

WIPO eLearning Center
https://welc.wipo.int/

The rich portfolio of courses on IP caters to different target audiences: inventors and creators, business managers and IP professionals, policymakers and government officials of IP institutions, diplomats, students and teachers of IP and the civil society. Courses combine traditional face-to-face and distance learning methodologies which explain how to stimulate innovation, creativity and development.

WMO – World Meteorological Organization

WMO pilots E-Learning courses on impact-based forecasts (30 August 2022): https://public.wmo.int/en/media/news/wmo-pilots-e-learning-courses-impact-based-forecasts

WMO is piloting a series of e-learning courses on impact-based forecasting, as part of a coordinated drive to train the meteorological community to develop and communicate forecasts not just about what the weather will be, but what it will do.

The plan is that this education and training tool will then be rolled out more widely, providing a user-friendly, interactive platform for  WMO Guidelines on Multi-Hazard Impact-based Forecast and Warning Services. Better communication of risk and impacts underpins  decision-making and risk management to save lives and will guide the development of WMO’s roadmap to ensure that early warnings reach everyone in the next five years.

WTO – World Trade Organization

WTO e-Learning

https://www.learning.wto.org/

The WTO on 12 December 2022 launched the new e-Learning platform with updated features aimed at enhancing the user’s learning experience. The platform is aimed at beneficiaries of WTO technical assistance as well as the general public.

The revamped portal will offer intuitive navigation, an improved course catalogue, and new services that will keep learners apprised of WTO training news and events. It will also offer better and richer training activities, ranging from self-paced to blended learning, which integrates digital learning with traditional instructor-led classroom activities.

The new interface is compatible with widely used devices and Internet browsers, and it includes a mobile app allowing access to offline training material for users with low internet bandwidth.

WTO distance learning

https://www.wto.org/english/res_e/d_learn_e/d_learn_e.htm

The WTO offers on this page several interactive training modules on WTO subjects. Each module is built on course material developed by WTO experts and includes several interactive tests to assess the user’s progress.

WORLD BANK

World Bank Group Open Learning Campus

https://olc.worldbank.org/

By providing dynamic learning opportunities where diverse audiences can learn at their own pace and access the knowledge they need, the Open Learning Campus (OLC) equips individuals with the knowledge and capabilities to tackle the toughest development challenges. Technology is also changing the learning landscape. The OLC helps scale development learning by offering comprehensive learning curricula with wider access and enhanced learner experience.

 

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