About UNSSC
Activities by UNSSC
Data Quality for Impact, with Python
Global Not ApplicableThis 2-week online course equips UN analysts and data practitioners with practical skills to systematically assess and improve data quality using Python. More info at: https://www.unssc.org/courses/data-quality-impact-python
Activity Type Trainings/WorkshopsAI in Sustainable Development Learning: Integration in Climate and Digital Transformation Courses
Global Not ApplicableIn 2024, the UN System Staff College Knowledge Centre for Sustainable Development (KCSD) integrated emerging discussions on Artificial Intelligence (AI) into two of its major learning programmes. The first is the facilitated online course, The Paris Agreement on Climate Change as a Development Agenda, where Module 6 introduces AI as a cross-cutting enabler in supporting climate mitigation and adaptation strategies. The second is the Digital Skills Capacity Building (DSCB) module, which focuses on how digital transformation can be harnessed to advance sustainable development outcomes. It bridges theory and practice by equipping participants with practical digital skills such as product design and deployment in solving some of our pressing environmental problems. The module zooms on the opportunities AI offers the unintended consequences of widespread AI use in designing and utilizing digital products for sustainable development. These efforts represent UNSSC’s steps in building AI literacy and responsible innovation capacity within the broader framework of the 2030 Agenda.
Activity Type Trainings/WorkshopsGenerative AI professional certificate
Global Not Applicable
The UN Generative AI Professional Certificate is tailored for United Nations (UN) staff members who aim to harness the potential of generative AI in their functions. The course provides a comprehensive understanding of generative AI, covering its mechanisms and practical applications in text, video, and images. This blended programme offers a unique combination of self-paced modules and instructor-led sessions fully tailored to the UN context.
More info at: https://www.unssc.org/courses/un-generative-ai-professional-certificate
UN SDG:Learn AI Working Group and Integration of AI in Sustainable Development Learning
Global Not Applicable
As the Joint Secretariat of UN SDG:Learn, UNITAR and UNSSC brought together UN agencies, governments, civil society, and academic partners through a dedicated AI Working Group to explore the role of artificial intelligence in sustainable development learning. In 2024, the group held three meetings that highlighted innovations such as generative AI for instructional design, AI-powered patent summarization, and emerging AI-based edtech solutions. A collaborative online space was established to enable ongoing knowledge exchange.
AI was also a central theme during the UN SDG:Learn Retreat in November 2024, where partners engaged in strategic discussions on the future of AI in learning, including its potential to transform instructional design and learner engagement.
In addition, the UN SDG:Learn podcast featured a thematic episode titled “Banking on Biodiversity: The Seed Saver’s Crusade”, which explored how artificial intelligence and digital tools can support biodiversity, local knowledge systems, and sustainable agriculture. In the episode, Stefan Schmitz, Executive Director of the Global Crop Diversity Trust, emphasized the role of AI and data mining in advancing modern breeding technologies and reviving neglected crops. This episode illustrates the intersection of AI, local innovation, and the SDGs—broadening the scope of sustainable development learning by linking digital innovation with global food systems and biodiversity preservation.