United Nations e-Learning courses: sharpen your skills
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.
Last update: 20 November 2024
New UN course helps cut through the noise to bolster online safety
(UN News, 3 November 2022)
United Nations Speech Bank for interpreters
The e-learning tool is designed to help students and candidates prepare for United Nations competitive examinations for language positions and global language register exams.
DESA – United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs
Digital Learning Centre
Welcome to UN DESA’s Digital Learning Centre (DLC), a curated repository of the Department’s digital capacity-building portfolio open to the public!
The DLC offers digital learning resources for the latest knowledge for implementing the 2030 Agenda.
see also: “Knowledge-sharing is a superpower”:
ECA – Economic Commission for Africa, African Institute for Economic Development and Planning
IDEP eLearning Platform
Since its creation, IDEP works to assist African governments in their training efforts and capacity building in the areas of economic management and planning. With this regards, it works closely with African member states to assess their needs and develop general courses, specialized and tailored to their frames of senior and middle levels.
ECLAC – Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribean
ECLAC Training
Training is an integral part of the technical cooperation that ECLAC offers its member countries. The beneficiaries are usually technical staff and decision-makers in public authorities, but may also include academic experts and opinion-makers in civil society. The courses and workshops promoted, supported or organized by ECLAC offer participants the opportunity to learn about and share experiences concerning development in various countries and to strengthen their professional skills and competencies in specific areas related to the Commission’s work.
ESCAP – Economic Commission for Asia and the Pacific
ESCAP Learning and Training Programmes
The main objective of ESCAP’s capacity development work is to develop the technical, managerial and institutional capacities of member and associate member governments to plan and deliver more effective policies and programmes in support of inclusive and sustainable development with special attention to least developed and landlocked developing countries as well as small island developing states. In this effort the various sub-programmes of ESCAP develop e-learning courses, training programmes, tools and other online platforms to help member governments increase their institutional capacity to address development challenges as well as share technical knowledge in order that Asia and the Pacific fulfill the 2030 development agenda. A listing of these platforms is available below.
ESCWA – Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
ESCWA E-learning portal
This portal is a customized platform that serves as a hub for learners wishing to expand their knowledge of different disciplines relevant to ESCWA’s thematic areas and in-line with regional development priorities.
This portal provides e-learning courses on various development issues of importance to the Arab region, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its related Sustainable Development Goals ), climate change, poverty, gender equality, urban development and public sector leadership.
The courses provided follow two formats: self-paced and facilitated. Learners can take individual courses or sets of courses constituting a learning path leading to a professional certificate on the topic issued by ESCWA. Currently, professional certificates are available on gender and on the SDGs.
FAO – Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
FAO elearning Academy
The FAO elearning Academy provides learning opportunities and multilingual elearning courses for professionals working in food and nutrition security, social and economic development, and sustainable management of natural resources, with the overall goal of strengthening the capacity of member countries to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The FAO elearning Academy offers free access to content on a variety of topics of global interest, which is available in a range of formats, including elearning courses for self-paced learning, blended learning programmes, massive open online courses (MOOCs), technical webinars, online tutored courses, mobile learning, face-to-face training workshops and university master’s and postgraduate degree programmes.
Let these six FAO e-learning courses shape a new you in this new year: Broaden your knowledge of food, agriculture and rural development in 2022 (27 December 2021):
FAO launches new Four Betters Courses initiative: The initiative will leverage e-learning and FAO resources and publications to promote education and innovation in agrifood systems (17 October 2024):
HRC – Human Rights Council
e-Learning tool on the Human Rights Council and its mechanisms
Interactive, accessible and gender-aware, the e-Learning tool is designed for government officials from LDCs and SIDS as per the mandate of the Trust Fund. However, any government official in charge of human rights issues can use it.
The e-Learning Tool can also be useful for UN staff members who are based in the field and headquarters, staff members of regional and international organizations/groups, representatives of NGOs and civil society organizations, members of national human rights institutions and interns who would like to familiarize themselves with the work of the Human Rights Council and its mechanisms.
IAEA – International Atomic Energy Agency
IAEA Education and Training
The IAEA offers a wide spectrum of education and training activities. These include face-to-face training courses and workshops, as well as online learning, fellowship programmes and schools on various nuclear-related topics.
Stuck in Self Isolation? Here are Hundreds of IAEA Online Courses for Free
(News, 26 March 2020)
New Course Catalogue Improves Access to Over 480 Online Courses and Webinars by the IAEA (23 March 2022)
CyberLearning Platform for Network Education and Training (CLP4NET)
Online courses on nuclear safety and security, radiation protection, sustainable energy development, the use of nuclear applications and more
IFAD – International Fund for Agricultural Development
Browse e-learning courses on rural and agricultural development issues.
ILO – International Labour Organization
eLearning tools on child labour
The courses are designed to help to better understand what child labour is and the key role ILO stakeholders can play.
ITC-ILO – The International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization
The ITC is an advanced technical and vocational training institution and offers learning, knowledge-sharing, and institutional capacity-building programmes for governments, workers’ and employers’ organizations, and development partners. It aims to be a forum where development intersects with all forms of knowledge in the world of work, from tripartism to technology. As a multicultural hub for learning, the Centre welcomes everyone, regardless of gender, race, or class.
ILO launches Massive Open Online Course “Making Universal Social Protection a Reality” (25 January 2023):
InforMEA learning
InforMEA is the United Nations Information Portal on Multilateral Environmental Agreements. It is a one-stop portal for information on Multilateral Environmental Agreements – or MEAs – searchable by key terms across treaty texts, COP decisions, national plans and reports, laws, court decisions and more.
The portal includes an E-learning platform containing more than 30 courses in over 60 language versions. All courses are free of charge, self-paced, multilingual nad offer certificates of completion.
IMF – International Monetary Fund
IMF Online Learning
The IMF Online Learning Program aims at strengthening the technical knowledge and expertise in government agencies with a view to developing and implementing sound economic and financial policies fostering stability and growth. Our online training program makes the IMF expertise in key macroeconomic and financial issues available anytime, anywhere, and with free access for all.
Government officials and members of the general public are welcome to learn with first-class IMF experts about macroeconomic analysis and policies, including on public debt and public financial management, central banking law, inclusive growth, macroeconomic statistics, and more.
IMO – International Maritime Organization
IMO e-Learning portal
IMO has developed a number of e-Learning courses with the purpose of increasing the capacity of Member States to effectively implement IMO instruments. For background information on IMO’s training courses as part of IMO’s Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme (ITCP) please click here.
To undertake IMO’s e-Learning courses, two options are available: a) by authorization, or b) self-enrolment.
For more information on the enrolment options and in order to register in the system, please follow carefully the user guide.
Free to access e-learning course: “Energy Saving at Sea” launched (5 December 2022):
First e-learning course in Spanish now available (13 April 2023):
New e-learning course tackles illegal wildlife trade (31 October 2024):
IOM – International Organization for Migration
IOM e-Campus
The IOM E-Campus is the learning platform developed by the Organization for external audiences. It is a free and virtual space with online courses and training materials on migration. The E-Campus courses are prepared by experts in topics that converge with migration. Currently there are more than 25 courses in Spanish, English, French, Italian and Arabic (the languages offered depend on the course, they are translated periodically).
ITU – International Telecommunication Academy
ITU Academy
The ITU Academy is the main online gateway to ITU’s capacity development activities. It brings together under one umbrella a wide range of training activities and knowledge resources in the field of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and digital development.
OCHA – United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
ReliefWeb is a humanitarian information service provided by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
ReliefWeb is also a valuable resource for job listings and training programs, helping humanitarians organizations to disseminate career and training opportunities to global audience.
SDGAcademyX – Free online courses from SDG Academy
The SDG Academy creates and curates graduate-level courses on sustainable development for learners around the world. From sustainable cities to human rights to climate action, each of our courses addresses the fundamental challenge facing our world today: How do people, communities, businesses and governments coexist, cooperate and collaborate to save the one planet we have? The SDG Academy’s courses are fully interactive, so you can meet, debate and learn from both our global faculty of sustainable development experts and your fellow learners.
SDG Finance Academy
The SDG Finance Academy brings UNDP’s sustainable finance knowledge to the world. Through in-person and free online courses, the Academy is building a community of experts to join in marshaling public and private finance for the SDGs.
UNDP’s SDG Finance Academy Launches Open-Access Course on Financing National Climate and Energy Targets (13 November 2024):
UN CC:e-Learn
The One UN Climate Change Learning Partnership (UN CC:Learn) is a joint initiative of more than 30 multilateral organizations helping countries to achieve climate change action both through general climate literacy and applied skills development. UN CC:Learn provides strategic advice and quality learning resources to help people, governments and businesses to understand, adapt, and build resilience to climate change. UN CC:Learn is supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
UNU-IAS Launches E-learning Course on Net Zero (7 June 2024):
UNU-IAS has launched a free e-learning course Net Zero 101: What, Why and How. This self-paced online course breaks down the science of climate change and net zero into easy-to-understand terms, while highlighting practical steps that individuals can take for climate action. It is designed for anyone who wishes to develop a foundational understanding of climate change and net zero, and requires no prior knowledge of climate science. Learners can earn a digital certificate from UNU-IAS upon successful completion of the course. It can be accessed through the One UN Climate Change Learning Partnership (UN CC:Learn) platform.
UN SDG:Learn
Through the collaborative efforts of the United Nations, multilateral organizations, and sustainable development partners from universities, civil society, academia and the private sector, UN SDG:Learn provides a unique gateway that empowers individuals and organizations through an informed decision when selecting among a wealth of SDG-related learning products and services that are currently available.
UN WOMEN Training Centre
The UN Women Training Centre eLearning Campus is a global and innovative online platform for training for gender equality. It is open to everybody interested in using training or learning as a means to advance gender equality, women’s empowerment and women’s rights.
UNCTAD – United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
UNCTAD e-Learning on Trade
UNCTAD e-learning on Trade is a platform that hosts multiple courses designed and run by the teams within the Division of International Trade and Commodities of UNCTAD. Currently, the platform provides two categories of courses: Trade, Gender and Development and Non-Tariff Measures in Trade
UNECE – United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
UNECE ‘Standards for the SDGs’ e-learning platform
This e-learning platform is designed to enhance global understanding of quality infrastructure and its importance for sustainable development.
Courses are open to all and no fee is charged for enrolment. They can be taken independently or be integrated into existing courses, including blended learning courses, for example as an introduction to courses offered in-person.
At present, the platform provides courses in Risk Management in Regulatory Structures, Conformity Assessment, Market Surveillance.
LearnITC- The Inland Transport and Trade Connectivity e-Learning Platform
Are you interested in learning how to promote policies to strive towards sustainable transport and better trade connectivity? Do you want to learn about the UN inland transport and trade facilitation legal instruments and standards? Do you want to increase your capacity, knowledge base and skills in sustainable transport and trade connectivity? If you replied yes to any of these questions, then explore the e-Learning courses on the LearnITC- The Inland Transport and Trade Connectivity e-Learning Platform that was launched today.
Sustainable transport and trade connectivity impacts our health, environment and economy. To promote transport, which is safe, clean and competitive and to simplify cross-border trade, UNECE member States have worked together to develop the UN inland transport and trade facilitation legal instruments, standards and other tools. LearnITC is where you can learn more about these topics. The various courses and training materials are available in English, French, and Russian.
City Resilience Training (CRT)
City Resilience Training (CRT) is a collaborative learning platform run by the UNECE Center of Excellence of the University of Geneva, offering courses on how to create more sustainable futures for cities
UNECE LearnQI Platform
The UNECE LearnQI platform is an open access e-learning resource, which offers a series of innovative courses on key areas of quality infrastructure. Developed by the UNECE Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies (WP.6), the self-directed courses offer participants a convenient way to gain greater understanding of trade-related topics at their own pace and in their own time.
Upon completion of a course, participants receive a certificate in recognition of their achievement. The LearnQI Platform will evolve with further courses and languages depending on external funding.
UNEP – United Nations Environment Programme
Massive Open Online Courses
UNEP and its partners offer a wide range of courses on critical environmental issues.
UNEP Learning Management System
Home to courses, workshops and seminars offered by different divisions in the organization.
Home school with a virtual dive into the ocean (News Story, 27 March 2020):
UNESCWA – United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
SDG Knowledge and Learning Platform
The SDG Knowledge and Learning is an open access electronic platform, established by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UN-ESCWA). It contributes to more effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development through enhancing the capacities of the Arab countries by disseminating knowledge, promoting learning and providing training in sustainable development.
UNESCO – United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
UNESCO Open Learning
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):
UNESCO Memory of the World (MoW) e-learning
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.
UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning – UIL Learning Hub
The UIL Learning Hub gives access to online training courses, workshops, webinars and e-conferences, and share tools and guidelines. It supports Member States in building and sustaining flexible and gender responsive lifelong learning systems and was developed in collaboration with UNESCO institutes and regional offices, other UN and development agencies, universities, and training institutions.
The Hub’s training resources cover the full range of issues UIL has expertise in, ranging from planning for lifelong learning and adult education, to the development of gender-responsive literacy strategies and policies, and improving monitoring and evaluation. It features resources on building learning cities, managing community learning centres and strengthening libraries for lifelong learning.
UNFPA – United Nations Population Fund
e-Learning Modules for 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.
New series of e-learning resources launches on key life saving skills (10 February 2022):
UN-Habitat
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
Learning portal: Empowering growth through self-guided learning.
This page offers a collection of resources and learning materials designed to deepen understanding of UNHCR’s work – from protection and programming to long-term solutions.
UNICEF – United Nations Children’s Fund
AGORA – UNICEF’s global hub for learning
Agora is a free portal offering tailored learning solutions to UNICEF’s staff, partners and supporters.
WHO and UNICEF launch free online course to address children’s environmental health (13 March 2024):
UNIDO – United Nations Industrial Development Organization
Learning and Knowledge Development Facility (LKDF)
The LKDF is a platform that promotes industrial skills development among young people in emerging economies.
UNITAR – United Nations Institute for Training and Research
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
Disarmament and non-proliferation education encompasses initiatives and resources aimed at educating and training a broad range of audiences, including the general public, on the role and value of disarmament in the achievement of sustainable peace and security.
UNODC – United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
UNODC Global 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
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
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
The United Nations Statistics Division maintains a Learning Management System, which hosts e-learning courses developed by UNSD, as well as e-learning courses developed under the UN Committee of Experts on Big Data and Data science for Official Statistics (UN-CEBD).
Courses covering different aspects of population and housing census, energy statistics and the use of big data for official statistics are currently in development.
These e-learning course are delivered by UNSD in addition to the numerous capacity building programmes aimed at increasing statistical capacity in member states, particularly in developing countries that are organized through face-to-face meetings. E-learning activities are increasingly used to support face-to-face elements of the training programme; but a growing segment are new stand-alone e-learning courses that allow users to gain knowledge on international standards and methods in a variety of statistical domains without restrictions in terms of time or finances that usually limit access to traditional face-to-face meetings.
UNU-EHS – United Nations University, Institute for Environment and Human Security
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.
New e-Learning Course: Human Mobility in the Context of Climate Change (31 October 2023):
UNWTO – World Tourism Organization
Tourism Online Academy
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
Humanitarian Fundamentals E-Learning Channel
The Humanitarian Fundamentals E-Learning Channel is an innovative learning initiative brought to you by the World Food Programme (WFP). This platform is designed to enhance our partnership through shared learning and capacity building, ensuring we deliver safe and impactful humanitarian assistance globally.
The WeLearn platform features a comprehensive Introduction to Emergency Programming course tailored specifically to meet the needs of our partners. This course is an essential tool for onboarding new partners’ staff and reinforcing the knowledge of existing team members. It offers a deep dive into the core aspects of WFP’s programming model, focusing on effectively responding to emergencies and sustainably supporting affected communities. The course is available in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, and Portuguese languages for your convenience.
The platform provides a suite of learning tools covering critical cross-cutting issues, including protection, accountability to affected populations, and humanitarian access, some of which have been recently updated. We are pleased to offer these resources to our partners for the first time, as they encapsulate the depth of knowledge needed to navigate the complexities of humanitarian and development work while prioritizing the safety, dignity, and rights of those we serve.
WHO – World Health Organization
OpenWHO
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.
FAO, WHO, and WOAH launch new online course on joint response to zoonotic disease outbreaks (31 October 2023):
Three years of pandemic learning response: reaching learners across the world with life-saving health knowledge (26 January 2023):
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
Developing healthy cities in 20 steps: new WHO course launches (25 April 2024):
WHO releases new learning resources to help health workers provide better care and support for women subjected to violence (22 November 2023):
New online course: How data can help to end violence against women (28 August 2023):
E-learning courses are transforming our way of learning (6 June 2023):
Protecting workers’ health and safety: Online training resources at your fingertips (28 April 2022):
Open to all, anytime, anywhere: Free online courses bring vaccine knowledge to the global community (7 April 2022):
WIPO – World Intellectual Property Organization
WIPO eLearning Center
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):
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
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
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.
WTO launches new e-Learning series on digital trade opportunities for developing economies (11 April 2024):
WORLD BANK
World Bank Group Open Learning Campus
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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