UN International Project Program – June 2026

IMPORTANT INFORMATION — PROPOSAL

This document is a proposal based on the most recent UNITAR × UREKA International Project Programme, successfully delivered in April 2026. It is intended to give prospective participants, universities, and schools a clear and realistic picture of what the June 2026 edition will look like. The structure, schedule, and activities described here will be very similar to what is delivered — but some elements may be subject to adjustment / changes as advised by the UNITAR programme team prior to the final confirmed itinerary being issued.

This programme is delivered and certified by UNITAR, for any queries regarding the UN credentials, please do not hesitate to request a direct introduction to the UNITAR team.

Before any initial acceptance or enrolment, a dedicated Zoom orientation call will be organised – open to students, parents, and professors or coordinators from the universities and schools receiving this proposal. This session will walk through the full programme, logistics, and expectations, and will include an open Q&A where all questions are welcome.

PROGRAMME FEE : 2,150

Euros per participant · All-inclusive

WHAT’S INCLUDED

• 1-week remote preparatory programme (online sessions, mentoring, team project work)
• 1-week Geneva in-person immersion (accommodation, institutional visits, UNITAR sessions)
• Daily lunch covered up to CHF 15 per day during the Geneva week
• All group transport within Geneva and to programme venues
• Airport transfer on arrival
• UNITAR Certificate of Participation

Not included: flights to/from Geneva, personal expenses, dinner

PROGRAMME OVERVIEW

WEEK 1 | 14–20 JUNE 2026 — REMOTE PREPARATORY PROGRAMME

The remote week is structured around the same 5-day framework used in the April 2026 edition. Participants work individually and in SDG-themed teams across five focused days, each with a clear deliverable. The pace is intensive but manageable. All live sessions are held via Zoom; async work uses Google Drive, Miro, and WhatsApp.

Team Structure: 6 SDG-themed teams of ~4–5 participants each, formed on Day 1 and carried through into the Geneva week – where they present their final project on Day 6 (Friday 26 June).

DAY 1 – Sun 14 Jun

Welcome, SDG Discovery & Team Formation – Live Zoom Session — 3 hours

Opening – Welcome & Context Setting
UNITAR & UREKA facilitators open. Programme overview, Geneva week preview, housekeeping: Zoom, shared Drive, WhatsApp.

SDG Carousel – Participant Sharing Round
Each participant shares their country context + chosen SDG passion (1.5 min each). Mapped live on Miro board.

Team Formation – 6 SDG-Themed Teams Formed
Groups of ~4–5 aligned to clusters: People & Poverty · Planet & Climate · Prosperity & Economy · Peace & Institutions · Education & Equality · Water, Energy & Cities

Workshop – Team Charter
Each team completes a 1-page Team Charter: names, time zones, communication norms, strengths, and first SDG hypothesis.

Day 1 Task – Ice-Breaker: ‘My Country Card’
Individual async task due before Day 2: 1 slide — a major SDG challenge in your country, a local initiative addressing it, what you personally bring to the team.

DAY 2 – Mon 15 Jun

Individual Research: SDG Deep Dive – Self-paced async work + 30-min team check-in

Morning – SDG Research Sprint (Individual)
Research team’s SDG using UNDP/UN sources: (a) 3 global data points, (b) 1 successful international project, (c) 1 underserved community gap.

Afternoon – Opportunity Brief (Individual)
Write 1-page brief: Who is most affected? What resources/partners are needed? What does success look like in 5 years? Upload to team folder.

Team Check-In – Country Card Sharing + Direction Setting
Share Country Cards. React and exchange on peers’ work. Identify which 1–2 Opportunity Briefs spark most team energy – sets direction for Day 3.

DAY 3 – Tue 16 Jun

Team Collaboration: Problem Framing Workshop – Team virtual meeting — 90 min + async deliverables by EOD

Meeting – 90-Min Team Session
Debate Opportunity Briefs → choose 1 SDG challenge focus. Problem Tree exercise: root causes → core problem → effects. Brainstorm + dot-vote top 2 ideas.

Deliverable – Team Project Concept Note (1 page max)
SDG focus · problem statement · proposed solution · target community · preliminary success indicators. Upload to shared Drive.

Deliverable – Team Role Allocation
Assign: Team Lead · Researcher · Finance Lead · Communications · M&E Coordinator.

Deliverable – 5-Slide Deck for Day 4 Mentor Review
Slides: Context → Problem → Idea → Team → What We Need to Know. Upload by end of day.

Tools – Miro · Google Slides · Google Docs · Zoom breakout rooms

DAY 4 – Wed 17 Jun

Mentor Review: Live Team Presentations – Live Zoom — 2.5 hours — All teams + Mentor

8 min – Team presents 5-slide Concept Note
Each team presents to mentor + full cohort. 20 minutes per team total.

5 min – Mentor structured questions
Is the problem clearly defined? Is the solution feasible? Are stakeholders & beneficiaries named? Does it connect to SDG targets?

4 min – Peer feedback from other teams
One strength + one question per presenting team.

3 min – Mentor guidance & next steps
Mentor summarises key feedback and priority actions for each team before Geneva.

DAY 5 – Thu 18 Jun

Refine, Develop & Close Remote Week – Async teamwork + optional 30-min team call + personal reflection

Morning – Act on Mentor Feedback
Assign each feedback point to a team member. Update Concept Note to version 2. Deepen research where gaps were flagged. Identify 2 potential stakeholders or partners.

Afternoon – Project Foundations
Create simple Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). Map a high-level project timeline for the Geneva week. Draft 5 project risks + mitigation notes.

Reflection – Personal Reflection — 200 words (Individual)
What did I learn this week? What surprised me about working across cultures? What skill do I want to develop in Geneva?

Deadline – Submit Project Concept Note v2
Deadline: Friday 19 June midnight. Weekend: rest and travel preparation. Participants arrive in Geneva on Sunday 21 June.

WEEK 1 DELIVERABLES SUMMARY

• Day 1: Team Charter (1 page) + My Country Card slide (individual async)
• Day 2: Opportunity Brief (1 page individual) uploaded to shared team folder
• Day 3: Team Project Concept Note v1 + Role Allocation + 5-Slide Deck
• Day 4: Mentor-reviewed presentation — feedback recorded in shared document
• Day 5: Project Concept Note v2 + Work Breakdown Structure + Risk List + Personal
  Reflection

Tools throughout: Zoom (live sessions) · Google Drive (shared workspaces) · Miro (problem tree, ideation) · WhatsApp (daily team communication)

WEEK 2 | 21–27 JUNE 2026 — GENEVA IN-PERSON IMMERSION

The Geneva week follows exactly the itinerary planned for the June 2026 programme. Participants arrive with a completed Team Project Concept Note — meaning they enter Geneva as formed teams with clear project direction, ready to deepen, test, and present their work on the final day.

Legend: UN / Institutional Sessions · Outdoor / City Experience · Farewell Dinner (mandatory, own expense)

DAY 1 – Sunday, 21 June

ARRIVAL

Afternoon – Individual / group arrivals — Geneva Airport or Cornavin train station. Hotel check-in.
7:00 PM – Welcome & orientation meeting — week preview, group introductions, practical briefing
8:00 PM – Welcome dinner at the hotel

DAY 2 – Monday, 22 June

9:00 AM – Breakfast at the hotel
10:30 AM – Visit — International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
12:30 PM – Lunch — McDonald’s near ICRC (central, within CHF 15, vegetarian options)
2:30 PM – Visit — Patek Philippe Museum
5:00 PM – Return to hotel — free time, rest, explore the neighbourhood
8:00 PM – Dinner

DAY 3 – Tuesday, 23 June

Palais des Nations

7:30 AM – Breakfast at the hotel
8:30 AM – Meeting at the Broken Chair – Palais des Nations
9:00 AM – Opening Ceremony
9:30 AM – Keynote: DNA of Multilateral Diplomacy – Ambassador Amr Aljowaily
10:30 AM – Guided Tour of the Palais des Nations
12:30 PM – Lunch at the Palais des Nations Café (within CHF 15 budget)
1:30 PM – UN Office – Session 1: Project Management & Professional Skills for Impact
4:00 PM – Session 2: Negotiation Skills and Techniques
6:00 PM – Return to hotel – free evening
8:00 PM – Dinner

DAY 4 – Wednesday, 24 June

Geneva Outdoor Day

8:30 AM – Breakfast at the hotel
10:00 AM –  Jardin Botanique de Geneve — outdoor walk with coordinator (free entry)
11:30 AM – Lake crossing by Mouette genevoise — Paquis to Eaux-Vives (CHF 3/ride)
12:30 PM – Lunch at Les Bains des Paquis — lakeside (within CHF 15 budget)
2:30 PM – Guided walking tour of Geneva Old Town — Cathedrale Saint-Pierre, Place du Bourg-de-Four, Maison Tavel
4:30 PM – Free time — Rue de Rive, Confederation Centre, Carouge (shops open, summer hours)
7:00 PM – Return to hotel

DAY 5 – Thursday, 25 June

CERN & ILO

8:00 AM – Breakfast at the hotel
9:30 AM – Depart for CERN — Tram 18 from city centre (~25 min)
10:00 AM – CERN Science Gateway Tour & Briefing by CERN Staff
12:30 PM – Lunch — Coop / Migros takeaway or coordinated pre-order (within CHF 15)
2:00 PM – Visit — International Labour Organization (ILO)
4:00 PM – Tech Hub Panel: AI in Diplomacy — Geneva Graduate Institute, Maison de la Paix
6:30 PM – Return to hotel — free evening
8:00 PM – Dinner

DAY 6 – Friday, 26 June

Final Day at Palais des Nations

7:30 AM – Breakfast at the hotel
9:00 AM – Meeting at the Palais des Nations — Pregny Gate
9:30 AM – Session 3: DNA of Multilateral Diplomacy (Part II) — Amb. Amr Aljowaily
10:30 AM – Session 4: Leadership Skills
12:30 PM – Lunch at the Palais des Nations Cafe
1:30 PM – Session 5: Sustainable Development Goals 2030 Simulation Game
4:15 PM – Break
4:30 PM – SDGs Group Project Presentations — All Teams
6:00 PM – Closing Ceremony & UNITAR Certificate Award
6:30 PM – Return to hotel — freshen up, pack
8:00 PM – Farewell dinner / drinks — all together, restaurant TBD (Students pay their own. Mandatory. The last evening belongs to the group.)

DAY 7 – Saturday, 27 June

DEPARTURE

9:00 AM – Breakfast at the hotel
Flexible – Individual check-outs — airport / station transfers as needed
Ongoing – Depart to home country — safe travels!

COORDINATOR’S NOTE

This programme is built on a proven foundation. The remote preparatory week and the Geneva immersion are designed to work as one continuous experience — participants arrive in Geneva not as strangers exploring a brief, but as formed teams who have already researched together, shaped a project identity, and received expert mentor feedback. The Geneva week then does what it does best: it opens doors, deepens thinking, and creates the kind of shared experience that people carry with them long after the certificate is framed.

This programme is delivered and certified by UNITAR. For any questions about the UN credentials, you can write to Mr Mazin Khan at mazin.khan@unitar.org

Organised by: UREKA Education Group — ureka.co.uk
In partnership with: UNITAR — United Nations Institute for Training and Research

TESTIMONIAL VIDEO

Watch what past participants said about the experience — hear it directly from the students who were there:

PHOTOS — IPP APRIL GENEVA WEEK

Browse the full photo gallery from the April 2026 Geneva week — the Palais des Nations, CERN, ILO, ICRC, and the moments in between:

Applications for the June 2026 edition are open on a rolling basis. Places are limited to ~25 participants — early expressions of interest are strongly encouraged.

For more detail contact:
Malak Jaber — Vice President & Principal Coordinator, UREKA Education
E-mail: malak.j@ureka.co.uk

Students joining the UREKA Programmes come from a wide range of leading universities, colleges, and schools across the world. The list below reflects the full breadth of institutions that have participated in UREKA programmes to date — representing a truly global community.