Free and Open Courses (2024)

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In the framework of UNITAR's 60th anniversary, we are launching a global reality check survey to understand your needs and priorities for our future training activities. At UNITAR we are committed to providing quality training, and your opinion is very important for us. We would appreciate if you could take a few minutes to respond to this online survey.

Free and Open Courses for the Public

UNITAR offers courses thatrun throughout the year or several times a year that are free-of-charge and open to the public. For more information aboutcourses offered, please see below.

Integrated Planning for Climate Change and Biodiversity

UNITAR

This self-paced course, jointly delivered by UNITAR andIUCN, promotes a dynamic learning approach through interactive lessons and multimedia contents. Participants will understand the nexus between biodiversity, climate change and land-use plans; discover the rights and roles of different stakeholders in the planning and decision-making process; and consider ways to collaborate across national borders.

The course is organized in four modules: connecting land-use, climate change and biodiversity; inter-sectoral and inter- institutional collaboration; public participation in decision-making; and regional planning for harmonization and connectivity.It can be completed within 4 months after enrolment.

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Syllabus

Human Rights and the Environment

UNITAR

This 3-hour self-paced course provides a general introduction to the relationship between human rights and the environment. Participants will gain basic knowledge for the application of human rights to environmental issues. Procedural and substantive obligations relating to the environment will be reviewed and some good practices presented, such as examples of national constitutions that have incorporated a right to a healthy environment.

All stakeholders interested to learn about the main aspects of the relationship between Human Rights and the Environment can benefit from the knowledge gained through the course. Upon successful completion, participants will receive a joint certificate UNITAR – UN Environment.

This course is a collaborative effort betweenUNITARandUN Environment, which expands the learning portfolio available onInforMEAplatform.

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Introduction to the 2030 Agenda: A New Agenda for a Sustainable World

UNITAR

The MOOC on “Introduction to the 2030 Agenda: A New Agenda for a Sustainable World” is designed to improve general awareness about the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals for policy-makers and the general public, especially youth. Participants can follow the course at their own pace, and can choose to have a certificate provided if they have met the certification requirements.

Mainstreaming the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

The e-tutorial provides an in-depth and wide-ranging guidance on how to mainstream the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development into each national strategies and policies. It is based on the UNDG Reference Guide "Mainstreaming the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development". Case studies introduce innovative examples of how some countries have begun to develop and use relevant tools, and activities offer an opportunity to gain a better understanding and useful skills. Although this training tool has been primarily designed for government officials and development practitioners, it is also publicly available.

E-Tutorial on Global Framework for Climate Services

UNITAR

This online tutorial, developed in collaboration with GFCS Office, illustrates the importance and benefits of climate services for decision-making in several thematic areas. It also presents the Global Framework for Climate Services, its objectives, components and priority areas. The tutorial is designed for national policy-makers, but it is useful also for practitioners and the general public. Materials include video interviews with experts and short self-assessment exercises to test your knowledge.

How to access the e-tutorial

Confronting Trauma - A Primer For Global Action

UNITAR

The overall aim of this module is to introduce the international humanitarian, development and UN communities to the large unmet need for psychological trauma care and therapy. It starts by describing the different types of stress and trauma and the dire consequences these can have. After the description of the magnitude of the problem, the module then presents some recent innovations in the field of psychology that have opened up dramatic new possibilities, which hold the promise of an effective response at scale. Going to scale, in turn, poses new challenges and opportunities to the main stakeholder audiences for this module.

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Strenghtening Civilian Capacities to Protect Civilians

UNITAR

The aim of this advocacy presentation is to raise awareness for and increase understanding of unarmed civilian protection (UCP). It starts by explaining the need for UCP, followed by an introduction to its key principles and methods, and finally describing how it fits into wider protection efforts and global discourses.

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Conflict series - 1. What is a conflict?

UNITAR

The course is a self-guided, self-paced, web-based course that is on-going and can be accessed at any time. The material is presented in an interactive visual and text format with web-based reference resources. Multiple choice quizzes at the end of each lesson serve a dual function of assessing and evaluating the students’ understanding and retention and provide a further didactic function by reviewing the content.

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Conflict series - 2. Conflict analysis

UNITAR

The conflict series is an open, self-paced course meant to provide an introduction to conflict studies and more advanced courses in conflictology. The goal of this chapter is to give the learner a basic understanding of the importance of conflict analysis, and a set of tools and methods to start conducting their own.

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Gender Matters

UNITAR

What is Gender? The term gender has become central in contemporary literature about development, security and conflict. It is often invoked in post-war contexts in relation to the disproportionate and unequal effects of war on men and women. But what do we mean by the term gender, especially when we are referring to individuals and relations at local and global levels? This course offers various lenses through which you can look at the complex concept of gender and the inequalities that exist in your environment.

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UN CC:Learn Introductory e-Learning Course on Climate Change

UN CC:Learn

This course provides “everything you need to know” about the basics of climate change, from climate change science to governance.

It contains 6 modules with each module taking about 2 hours to complete. You will need to pass a short quiz after each module to receive your certificate from UNITAR.The course is available in four languages: English, French, Spanish and Chinese.

Please register directly on the course website:http://unccelearn.org/

Milestones in UN Peacekeeping

UNITAR

This course offers an overview of the history of UN peacekeeping from the founding of the United Nations in 1945 up to present day and presents current trends in peacekeeping that may shape the future. The goal of this course is to provide a panoramic overview of the pivotal events in the history of UN peacekeeping that have shaped its present form.

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Introduction to environment, natural resources and UN peacekeeping operations

UNITAR

With a view to avoid and minimize the environmental impacts of peacekeeping missions, DPKO and the Department of Field Support (DFS) adopted an Environmental Policy for UN Field Missions in June 2009.The goal of the module is to increase general awareness of key environmental and natural resource concepts to all peacekeeping staff.This training course focuses on the environment and natural resource management in a post-conflict context. It is a general awareness training that targets all military, civilian and police personnel and should be completed either pre-deployment or once in-mission.

Environment, natural resources and UN peacekeeping operations: Restoring Governance of Natural Resources

UN Photo

Over 20% of the world’s population currently lives in conflict affected areas and fragile states. In many of these places, natural resources and their governance play a key negative role in both the conflict and the fragility. In fact, since 1990 at least 18 violent conflicts have been fuelled by the exploitation of natural resources.The main objective of this training program is to raise awareness about the links between natural resources, conflict, peacekeeping and peacebuilding among relevant peacekeeping staff and those working on planning, drafting and monitoring of implementation of peacekeeping mandates.

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Introduction to security sector reform

UN Photo

Security sector reform (SSR) is a nationally-owned process aimed at ensuring that security and justice providers are accountable to the state and its people; deliver effective, efficient and affordable security and justice services that meet the people’s needs; operate within a framework of good governance, rule of law, and respect for human rights; and are legitimate. The goal of the course is to offer an overview of the concept of SSR, highlight the key SSR actors and their roles and outline the implementation of SSRprogrammes.

Introduction à la réforme du secteur de la sécurité [PTP.2019.10E]

REDD+ Academy e-Course

UN CC:Learn

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) is an initiative aimed at creating a financial value for the carbon stored in forests; offering incentives for developing countries to reduce emissions from forested lands and invest in low-carbon paths to sustainable development. As a part of the REDD+ academy, this e-course provides a State of the Art overview of REDD+ planning and implementation, developed by some of the world’s leading REDD+ experts. The course contains 12 modules with each module taking about 2 hours to complete. You will need to pass a short quiz after each module to receive your certificate from UN-REDD and UNITAR.

Please register directly on the course website:http://unccelearn.org/

Children and Climate Change

UN CC:Learen

This course presents how children and youth can be impacted by climate change, how their resilience to climate change can be strengthened, and how they can act on climate change. It contains one module which takes around 2 hours to complete. You need to pass a short quiz to receive your certificate from UNICEF and UNITAR. The course is available in English, French and Spanish.

Please register directly on the course website:http://unccelearn.org/

Cities and Climate Change

UN CC:Learn

This course focuses on climate change in urban areas, covering how cities are affected by climate change, how they contribute to it, as well as how they plan for it.It contains one module which takes around 2 hours to complete. You will need to pass a short quiz after each module to receive your certificate from UN-Habitat and UNITAR. The course is available in English, French and Spanish.

Please register directly on the course website:http://unccelearn.org/

Human Health and Climate Change

UN CC:Learn

This course provides an introduction to the health challenges, as well as the opportunities, that can by associated to climate change.It contains one module which takes around 2 hours to complete. You will need to pass a short quiz after each module to receive your certificate from WHO and UNITAR. The course is available in English, French and Spanish.

Please register directly on the course website:http://unccelearn.org/

e-Tutorial on Climate Information and Services

UN CC:Learn

This tutorial introduces climate information and services and their application in decision-making. It specifically aims tobuild capacities of African decision-makers. The tutorial is divided into three sections, and it will take around 30 minutes to complete all sections.

Please register directly on the course website:http://unccelearn.org/

e-Tutorial on Climate Policy and Public Finance

UN CC:Learn

This tutorial aims to build understanding of the links between climate policy and public finance by using examples from Asia-Pacific region. The tutorial is divided into five sections, and it will take around 30 minutes to complete all sections. The course is available in English, Khmer and Thai.

Please register directly on the course website:http://unccelearn.org/

e-Tutorial on Climate Responsive Budgeting

UN CC:Learn

This tutorial introduces how governments can respond to the climate change challenge through better budgeting, which integrates climate change risks and opportunities into budget preparation. The tutorial will take around 30 minutes to complete. The course is available in English and Khmer.

Please register directly on the course website:http://unccelearn.org/

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Free and Open Courses (2024)

FAQs

Can I do an open university course for free? ›

OpenLearn is The Open University's home for learning online; all the courses are free and there are no entry requirements or start and end dates.

What is the best website for free courses? ›

Top 7 Free Online Course Providers
  • EdX – Best Overall.
  • Coursera – Best Language Variety.
  • FutureLearn – Best for STEM Courses.
  • Codecademy – Best for Coding Courses.
  • Udacity – Best for IT Courses.
  • Memrise – Best for Foreign Language Courses.
  • Udemy – Best for Business Courses.
Nov 10, 2022

Are Open University free courses worth it? ›

Our courses have been proven to increase confidence and develop the skills needed to enter Higher Education and succeed with learning. You can choose an OpenLearn course from a wide range of subjects. Some are based on Open University course materials.

Are open courses free? ›

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are free online courses available for anyone to enroll. MOOCs provide an affordable and flexible way to learn new skills, advance your career and deliver quality educational experiences at scale.

What are free online university courses called? ›

Many free online classes are known as massive open online courses (MOOCs). MOOCs allow hundreds or thousands of learners to take a single course, usually for free or at low cost. Because of their affordability and lack of formal entrance requirements, MOOCs offer an accessible, low-risk way to learn.

Is it worth doing an open university course? ›

If you want to study over a few years or study while living at home then enrolling in a course from the Open University is a great choice. If you prefer to stay at university and learn face to face then a traditional university is also a great choice to improve your career prospects.

Can you put free online courses on your resume? ›

Online courses can be listed in your education, certifications, projects, or other section — more on that below. List the name of the course. Include the name of the provider. Specify the date you completed the qualification.

Is Coursera not free anymore? ›

While Coursera offers numerous paid courses and specializations, it also provides a multitude of free courses for those who wish to enhance their knowledge without incurring any cost.

Which online certification is most recognized? ›

Which online certification is most valued?
  • Cybersecurity Courses.
  • Data Science And Big Data.
  • Artificial Intelligence And Machine Learning.
  • Digital Marketing.
  • Web Design Certificate Programs.
  • Google Analytics Certifications.
  • Coding Languages And Computer Science Online Certificate Programs.
  • Aws Certifications.

What are the disadvantages of open university? ›

Open university education may lack the extracurricular activities and social engagement that traditional on-campus institutions offer. Students may miss out on clubs, sports, cultural events, and networking opportunities typically available in a physical campus environment.

What is the age limit for open university? ›

Visit the New to the OU website to read how with most courses there are no previous qualifications required to study, you have to be aged 16 or over when your course starts but there is no upper age limit.

What open university courses are available? ›

  • Careers.
  • Accountancy.
  • IT and computing.
  • Management.
  • Mental health.
  • Social work.
  • Teaching.
  • Working with children.

Is Harvard really offering free online courses? ›

TL;DR: A wide range of online courses from Harvard University are available to take for free on edX. You can find free online courses in a few spots online, but for courses from some of the top educational institutions in the world, edX is tough to beat.

Can I get Harvard certificate for free? ›

Harvard OCW, which is Harvard's open online course platform. On Harvard OCW, CS50 includes a free certificate of completion, like the one below. Note that the course content is exactly same as on edX, including all the assignments. The only difference is that the free certificate doesn't involve ID verification.

Does Yale offer any free online courses? ›

Free and for-credit Yale courses covering topics from game theory to modern poetry are available to undergraduates, graduate students, and the general public.

Can I do an Open University course without qualifications? ›

You're in control of your starting point

Most of our courses have no formal entry requirements and our students come from a diverse range of educational backgrounds. So, we offer a choice of starting points depending on how confident you are in your study skills.

Can you start an Open University course at any time? ›

When can I start my studies? Once you've registered on your qualification, you'll choose your first module. Your module will most likely start in October, but some do have February and April start dates as well. Be sure to enrol on your module before the cut-off date to secure your place.

Can anyone do a degree at Open University? ›

Are there any entry requirements? Most of our courses don't have entry requirements, but there are some things you need to think about to be successful in your study.

Can anyone do an Open University degree? ›

There are no formal entry requirements for most of our courses. Any additional requirements will be detailed in the qualification page for the course.

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