UN Interviews

Episode

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  Global collaboration key to safeguard Holocaust memory in the digital age 07.02.2026 15mnt

  As Holocaust remembrance increasingly moves into digital spaces shaped by artificial intelligence, virtual worlds and interactive media, experts are calling for stronger global coordination to ensure ethical, sustainable and responsible memory work.Speaking at UN Headquarters around International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Professor Victoria Grace Richardson-Walden stressed that no single institution or sector can address these challenges alone. Policymakers, technology companies, museums, educators, researchers and digital creators must work together, she said, to avoid fragmented efforts that waste resources and risk losing vital historical material as technologies rapidly evolve.UN News’s Ana Carmo started by asking her why global collaboration is key for shaping the future of Holocaust memory in digital spaces. 
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  The first 48 hours: how the UN mobilises when disaster strikes 19.08.2026 7mnt

  When a major disaster strikes, the first hours are critical. Within 48 hours of receiving a formal request from an affected country, the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) system can deploy a team of experts to support national emergency response.  The teams, managed and trained by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), bring together specialists from different countries and organisations, based on the specific needs identified on the ground. Sérgio da Silva, leader of the UNDAC team, explained to UN News’s Felipe de Carvalho how this global network is mobilised in the immediate aftermath of earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and other environmental or man-made disasters.
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  Repurposing fashion in the name of world peace 14.08.2026 4mnt

  Can fashion help bring people together as well as set trends and mould culture worldwide? Fashion designer and environmentalist Runa Ray believes it can. Her exhibition Repurposing Fashion: Reimagining Peace, now open at UN Headquarters in New York, transforms discarded textiles into works of art carrying messages of peace from 30 countries. Speaking to UN News' Cristina Silveiro, she explains why she believes "fashion has a greater purpose" than glamour alone
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  Ebola response must be ‘faster, longer and more’: Senior WHO official 13.08.2026 6mnt

  Scaling up Ebola response in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo must include measures such as increased surveillance, more transport options to bring patients to treatment centres and greater engagement with the public. That’s the message from Dr. Anne Ancia, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Representative in the country, speaking from Bunia – the epicentre of the crisis. She told UN News’s Eleuterio Guevane that communities are also asking for the international community to address other health pressing concerns in a region where women still die in childbirth and people are facing famine-like conditions. She began by outlining the immense needs, and the vast amount of work that still needs to be done. 
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  UN moves to support Colombia's earthquake response 10.08.2026 4mnt

  Colombia's search and rescue operations continue after Monday's magnitude 7.4 earthquake, which has killed at least 111 people. The United Nations is now assessing where its presence and resources can be most useful.UN Resident Coordinator in Colombia María José Torres Macho said the Government has already reached out to the UN, and the Organization has teams on the ground in some of the hardest-hit areas – with potential support ahead in food security, health, water and sanitation, and protection.She said UN teams are also beginning to look past the emergency, toward recovery and reconstruction.Laura Quiñones spoke with her about the situation and what comes next.
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  ‘We can’t stop operating,’ says top UN peacekeeper on Ebola frontline 04.08.2026 4mnt

  With the worst Ebola outbreak in the history of DR Congo still raging, UN peacekeepers must continue to protect civilians from both the virus and violence at the hands of multiple armed groups operating in the region, the Force Commander there has told UN News.MONUSCO's General Ulisses de Mesquita Gomes said 'blue helmets' had increased their presence to ensure civilians are fully protected, while troops were working with local authorities and the World Health Organization to ensure there is enough security amid the outbreak.He told Eleuterio Guevane troops were playing other key roles including conducting vital community awareness campaigns and establishing rapid mobile operating bases to protect treatment centres.
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  ‘Judicial work affects every element in our societies’ 24.07.2026 12mnt

  Every day, judges make decisions that change lives forever. They do so while reckoning with some of the worst of human nature, overwhelming workloads and constant public scrutiny - pressures that can ultimately affect the quality of justice they deliver.The Honorable Rangajeeva Wimalasena, Judge of the National and Supreme Courts of Papua New Guinea, told UN News that judicial well-being is not simply about providing support for the profession, it's also about safeguarding the integrity of courts and ensuring fair, impartial justice for all.He spoke to Jolina Dong – who last year saw the law in action up close after interning at the US Supreme Court – just ahead of the International Day of Judicial Well-being on 25 July.
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  UN Humanitarian Air Service delivers aid - and hope - to those who need it most 24.07.2026 9mnt

  Operating in some of the world’s worst humanitarian hotspots, the World Food Programme’s (WFP) aviation service is the backbone of emergency relief efforts and a lifeline for isolated communities.From war-torn Sudan to Ebola-affected eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and beyond, millions of civilians rely on aid to survive.  In turn, more than 680 humanitarian organizations worldwide count on the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) to reach populations cut off by conflict, disease or natural disaster.Hedley Tah, UNHAS Head of External Relations, spoke to UN News’s Nathalie Minard about the critical role the service plays. 
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  ‘De-escalation’ of conflict needed before ships can pass through Strait of Hormuz 22.07.2026 6mnt

  Little progress has been made for the future management of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which an estimated 20 per cent of the world’s oils and gas supplies pass and which is now effectively closed as Iran and the United States continue to ratchet up strikes and counterstrikes.That’s according to the head of the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO), Arsenio Dominguez, who told UN News that some 6,000 seafarers are still trapped on around 500 ships, in the Persian Gulf behind the strait.IMO is advising shipping not to attempt the passage until the conflict has been resolved.Daniel Dickinson spoke to Mr. Dominguez about what options are available to reopen the waterway but began by asking him for an update on the current situation in the gulf.
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  Studying at the UN to fight climate change at home 22.07.2026 7mnt

  For Elisha Acheampong Darko, the climate crisis is personal.Since losing his friend to a flood in Ghana, which he attributes partially to climate change, Mr. Darko has worked to empower young people to fight for climate justice.As an undergraduate student at the University of Education, Winneba, in Ghana, Mr. Darko founded Join Me Today, a youth-led organization dedicated to protecting the environment from pollution and climate-related hazards.UN News’ Isaiah Steinberg asked him how a degree from the UN University fits into his journey in climate research and civil society.
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  ‘Critical minerals boom must protect Indigenous Peoples’ rights’ 22.07.2026 5mnt

  As demand continues to grow for the critical minerals that power our mobile phones, electric cars and more, who’s looking out for the mainly indigenous peoples whose territories contain the vast majority of these natural riches?Tackling the issue from a human rights angle is UN Human Rights Council-appointed independent rights expert on climate change, Eliza Morgera, who’s been talking to UN News’s Daniel Johnson on the same day as the Security Council meets to discuss how to ensure that critical minerals extraction promotes peace and development, rather than conflict. 
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  Helping South Sudan’s child soldiers to rebuild their lives 16.07.2026 5mnt

  Too often, children are casualties of war. Sometimes, they’re even forced to fight. That’s the case in South Sudan, where UNICEF – the UN Children’s Fund, together with the UN mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) – work with the Government to support the release and reintegration of underage fighters.Daniel Johnson spoke to the agency’s South Sudan Chief of Child Protection, Brendan Ross, from the capital Juba.
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  UNDP creates AI platform to support local businesses in Zanzibar 13.07.2026 8mnt

  On the Tanzanian archipelago of Zanzibar, the Government and local businesses faced a challenge: they relied on surveys conducted only once per year, making it difficult to quickly respond to travelers’ needs.Following conversations with the Tanzanian government on how to advance development and grow the tourism industry, the UN Development Programme, or UNDP, created a platform called Jozani AI – named after a national forest in Zanzibar – to empower the local government and local businesses to make more informed decisions.That’s just one example of how, even as the UN works to create a global governance framework for artificial intelligence, it is also using the technology to address global challenges and improve people’s lives.The UNDP’s Deputy Resident Representative in Tanzania is John Rutere.UN News’ Isaiah Steinberg asked him how Jozani AI is helping people in Tanzania.
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  Haiti: Violence surge may signal gangs bracing for tougher security operations 10.07.2026 8mnt

  An upsurge in violence in Haiti could be in anticipation of more “assertive operations” by the recently formed UN-backed Gang Suppression Force as rival gangs in the beleaguered Caribbean Island nation fight for control of territory and resources.Gangs control the vast majority of the capital Port-au-Prince, and terrorize the population with murder, rape and kidnapping for ransom.Some 1.5 million Haitians have been driven from their homes by the gangs.The UN Designated Expert on Human Rights in Haiti, William O’Neill, is a frequent visitor to the country.UN News’s Daniel Dickinson asked him what is driving the increase in violence. 
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  Stronger maternal health systems, key to ending obstetric fistula 08.07.2026 9mnt

  Professor Serigne Gueye, a Senegalese urologist and world expert on obstetric fistula, has spent decades helping women recover from one of the most devastating – yet preventable – childbirth injuries. Honoured with this year’s UN Population Award, he has treated patients across Africa, trained surgeons from more than 45 countries and championed access to quality maternal services.In an interview with UN News’s Ana Carmo, Professor Gueye said eliminating obstetric fistula depends on stronger maternal health systems and universal access to emergency obstetric care.
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  ‘Everybody has a role to play’ in AI governance, UN expert says 06.07.2026 10mnt

  As governments, industry leaders and researchers gather in Geneva on Monday for the first Global Dialogue on AI Governance and the AI for Good Summit, a UN expert says managing artificial intelligence responsibly will require action from everyone, not just policymakers.Professor Kaveh Madani, Director of the UN University’s Institute for Water, Environment and Health, told UN News’s Nathalie Minard that governments, technology companies and users all have a role to play in reducing AI's growing environmental footprint – and ensuring the benefits outweigh costs.
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  In Ukraine, ‘the battlespace has become a lot deeper, a lot wider and a lot more lethal’ 03.07.2026 17mnt

  As drones, artificial intelligence and new weapons transform modern warfare, Ukraine has become one of the world's most mine-contaminated countries, creating new dangers for civilians while threatening global food security and recovery. In an interview with UN News, Paul Heslop, Senior Mine Action Adviser for the UN Mine Action Service in Ukraine, explains how drones have fundamentally changed the battlefield, making conflicts more lethal and leaving behind increasingly complex explosive hazards. Speaking to Jolina Dong, Mr. Heslop discussed how Ukrainian deminers are adapting to these new threats, why clearing contaminated land is essential for rebuilding – and how innovation in Ukraine could transform humanitarian mine action worldwide.
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  Ukraine: ‘Another night of horror for families’, UNICEF says 02.07.2026 9mnt

  A night of heavy strikes across Kyiv has left children and families facing widespread destruction, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Ukraine.At least 20 people are now reported to have been killed in the Kyiv attacks. UNICEF is also deeply saddened by reports of a seven-year-old girl killed in the Dnipro region on Thursday.Speaking to UN News’s Evgeniya Kleshcheva after visiting some of the affected sites, UNICEF Chief of Communications and Advocacy Toby Fricker described the severe damage he’d witnessed to residential buildings and a nearby kindergarten.
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  Synthetic street drugs ‘becoming more diverse but also more dangerous’ 29.06.2026 16mnt

  As synthetic drugs spread into new markets and traffickers develop increasingly potent substances, the global drug landscape is becoming more complex, unpredictable and dangerous, the 2026 World Drug Report reveals.In an exclusive interview with UN News, Chloé Carpentier, lead researcher on the report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), warned that powerful new synthetic opioids, persistent gaps in access to treatment and the growing links between conflict and drug trafficking are reshaping the global drug crisis.Speaking to Jolina Dong, Ms. Carpentier explained why adolescents, women and people living in humanitarian settings face some of the greatest risks, and why stronger international cooperation is essential to keeping pace with a changing global drug market.
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  Venezuela: Humanitarian needs will continue long after rescue efforts, says OCHA 29.06.2026 6mnt

  Five days after two deadly earthquakes struck north-central Venezuela, the UN says the emergency is far from over. With search-and-rescue operations continuing, Vanessa May, Head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the stricken South American nation, told UN News’s Victoria Fernandez that families who have lost their homes and loved ones will need sustained support, including psychosocial care alongside food, water and shelter. She stressed that recovery and reconstruction “will take time”, as the UN and its partners prepare for the next phase of the humanitarian response.