Interviews

Small island States are among the most vulnerable communities facing rising sea levels and marine degradation – but this invaluable firsthand experience puts them in a powerful leadership position to shape inclusive, effective ocean policies.Safiya Sawney, Grenada's Special Envoy and Ambassador for Climate, has been at this week's UN Ocean Conference in Nice and told UN News that “a big part of our heritage, of our culture, of our economy is derived from the ocean.”Describing the small island nations as “large ocean nations,” she outlined to Heyi Zou some of the pressing challenges ahead as global warming continues.

Persons with disabilities living in institutions face a heightened risk of being trafficked as their reliance on others for daily support can be manipulated; that's according to an expert in disability rights speaking at the United Nations.Eric Rosenthal leads Disability Rights International. He told a side event at COSP, the UN's largest annual meeting focusing on issues that persons living with disabilities face, that people isolated from their families are easier targets for exploitation.  The number of trafficking victims of all types has seen a troubling rise since the COVID-19 pandemic, with a 25 per cent increase in global detections between 2019 and 2022.UN News' Anna O'Donnell sat down with Mr. Rosenthal and began by asking him to explain why people with disabilities are being trafficked. 

Since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, 1.9 million Syrian refugees have headed home to Syria. After 14 years of civil war, much of the country is in ruins, while over 90 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line.Yet, Syrian refugees are not losing hope: UN refugee agency, UNHCR, has found that more than 80 per cent of the diaspora hope to return one day, a major shift compared to surveys conducted before the fall of the old regime.  There are more than six million Syrian refugees, and over seven million are internally displaced. UNHCR is committed to helping all those who want to return home.UN News' Emma Trager-Lewis spoke to agency spokesperson in Syria Céline Schmitt, who's just returned from a field visit to Dara'a, birthplace of the Syrian revolution in 2011. 

Ensuring that parents have opportunities for “decent work” is essential to reducing the number of young people, currently estimated to be 138 million globally, who are engaged in child labour, according to the UN.The internationally-agreed goal was to end child labour by 2025 and while the number has decreased by 12 million since 2020, millions of children are still working in dangerous or unregulated work places and are being denied the right to an education and a safer, more secure future.The Child Labour report released by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) highlights the trends in jobs involving young people and suggests how the practice can be brought to an end completely.UN News' Naima Sawaya sat down with Benjamin Smith, an expert at the ILO and began by asking him to explain what constitutes child labour. 

Ocean phytoplankton may be tiny, but their impact on the planet is enormous.These microscopic organisms form the foundation of marine food chains and play a vital role in carbon sequestration and climate regulation.At the UN Ocean Conference taking place on the French Riviera, UN News's Fabrice Robinet spoke to Alexandra Worden, a Boston native and plankton specialist at the world-renowned Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, who is working at the intersection of science, technology, and policy to better understand how nature-based solutions can support climate action.  

In response to rising anti-Muslim hate, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution last year. Among other measures, it called for the appointment of a Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia.Miguel Ángel Moratinos, High Representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) – which promotes intercultural and interfaith dialogue – will be stepping in to the role.He spoke to UN News's Abdelmonem Makki about the importance of addressing Islamophobia worldwide, including by promoting better understanding of Islam as well as legal reforms. 

Ukraine's Kakhovka Dam was destroyed exactly two years ago on Friday, representing the most significant environmental disaster so far resulting from Russia's ongoing invasion. Its collapse directly impacted over 100,000 people and submerged more than 620 square kilometres under water.In addition to causing widespread displacement, the disaster created a humanitarian and ecological crisis – threatening disease outbreaks and prompting the collapse of ecosystems. The loss and damage from this event is estimated to be $14 billion. UN News' Evgeniya Kleshcheva sat down this week with Roman Shakhmatenko, a team leader with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine, to discuss the “far-reaching” consequences of the collapse. 

Nobel Peace Prize nominee and Palestinian photojournalist Motaz Azaiza grew up wanting to be a travel reporter; instead, he became a war correspondent in Gaza.His images gained worldwide attention soon after war broke out in the enclave, following the Hamas-led terror attacks in Israel in October 2023.Today, Mr. Azaiza lives outside Gaza. But he continues to campaign for the people of Gaza who like him have experienced airstrikes, hunger and the breakdown of society under prolonged starvation and theft driven by desperation.In an interview with UN News's Nancy Sarkis, Mr. Azaiza says that the memory that haunts him the most from the war is of mothers searching for their children's bodies that had vanished in missile strikes.Those women “could not even weep on their children's bodies” he says. 

In recent years, development efforts have been set back by long-standing obstacles made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing conflicts, climate change, rising debt, lack of digital access and growing inequalities.Dima Al-Khatib, Director of the UN Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) says there's an urgent need to accelerate progress towards the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals – only 17 per cent of which are on track.In pursuit of that, more than 120 Member States gathered this week at UN headquarters in New York to discuss how South-South and triangular partnerships can boost future sustainable development for all.UN News's Emma Trager-Lewis sat down with Ms. Al-Khatib and began by asking her to explain what South-South collaboration means in practice. 

"I saw people coming from different parts of the world just to help bring peace in my country,” said Chief Superintendent Zainab Gbla, speaking to UN News just ahead of receiving her award this week for UN Woman Police Officer of the Year.She's been serving in Abyei, a disputed oil-rich region straddling Sudan and South Sudan, since April 2023, as the Chief Police Training Officer for the interim security force there, UNISFA.Ms. Gbla's award recognises her innovative community engagement initiatives which have strengthened relations between host communities and the UN mission.UN News' Emma Trager-Lewis sat down with her ahead of the award ceremony and started by asking what drew her to serve as a ‘blue helmet'.

Squadron Leader Sharon Mwinsote Syme of Ghana is this year's UN Military Gender Advocate award winner for her work boosting gender equality while serving with the UN peacekeeping mission in the disputed Abyei region (UNISFA) between neighbouring Sudan and South Sudan.  She trained over 1,500 UNISFA personnel on gender-responsive peacekeeping in addition to working closely with local communities, including coordinating a highly effective health campaign to counter child marriage and female genital mutilation.  UN News' Naima Sawaya sat down with Squadron Leader Syme ahead of Thursday's award presentation. 

Until this week, no commercial or humanitarian supplies had been allowed into Gaza since 2 March, deepening an already catastrophic hunger crisis and sparking widespread condemnation from the international community.Supplies from only 115 out of 400 trucks have been cleared for collection and distribution in recent days, which UN humanitarians have been describing as a ‘drop in the ocean' of need.Speaking to UN News's Ezzat El-Ferri, Olga Cherevko, a spokesperson for aid coordination office OCHA said that “people are dying and are left without aid”.

Russia's continuing full-scale invasion of Ukraine continues to devastate civilian lives and infrastructure, causing large-scale displacement and destruction.With attacks in the eastern, southern and northeastern frontline regions intensifying, April saw the highest number of civilians killed in Ukraine since last September.As the UN marks Protection of Civilians Week, UN News's Nargiz Shekinskuya spoke to Andrea De Dominico, head of the UN aid coordination office (OCHA) in Ukraine and began by asking him what the biggest concerns are.

In a historic milestone for global public health, Member States of the World Health Organization on Tuesday adopted the Pandemic Agreement – an accord aimed at preventing future devastating outbreaks.Negotiations began in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, and after just three and a half years – a relatively short timeline for crafting complex international treaties – the world today is more prepared than it was before the coronavirus struck.At the heart of the process is Precious Matsoso, co-chair of the intergovernmental negotiating body that steered the talks to the finish line.She told UN News' Vibhu Mishra shortly after the agreement was adopted that it was a ground-breaking moment in public health. Related story: Nations adopt historic pledge to guard against future pandemics

With so many wars and emergencies happening at once, it can be easy for other fundamental issues to go unnoticed, such as the safety of journalists.Nonetheless, it is a time of great danger for reporters who cover these important stories – like Christina Assi, a Lebanese photojournalist who was seriously injured in a double missile strike in the recent fighting between Hezbollah and Israel.Despite her injuries, Ms. Assi carried the Olympic torch in France ahead of the Olympic Games.It was a powerful symbol of resilience to many but for her, things haven't been easy at all. “I believe in nothing right now… Our Press vests are turning us into targets and it's becoming a death sentence for us,” she told UN News's Nancy Sarkis.

Autonomous weapon systems, which require no human input to select and apply force, are developing rapidly and pose a threat to existing humanitarian, ethical, human rights and security norms.At the end of two days of informal consultations in New York this week – as negotiations continues towards a legal framework which will regulate and ban such systems – UN News's Naima Sawaya spoke to Nicole van Rooijen, executive director of the civil society coalition, Stop Killer Robots. Naima began by asking Ms Rooijen to describe her organization.

There are now more than 122 million people worldwide, forcibly displaced from their homes. While trauma, depression and anxiety are prevalent says the UN World Health Organization (WHO), many refugees and migrants struggle to access mental health services.Jîn Dawod is an entrepreneur from Syria who fled to Türkiye to escape the brutal war. Suffering post-traumatic stress disorder herself, she created Peace Therapist, a pioneering social technology initiative dedicated to providing online mental health services to vulnerable populations – free of charge. UN News's Emma Trager-Lewis caught up with her after she took part in the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation this week in New York.Emma began by asking Ms. Dawod when she first came up with her game-changing idea.  

The digital revolution has created unprecedented opportunities for children and young people across the globe to communicate, learn, and socialise.However, browsing the internet as artificial intelligence gathers pace, also presents dangers – from sexual abuse to cyberbullying – highlighting the need for smarter and more effective regulation to keep youngsters safe.As the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) holds its annual forum on Science, Technology and Innovation, UN News's Emma Trager-Lewis spoke to Baroness Kidron, Founder of 5Rights, a UK-based organization dedicated to children's rights in the digital world.Emma began by asking the former film director and producer, who addressed Tuesday's session on harnessing AI for sustainable development, why she first got involved in campaigning for digital rights.

Tens of thousands of people went missing under the Assad dictatorship in Syria during more than five decades of systematic repression and forced disappearances.In response, the UN General Assembly established the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic (IIMP) in 2023 to help account for them all.The investigative body aims to provide long-awaited truth and closure for Syrian families.Speaking to UN News's Abdelmonem Makki following their recent assessment mission to Syria, IIMP head Karla Quintana said that “everyone knows someone who is missing”.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic – which disrupted immunisation efforts around the world – data from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows Ukraine made remarkable progress restoring its inoculation programmes. However, the full-scale Russian invasion of February 2022 has wreaked havoc with the country's health infrastructure, displaced millions, and led to outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases like measles and pertussis.In an interview with UN News's Evgeniya Kleshcheva, the national official who oversees immunisation at the WHO Country Office in Ukraine, Yevgenii Grechukha, outlines the severe impact of the war, highlights the fight against vaccine misinformation, and how the UN agency's been working to improve access for those displaced.

UN Humanitarian Affairs chief Tom Fletcher has been forced to make “brutal cuts” to his organization, as major donors in the rich world slash their aid and international development spending.UN News's Conor Lennon spoke to him on Thursday via video-link from the UN offices in the Afghan capital Kabul, at the end of a three week visit to some of the most vulnerable communities in the country, where he has witnessed first-hand the deadly consequences of the dramatic aid slowdown.Mr. Fletcher has publicly challenged policymakers who signed off on cuts to come to Afghanistan to see the effect they're having on the population, saying that “the effect of aid cuts, is that millions die”.Conor began by asking if he uses the same blunt language with senior politicians in private.

The Māori women and girls of New Zealand who have survived sexual violence face a double trauma when accessing care, according to Māori activists.Worldwide, nearly one in three women will experience gender-based violence, a statistic that is even higher amongst Indigenous women and girls, especially in the Māori community.Due to the stigma surrounding sexual violence, and the lack of cultural awareness in the healthcare system, Māori women and girls rarely report instances of sexual violence.During the 24th session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, currently being held at the UN Headquarters in New York, UN News's Emma Trager-Lewis sat down with Kerri Nuku, Director of the New Zealand Nurses's Organisation; and Tracey Morgan, Chair of the College of Primary HealthCare Nurses in New Zealand.Both women are Māori activists participating in the forum and began by introducing themselves in both Māori and English. 

Since arriving in Libya two months ago, UN Special Representative Hannah Tetteh has been engaging with key political figures to address the complex challenges facing the country as it struggles to recover from years of civil strife and multiple crises.While there is general agreement on the need for elections, Ms. Tetteh has told UN News that consensus on moving forward remains elusive – emphasizing the importance of strengthening democracy through a Government which has a genuine mandate from the people.Reem Abaza began by asking Ms. Tetteh for her key takeaways so far as the top UN official in Libya.

The people of Sudan are facing “endemic trauma” as the African country marks two years of a civil war, according to a documentary photographer working for the United Nations.Violence has escalated in recent weeks and now the UN estimates that over 30 million people require humanitarian assistance.Famine is devastating five regions and up to 12 million people have fled their homes.Photographer Giles Clarke is a frequent visitor to Sudan.Daniel Dickinson asked him to describe the situation on the ground during his latest visit.

The recent escalation of violence between Lebanon and Israel has left widespread devastation, and many unexploded weapons in residential and agricultural areas.These hidden threats - remnants of both past and ongoing hostilities - have once again become a significant concern for civilians living in border areas.Stephen Robinson, Mine Action Senior Policy Adviser at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) spoke to UN News's Nancy Sarkis about the urgent need for mine action in Lebanon.

The situation in South Sudan remains precarious, with the threat of renewed civil war looming large.A growing concern, according to Lieutenant General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), is the dangerous spread of misinformation, disinformation and hate speech, which continue to fuel instability in an already fragile environment.He warned that even a single fake message shared on platforms like WhatsApp can trigger chaos, undermine peace efforts and deepen tensions between communities.General Subramanian spoke to UN News's Sachin Gaur and started by telling him about the key challenges the UN peacekeeping mission is facing in its efforts to maintain security. 

After a deadly Russian strike on Sumy, Ukraine, on Sunday — which killed at least 34 people, including two children, and injured over 100 — the UN Children's Fund, UNICEF, has renewed its call for an end to the war.Jinan Ramadan, Chief of UNICEF's Field Office in Kharkiv, has just returned from a mission to assess the situation in Sumy.Her office, which also coordinates humanitarian aid for the region, visited the local children's hospital where many young victims are being treated.In an interview with UN News's Evgeniya Kleshcheva, Ms. Ramadan shared powerful accounts of the suffering she witnessed — from traumatized families to injured children — and highlighted the critical support UNICEF is providing in the wake of the tragedy. 

Myanmar's earthquake catastrophe is now known to have killed more than 3,600 people and injured more than 5,000.The toll is still rising, says the UN Children's Fund, UNICEF, which is on the ground providing vital assistance to the most vulnerable individuals who've lost everything. UN News's Daniel Johnson has been speaking to the UN agency's Chief of Social Policy, Bjorn Gelders. He says that about 6.3 million people need help urgently - before the monsoon rains come – and for a long time afterwards, too. 

As the war in Sudan nears its third devastating year the situation for children has reached a critical point, with an estimated 825,000 children trapped in and around the besieged Darfuri city of Al-Fasher alone, according to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).The ongoing conflict between rival militaries continues to displace thousands, while the collapse of essential services has left children vulnerable to death, disease, and malnutrition.Speaking to UN News's Abdelmonem Makki from Port Sudan, Eva Hinds, advocacy and communications chief for UNICEF Sudan, delivered a stark assessment of the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding.

As the war in Sudan enters a third year, the UN and partners continue to use every possible means to distribute lifesaving food, medicines and other supplies to millions across the country. That's the message from the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami. She told UN News's Dianne Penn that amid cuts to aid budgets worldwide this year, the international community must not forget about Sudan. Ms. Nkweta-Salami began by outlining the immense needs. 

Nearly two years after the beginning of the Sudanese civil war, displaced populations returning to urban areas are facing the remnants of heavy fighting: unexploded ordnance.The UN demining body (UNMAS) is warning of the risks faced by displaced people returning to areas contaminated by mines and other ordnance, which can explode with the lightest touch.Active in Sudan since 2002, UNMAS has been severely impacted by both the war and a lack of funding.Sidiq Rashid, Head of UNMAS in Sudan told UN News's Abdelmonem Makki that the country currently faces the largest displacement crisis in the world, and everyone, from the warring parties to aid workers and the international community, needs to work together to integrate mine action into humanitarian, early recovery, and reconstruction work. Abdelmonem started by asking Mr. Rashid to describe the effect that unexploded munitions are having on the civilian population. 

The head of the UN trade agency (UNCTAD), Rebeca Grynspan, has expressed her concerns about the uncertainty that has swept the global economy, following the US decision to impose a host of tariffs on countries around the world.UNCTAD is responsible for helping developing countries to take advantage of the opportunities presented by international trade, and to grow their economies.Speaking to Conor Lennon from UN News, Ms. Grynspan said that the agency has called for developing countries to be spared “the pain” of tariffs, which have led to massive disruption, and fears of a worldwide recession.

After nearly two years of intense fighting in Sudan – which has displaced nine million people and left around 50,000 missing, say human rights organizations – a negotiated peace deal recognized by the international community is the only way forward.That's according to Radhouane Noucier, designated Sudan expert for the UN human rights office, OHCHR. He told UN News's Abdelmonem Makki that enforced disappearances are just one of the many violations being carried out against the Sudanese people.

Half a century ago, the United States and the Soviet Union united on a text to ban biological weapons and it has remained a foundation of international law ever since.The Biological Weapons Convention (BWC)– which came into force on 26 March 1975 - prohibits an entire category of arms including viruses and toxins. All but nine UN Member States are party to the treaty.Critics point out that the convention has no enforcement mechanism – that was something that Russia and the United States couldn't agree on.But this is perhaps understandable, as many active agents that could be used in biological warfare exist in nature, says Daniel Feakes, head of the Biological Weapons Convention unit at the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs.Here he is now, speaking to UN News's Juliette Maigné in Geneva.

One week after a devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar, hospitals remain overwhelmed, medical supplies are running low and emergency teams are struggling to meet growing healthcare needs.The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that the crisis has pushed an already fragile health system to breaking point, with over 5,000 injured Burmese requiring urgent trauma care amid the looming threat of disease outbreaks like cholera.The most urgent needs include trauma and surgical care, essential medicines for chronic illnesses and disease outbreak prevention, as Elena Vuolo, WHO Deputy Representative in the country, explained to UN News' Vibhu Mishra.Click here to read the text story.

Civilians continue to bear the brunt of violent clashes between rival forces in Sudan, UN human rights chief Volker Türk said on Thursday, after “credible” videos surfaced of killings in cold blood, linked to the recapture of Khartoum by the Sudanese Armed Forces.“There is likely an ethnic element” to the killings too, said Seif Magango, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).He told UN News' Daniel Johnson that sexual violence remains widespread in the war-torn country, before calling for UN Member States to intervene to stop almost two years of heavy fighting that has uprooted nine million people across Sudan and left an estimated 24.6 million facing acute hunger.Specific measures that could bring the rival forces to the negotiating table include an extended arms embargo for Sudan that encompasses the whole country and not just Darfur, and a wider mandate for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to cover all of Sudan, he said.

Following last Friday's massive earthquake in Myanmar, UN humanitarians are on the ground to support survivors and affected communities.The World Food Programme (WFP) started its first distributions in the capital, Nay Pyi Taw, within 48 hours of the quake. It is also on the ground at the epicentre in Sagiang – and in Myanmar's second city of Mandalay - assisting thousands of families in desperate need.But the UN needs much more funding from the international community to address the enormous needs, as WFP's Country Director Michael Dunford tells UN News's Vibhu Mishra.Click here to read the text story.

Poet and activist Salome Agbaroji was awarded the prestigious role of National Youth Poet Laureate of the United States in 2023.A fighter for social justice, her identity is centred on being “an artist at its core”, aiming to inspire others through words.Earlier this week, Ms. Agbaroji sat down with UN News's Pooja Yadav at UN Headquarters in New York after taking part in commemorations for the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.Art has the power to transform she told us, including the ability to “heal what's been broken”. 

As violence escalates in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, with the Rwanda-backed rebel group M23 looking to gain more territory, UN peacekeepers are working flat out to protect civilians amid a worsening humanitarian crisis.Speaking to UN News' Jérôme Bernard in New York, the chief of the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC (MONUSCO), Bintou Keita, outlined the mission's role in any ceasefire, protecting the displaced and confronting sexual violence and child recruitment.She also shared why – despite mounting pressure – now would be the wrong time to withdraw from the most volatile regions.

Around a third of the 12 million Sudanese displaced following nearly three years of brutal conflict are women and girls of reproductive age, according to data from the UN sexual and reproductive health agency (UNFPA).Aside from the brutality of rape, coupled with other physical and mental traumas, some of the 300,000 pregnant women who are running for safety “end up giving birth on the roadside”.That's according to UNFPA's Representative ad interim in the country, Argentina Matavel Piccin, who told UN News's Khaled Mohamed that more support is urgently needed to curb the impact of gender-based violence.

Reparations for the crimes of the transatlantic slave trade “can't be quantified” given the vast historical sweep of human history, according to the first Black African to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, Wole Soyinka.The longtime Nigerian democracy activist was at UN Headquarters in New York to take part in commemorations for the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery, telling the General Assembly that it remains crucial to confront centuries of wrongdoing.Ana Carmo sat down with him in our UN News studio following the event and asked him to outline his main message to the international community.

Chad is seeing an influx of Sudanese refugees whose numbers are expected to pass the one million mark in coming months.Multiple UN agencies including the UN Development Programme, UNDP, have joined forces to help the most vulnerable; one example is the construction of a women's centre that doubles as a safe haven.Francis James, the UNDP Resident Representative in Chad – said that the centre in Adre in tyheastern Chad is due to be inaugurated next month.Further initiatives include establishing schools close to the camps housing Sudanese refugees, Mr. Francis explained to UN News's Daniel Johnson in Geneva.