Interviews

The UN World Food Programme – WFP – has spoken of its relief that the closure of a key crossing point for aid and commercial supplies to Gaza has reopened after being shut, when Israeli and US bombs began hitting Iran.Speaking from Jerusalem, WFP's Country Director in Palestine, Shaun Hughes, described how chronic constraints on aid delivery have kept humanitarian assistance at a “hand-to-mouth” level across the war-shattered enclave.To illustrate that point, Mr. Hughes explained that WFP has just two weeks' worth of half rations available for 1.5 million Gazans, after being forced to cut the full ration in January. “We'd like to get [rations] back up to 75 per cent, but with the level of food that we're getting in at the moment, that seems unlikely,” he told UN News's Daniel Johnson.

The crucial Strait of Hormuz global shipping corridor marking the entrance to the Persian Gulf, is essentially closed due to the threat of strikes from Iran and elsewhere After a tugboat assisting another vessel in the strait this morning was struck killing at least four seafarers, the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Arsenio Dominguez, told UN News on Friday that the situation was “deteriorating” and urged ships to avoid navigating in the region. The international shipping and seafarer security chief told Edouard de Bray that Member States need to “find solutions through dialogue in order to de-escalate” to restore free and safe passage. 

UN agencies are preparing to support Afghans who may return from Iran in the coming months amid rising regional tensions, a senior UN official has told UN News.Georgette Gagnon, Officer-in-Charge of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), said agencies including the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, and the International Organization for Migration, IOM, are preparing assistance at border crossings and in communities across Afghanistan expected to host returnees.The border crisis will be on the agenda next Monday when Ms. Gagnon is due to brief the Security Council in New York. She sat down with UN News's Liudmila Blagonravova who began by asking how UNAMA's preparing to support potential returnees.

Deadly violence has erupted once again across Lebanon and Israel, following the bombing of Iran by Israeli and US forces.Mass displacement in Lebanon has resulted, as thousands of people in Beirut and elsewhere flee airstrikes targeting Hezbollah militants, according to the UN peacekeeping mission in the country (UNIFIL). Speaking from southern Lebanon, UNIFIL's Tilak Pokharel said families, including women and children, have been leaving the area in large numbers since hostilities intensified last weekend. Videos posted on social media showed heavily congested roads as residents attempted to escape airstrikes and ongoing military activity.UN peacekeepers have been assisting civilians who were unable to leave conflict-affected areas, transporting them to locations they consider safer, and facilitating humanitarian access, including supporting requests from the Lebanese Red Cross to reach injured people and displaced populations. While warning that the situation remains “very fragile”, Mr. Pokharel told UN News's Nancy Sarkis that the escalation risks “spiralling out of control”, unless the parties halt the fighting.

As Ukraine entered its fifth year of full-scale invasion, millions of people are struggling every day to keep the lights on, cook and heat their homes amid extreme winter conditions.This fourth winter has been particularly harsh with 65 per cent of Ukraine's energy generation capacity methodically destroyed.Women and children are bearing the brunt of energy blackouts, which undermine their safety, protection, and economic security, according to gender agency, UN Women.Halyna Skipalska who runs the Ukrainian Foundation for Public Health spoke to UN News's Nathalie Minard about the growing impact of war on women and children's mental health.

As global hunger surges to historic highs, with around 300 million people facing acute food insecurity, the World Food Programme is turning to technology, partnerships, and internal reforms to deliver aid faster and more effectively.This involves expanding school meal programmes, strengthening collaboration with countries, and using Artificial Intelligence to predict crises and target assistance, At the 2026 India AI Impact Summit, WFP's Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau told UN News's Anshu Sharma that innovation and cooperation will be critical to meeting rising humanitarian needs despite shrinking funding and growing global instability.

Nearly three billion people around the world do not have adequate housing, and the crisis is no longer limited to developing countries. Cities across Europe and North America are also facing growing affordability challenges, says UN-Habitat Executive Director Anacláudia Rossbach.Speaking to UN News's Anshu Sharma in New Delhi, she told us poverty and inequality remain the main causes of the crisis. However, climate change and extreme weather are making housing insecurity worse, especially for people living in informal settlements.

At just 16 years of age, Raul John Aju already has a formidable stack of achievements under his belt.The teenager from the Indian state of Kerala runs his own company creating artificial intelligence tools, advises governments on how to use the tech, and teaches students how to engage with it in their professional and personal lives.His prodigious activities have earned him the moniker “AI Kid of India” at home, and an invitation to speak at the recent 2026 India AI Summit, where he met politicians and top officials – including UN chief António Guterres.UN News's Anshu Sharma sat down with Raul at the summit and asked what had got him interested in technology at such a young age.

Set up in May 1948, the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization, UNTSO was the first ever peacekeeping operation established by the UN. In an interview with UN News, Major General Patrick Gauchat, Head of Mission and Chief of Staff, explained the mission has evolved since it was first established to monitor ceasefires and support peace agreements in the aftermath of world war. Working closely with UN forces in Lebanon and the Golan, UNTSO complements their security, medical, and engineering operations. And with the mandate extension in Lebanon ending in December 2026, the truce supervision mission could take on a bigger role along ceasefire lines.Mr. Gauchat told UN News's Khaled Mohamed the longest-running mission's presence gives reassurance to civilians living in conflict areas. 

As repatriation efforts for Burundian refugees from Tanzania accelerate, concerns are growing over reports of coercive measures, shelter demolitions and mistreatment during the return process, amid warnings that some refugees may still need international protection.Bahia Egeh, External Relations Officer with the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, stressed that returns under the tripartite agreement with Burundi and Tanzania must be carried out in safety and dignity, and based on free and informed choice rather than pressure.UN News's Edouard de Bray started by asking her to explain why Burundian refugees in Tanzania are being repatriated. 

As artificial intelligence reshapes global agriculture, questions remain about who truly benefits from this technological shift.In this interview with Anshu Sharma from UN News, Brenda Gunde, Global Lead for ICT4D (Information Communication Technology for Development) at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), explains how emerging digital tools can support smallholder farmers, improve decision-making, and reduce inequality – as long as issues of access, affordability, and scalability are addressed.Speaking on the sidelines of the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, Ms. Gunde highlights why inclusive innovation, local access to information, and practical delivery systems are essential to ensuring AI strengthens rural livelihoods rather than widening existing gaps.

According to the World Bank, the real AI revolution in developing countries isn't coming from flashy mega‑models, but from small, low‑cost tools that solve local problems.Mahesh Uttamchandani, the organisation's Regional Practice Director for Digital and AI inEast Asia and Pacific and South Asia, sat down with Anshu Sharma from UN News during the India AI Impact Summit, and explained that these systems are cheaper to run, easier to adapt, and already delivering outsized impact.

As the India AI Impact Summit, the first of its kind in the Global South, enters its final days, UN News has been talking to some of the senior UN officials who have made the trip to New Delhi.One of them is Volker Türk, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, who has been meeting with world leaders and the heads of technology companies.When he sat down with our colleague Anshu Sharma, Mr. Türk explained why human rights must be at the core of a powerful technology that many believe is about to transform the world.

In Sudan, the conflict between the national army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has plunged the country into widespread bloodshed and humanitarian catastrophe. The devastating civil war began in April 2023 and is expanding beyond the western Darfur region into central Kordofan, taking its toll on civilians and particularly the most vulnerable, including children.Eva Hinds, Spokesperson for the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Sudan, describes how the agency is supporting boys and girls amid the brutal conflict and ongoing cuts to aid budgets.She spoke to UN News's Nathalie Minard in Geneva.

India's AI Impact Summit – the first of its kind in the Global South – is underway in New Delhi, and the United Nations has a significant presence at the event, with over 30 side events planned over the week.The main message from the UN is that access to, and development of, AI tools ne eds to be democratised beyond the handful of major economies that are currently driving the technology.Amandeep Gill, the UN Special Envoy for Digital and Emerging Technologies, is attending the Summit, where he will discuss the UN's central role in AI governance. He told Anshu Sharma from UN News that managing the risks and harnessing the opportunities needs to involve everyone, not just a small elite. 

Since the declaration of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on 10 October 2025, the United Nations' main concern has been — and remains — the urgent scaling up of humanitarian aid.And while the long-awaited reopening of the Rafah crossing at the start of this month raised hopes, it has also been marked by delays and reports of mistreatment of Palestinians, according to aid organizations, with no significant improvement in the overall humanitarian situation.For more details, UN News's Nancy Sarkis spoke to Gaza aid veteran Olga Cherevko, spokesperson for the UN aid coordination office, OCHA.

Politics used to be a battle over competing ideas, but now it's become a very real fight “between identities”: that's according to Valentina Grippo, an Italian Member of Parliament and delegate to the UN-affiliated Inter-Parliamentary Union, or IPU, which met at UN Headquarters this week in New York.  A majority of MPs worldwide are facing threats and abuse from voters, according to a new IPU report which found that 71 per cent of surveyed lawmakers experienced violence from the public – whether offline, online or both. Speaking to Edouard de Bray of UN News Ms. Grippo stressed that rising polarisation and online disinformation are fuelling violence against politicians and undermining democratic debate worldwide.

As wars drag on across continents and conflicts grow more complex, children continue to bear the heaviest and most heartbreaking cost.Marking 30 years since the United Nations first established its mandate to protect children caught in war, Vanessa Frazier, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, is sounding the alarm, and calling for renewed global commitment to prevention, protection, and accountability.Ms. Frazier warned that grave violations against children are rising sharply, with more than 7,400 cases of child recruitment verified in 2024 alone.Charlotte Frantz began by asking where child recruitment is happening the most – and what is driving it.

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. 

The head of the police component of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), Mamouma Ouédraogo – appointed late last year – was at UN Headquarters in the past few days, taking part in the Police Week.The gathering reunites senior police officers from peacekeeping operations and staffers from the UN's special political missions. In an interview with UN News's Jérôme Bernard, she outlined the support provided by MONUSCO's police component to the Congolese national police and explained the measures being taken to address human rights violations, particularly sexual violence.

Ukraine is facing one of its most severe winters since the war began, with attacks on critical infrastructure leaving hundreds of thousands of families without heating or electricity as temperatures fall below minus 20 degrees Celsius.Speaking to UN News, UNICEF's Chief of Field Operations in Ukraine, Kenan Madi, warned that children continue to bear the brunt of the crisis, particularly in major urban centres such as Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa, where central heating systems have been heavily damaged.UNICEF has responded by scaling up emergency winter assistance, including cash support to vulnerable families, expanding child protection services, and helping schools and utilities maintain essential heating and water services.UN News's Evgeniya Kleshcheva began by asking Mr. Madi to detail the situation facing families and humanitarian workers on the ground.

Catherine Mootian was just twelve years old when she underwent female genital mutilation (FGM), a moment that changed her life forever.Growing up in Kenya's Maasai community, she was told the cut marked her transition into womanhood. But years later, that painful experience became the driving force behind her mission to protect other girls from the same fate.Today, Ms. Mootian is the founder and executive director of AfyAfrika – leading the fight to end FGM and to help survivors heal.UN News' Assumpta Massoi began by asking Ms. Mootian about her childhood ordeal, and how it has shaped her over the years

The UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, MONUSCO, says it is ready to support a ceasefire between the Congolese authorities and the M23 armed group, following an announcement by Qatar that it will deploy a first monitoring team under the Doha peace initiative.M23, also known as the March 23 Movement, is an armed group operating in eastern DRC that has seized key towns, including Goma in January and Bukavu in February, fuelling renewed violence and displacement.MONUSCO says the initial deployment will be limited to Uvira, in South Kivu, and will not mark a permanent return to the province, which the Mission left last year. UN News's Cristina Silveiro asked the mission's spokesperson Ndeye Khady Lo whether the development should be seen as a positive signal for peace.

As the UN system continues to grapple with financial constraints, international police officers serving at peacekeeping missions are responding to the challenge.The UN Police Division is making plans to deploy smaller specialised teams in some field settings, where necessary, who will still “achieve more” despite their reduced numbers. That's according to UN Police Adviser Faisal Shahkar, who with UN Police Week now underway in New York, outlined other steps including training national authorities to ensure self-sufficiency.Mr. Shahkar spoke to UN News's Dianne Penn about the challenges they face, with safety and security topping the list.  

Kenya's national action plan to eliminate cervical cancer by 2030 offers renewed hope for girls and women in rural communities, where access to prevention and care has often been limited. Aligned with World Health Organization (WHO)'s targets, the plan focuses on free vaccines to prevent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection – which can lead to various cancers including cervical cancer – providing early screening and timely treatment.Joseph Mogga with WHO's office in Nairobi, spoke to UN News's Assumpta Massoi and explained how by bringing services closer to where women live, Kenya is signalling a strong, positive commitment to ensure that no girl or woman is left behind – especially when it comes to cervical cancer prevention.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says that improving the nutritional quality of food served in schools can help children develop healthier eating habits for life.Last week, the UN health agency released its first-ever global, evidence-based guidelines outlining policies and practical interventions to help schools provide healthier food and drink options.Katrin Engelhardt, a scientist at WHO who led the development of the new guidelines, spoke to UN News's Ileana Exaras about what they recommend – and why creating healthier school food environments is an urgent priority today.

With young people under 30 making up more than half the global population - and over 272 million children and youth still out of school – their participation in education reform is becoming increasingly vital. Yet stark inequalities remain – in the poorest countries, 36 per cent of children and youth are out of school compared to just 3 per cent in the richest.Ahead of the UN International Day for Education, UN News's Charlotte Frantz spoke to UNESCO's Marco Pasqualini about how this year's theme focused on the power of youth in co-creating education, translates into real-world action.

The Acting Head of the UN peacekeeping force in the disputed territory of Abyei (UNISFA), Major General Robert Yaw Affram, has underscored the fragile security situation in the disputed Abyei region bordering Sudan and South Sudan, describing it as “volatile” and lacking State institutions, while stressing the stabilising role played by UN peacekeepers.Speaking to UN News's Khaled Mohamed, Major General Affram – who's also been serving as Force Commander – recalled the 13 December drone strike that killed six peacekeepers in the Sudanese city of Kadugli, highlighting the huge dangers faced by UN ‘blue helmets'.Despite these challenges, UNISFA continues to increase ground patrols and air surveillance, while engaging regularly with locals to help prevent intercommunal violence.

A new UN report on global climate finance highlights a stark mismatch: trillions of dollars support activities that harm nature, while only a small share goes to initiatives that protect and restore it. The study argues that investing in nature makes strong economic sense, given the mounting risks of a rapidly warming planet.In Brazil, one promising example is the rise of UN Environment Programme-backed “agrihoods” – neighbourhoods designed to work with natural ecosystems rather than against them.Marcia Maika leads the initiative, and she's been telling Conor Lennon from UN News that business attitudes are changing.

During his three-and-a-half-year tenure leading the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), Force Commander Lieutenant General Mohan Subramanian has overseen efforts that have helped save an estimated 162,000 lives.The mission tackles a wide range of issues – from armed insurgency and the impacts of climate change, to economic insecurity and other pressing humanitarian concerns.While challenges remain and reforms are needed, M. Subramanian emphasises that without UNMISS, the situation in South Sudan would be far bleaker. In an exit interview with UN News, Sachin Gaur began by asking him how the UN mission contributed to the lives of local communities in the world's youngest country.

On Holocaust Remembrance Day, the UN in New York marked a historic first, with the presentation of testimony from a Ukrainian Roma researcher and advocate during the annual commemoration.Nataliia Tomenko is a youth advocate and expert on Romani history, and Deputy Director of Ukraine's Youth Agency for the Advocacy of Roma Culture.She presented a video account by her grandmother, Halyna Tomenko, a Holocaust survivor whose story reflects the persecution endured by Roma families across Eastern Europe. Too frail to travel from Ukraine, her testimony was shared on her behalf.Speaking to UN News's Evgeniya Kleshcheva, Ms. Tomenko reflects on her grandmother's extraordinary story and on how young people can turn remembrance into action.

Predictions that artificial intelligence will largely replace teachers in classrooms are proving to be overstated, according to the UN education agency, UNESCO.In fact, UNESCO estimates that an additional 44 million teachers will be needed worldwide by 2030.That does not mean the agency dismisses the potential of AI. On the contrary, it says the advanced technology could help transform education systems, freeing up time for students to develop critical thinking and other skills that cannot be automated.Evgeniya Kleshcheva from UN News spoke to Shafika Isaacs, Chief of UNESCO's Section for Technology and AI in Education, who says one of the biggest misconceptions is that education systems are so broken that only algorithms can fix them.

After more than a decade of war, Syria is witnessing significant refugee and internal displacement returns – even as renewed hostilities in parts of the country force others to flee once again.Nearly 1.4 million refugees have returned from neighbouring countries since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024. Almost two million internally displaced Syrians have also headed home to their places of origin.But fresh fighting in Aleppo and the northeast in recent weeks has triggered new displacement, while harsh winter conditions are compounding humanitarian needs.To explain what's driving these movements and how UN agencies are responding on the ground, UN News's Nancy Sarkis has been speaking to Céline Schmitt, spokesperson for the UN refugee agency in Syria:

The severity of online child abuse has prompted the UN and partners from the private sector, civil society and government, to commit to working together to ensure AI-tools benefit children, rather than endangering them.A joint statement was released earlier this week by the UN's International Telecommunications Union (ITU), children's agency, UNICEF, and offices across the UN system involved in safeguarding children.It is hoped the new shared commitment will lead to a clear roadmap for protecting youngsters worldwide.Cosmas Zavazava, the Director of the ITU's Telecommunication Development Bureau, told UN News's Conor Lennon about the many threats children face, and how UN is working with the tech companies to boost protection.

After more than 1,000 days of conflict, Sudan's education system is in crisis, with an estimated eight million children currently out of school, the UN child rights agency, UNICEF, warned ahead of the International Day of Education marked on 24 January.According to its Sudan spokesperson, Eva Hinds, one in three schools has been damaged or destroyed, nearly 6,400 are closed nationwide, and around half of all school buildings are no longer functioning as classrooms, many having been repurposed as shelters for the displaced. Prolonged absence from school exposes children to heightened risks of child labour, exploitation and early marriage, particularly for girls. Ms. Hinds told UN News's Abdelmonem Makki from N'Djamena, Chad – after wrapping up a 10-day visit to Darfur – that denying education to so many threatens an entire generation and could undermine Sudan's recovery for decades to come. 

The war that erupted in Sudan in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has killed thousands of civilians and caused devastation, mass displacement and famine.The conflict is a major preoccupation of UN human rights chief Volker Türk, who is just back from visiting the country. There, he met victims of terrible sexual violence, including escapees from the besieged city of El Fasher. With more details about the situation in Sudan and voicing concerns that what happened in El Fasher risks being repeated in South Kordofan's Kadugli and Dilling, the High Commissioner's spokesperson, Ravina Shamdasani, joins UN News's Daniel Johnson.

More than two years into the conflict, Sudan is facing one of the world's most serious and complex health emergencies, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The fighting, which began in April 2023, has forced millions of people from their homes, deepened hunger and left much of the country's health system barely functioning, said Dr Shible Sahbani, WHO Representative in Sudan, in an interview with UN News.  Disease outbreaks are spreading as access to health care continues to shrink. Cholera, dengue and malaria are widespread, while measles and polio are re-emerging as routine immunisation coverage falls to record lows.Speaking to UN News's Abdelmonem Makki, Dr Sahbani stressed the urgent need for sustained funding, safe humanitarian access and protection for health workers and facilities, as attacks on health care continue. Above all, he appealed to the international community not to forget Sudan. 

Created in 1966 to boost development within newly independent countries from the Global South, the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has stayed true to its founding mission, in a world that has been transformed over the past six decades.At UNIDO's Global Industry Summit, held in Riyadh this November, the agency's Member States reaffirmed their commitment to help developing countries grow their economies sustainably, minimising harm to the environment and improving the lives of their citizens.Conor Lennon was in Riyadh for UN News and spoke to Fatou Haidara, UNIDO's ? Managing Director of Global Partnerships and External Relations, about the ways that the agency has adapted to the changing priorities of its Member States, and why it continues to be a central pillar of sustainable industrialisation.

Europe's influenza season has arrived earlier than expected this year, raising concerns about pressure on health systems as respiratory illnesses circulate during the winter months.  While the surge has prompted questions about vaccine effectiveness and vulnerable groups, health experts say the situation remains manageable – if people take the right precautions.Speaking with UN News's Vibhu Mishra, Marc-Alain Widdowson, who leads pandemic threat and communicable disease work at the World Health Organization's European Regional Office, explains what's driving this year's flu season, who is most at risk, and why it's still not too late to get vaccinated. 

For the second time since its launch in 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Summit on Traditional Medicine took place in India, bringing attention to the role of natural and cultural remedies around the world, as well as the science behind them. On the sidelines of the summit in New Delhi, UN News's Anshu Sharma spoke with Sung Chol Kim of WHO's Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine unit, about advances in the field.Mr. Kim outlined what traditional medicine is, the WHO's role in advancing evidence-based traditional medicine, and the progress made so far.He also explained how traditional medicine differs from biomedicine. Its focus on prevention is just one of those ways.  

As the world debates how technology is shaping societies, actor and filmmaker Joseph Gordon-Levitt has been sharing why people and purpose must remain at the heart of the digital future.UN News' Vibhu Mishra spoke with him on the sidelines of a high-level UN meeting marking 20 years of global cooperation on the internet and digital technologies.Mr. Gordon-Levitt reflected on creativity, inclusion and the responsibility that comes with powerful digital tools, especially as technology becomes more embedded in everyday life.He said he was inspired by people working not just for profit, but to make the world better – even when the challenge feels like a “David and Goliath” battle.

Mass atrocities in Sudan's Darfur region show alarming indicators associated with the risk of genocide, according to the United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Chaloka Beyani, who has completed a mission to Kenya.Fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), alongside other armed groups, has plunged large parts of Sudan into a deepening humanitarian and protection crisis since April 2023.More than 11 million people are now internally displaced, while up to four million have fled to neighbouring countries and beyond.Mr. Beyani has completed a mission to Kenya and spoke to UN News's Stella Vuzo in Nairobi, where he met several Sudanese refugees. She began by asking about his main message to the Sudanese people.