UN Interviews

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 –...

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 w...

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...

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,...

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 Pro...

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 ch...

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...

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...

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 plac...

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 s...

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...

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 fr...

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...

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...

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...

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 In...

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, inclusio...

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 in...

An independent journalist is warning against the unchecked rise of artificial intelligence (AI), comparing the public to “guinea pigs” in a global experiment. Atif Rashid, Editor in Chief of Analyst News – a non-profit international news website – was a panelist in the thematic session held during the UN Alliance of Civilizations Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 14-15 December. Speaking to UN N...

Africa doesn’t have a million problems. It has one: a mindset problem, according to the UN Special Adviser on Africa Cristina Duarte. Research suggests that nearly two-thirds of Africans believe their countries are currently heading in the wrong direction. Speaking after the UN Academic Conference on Africa held earlier this month, Ms. Duarte emphasised that by transforming thi...

After more than 22 years at the heart of Iraq’s political transition and post-war recovery, the UN will close its political mission in the country at the end of 2025. Established in 2003, the mission (UNAMI) has played a central role in supporting inclusive political dialogue, national reconciliation, credible elections and the protection of human rights. UN News’s Reem Abaza spoke to the mission...

Financing and climate solutions have become an increasingly important focus for the UN’s work worldwide. Taking place this year in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, the UN Environment Assembly is advancing sustainable solutions for all. Richard Munang, Africa climate change coordinator for UN Environment Programme, UNEP, spoke to UN News’s Stella Vuzo in Nairobi about financing in Africa and the signif...

Living heritage gives people a sense of meaning and belonging, connecting individuals and communities across generations. On Thursday, the UN culture agency, UNESCO’s committee which safeguards living cultural traditions worldwide, added 67 new living heritage elements to UNESCO’s extensive lists. UN News’s Anshu Sharma in the Indian capital, New Delhi, spoke to Tim Curtis, Director of the UNESCO...

Latest available figures published on Tuesday show more than 272 million children around the world were out of school through 2023, underscoring a deepening global education crisis. That’s according to UN education and cultural organization, UNESCO, which says that despite lack of access, significant progress has been made in advancing gender parity and integrating emerging technologies in classro...

Despite widespread suffering driven by escalating conflict, displacement and disasters, Myanmar’s humanitarian emergency has become all but “invisible” to the world, the top UN official in the country has warned. Gwyn Lewis, the UN’s interim Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Myanmar, issued the alert during a visit to UN Headquarters, where she has been urging Member States and diplomats t...