Awake At Night: Recent Episodes
United Nations, Melissa Fleming
What does it take to be a United Nations worker in some of the world’s most complex and dangerous places? How are UN humanitarians, human rights advocates, prosecutors, development experts, climate leaders and peacekeepers improving our world? Stationed in all reaches of the world and witness to suffering and atrocities, how are they helping people and coping themselves? To find out, Melissa Fleming meets them.
Here you will discover extraordinary personal stories from people who devote their lives to helping others.
As a child, Ozonnia Ojielo survived a brutal civil war in his native Nigeria in which starvation was used as a weapon. After training as a lawyer, an encounter with fellow survivors gave him new purpose and propelled him to his current role as the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ethiopia.
"She started crying. All the other guests started crying. I started crying as well. There I was, a very successful lawyer making a lot of money. But I said to myself, this is much more valuable. Trying to change people's lives, or at least be there as a voice for them."
From Rwanda to Sierra Leone to Ethiopia, Ozonnia Ojielo has supported communities around the world as they navigate difficult journeys from violence to peace. In this episode, he reflects on the long shadow of genocide, on the delicate work of reintegrating both perpetrators and victims, and shares why the biggest currency the world can offer young people is hope.
Edited transcript, photos, multimedia and more at the AAN website: https://www.un.org/en/awake-at-night/s13-ozonnia-ojielo-surviving-war-to-fight-for-peace
Oil price surges have put international shipping in the spotlight in recent months. But what about the people behind the headlines? What happens to them when the news cycle moves on?
"[Seafarers] feel forgotten because when they turn on the media, all the headlines are about how petrol is going up, how this is affecting the global economy, how things goes three, four times the price that normally they will pay for it, and nobody talks about the seafarer. We need more countries to recognize them as key workers."
With up to 90 percent of all goods globally transported by sea, the United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO) works to help commercial shipping and international trade ride the waves of war, piracy and geopolitics.
Growing up near the Panama Canal, Arsenio Dominguez was always fascinated by mighty cargo ships sailing through on their way to distant shores. Now Secretary-General of the IMO, his role is to defend seafarers and give shipping the recognition it deserves.
"Whenever you affect shipping, everybody else gets affected, even if you're not part of the conflict. This is not good for anyone. This is not good for the global population, for the global economy, for politics. We need to protect shipping more."
In this episode, Arsenio Dominguez reflects on years of back-to-back challenges for international shipping, on efforts to decarbonize, and shares why the power of positive thinking and the encouragement of his mother have always been his guiding lights.
Edited transcript, photos, multimedia and more at the AAN website: https://www.un.org/en/awake-at-night/s13-arsenio-dominguez-open-the-strait
Podcast full video available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/LsGArn7T8i8
Growing up in rural South Africa, Tshilidzi Marwala first learned about engineering from his grandmother's handmade clay pots. Now rector of the United Nations University, the Under-Secretary-General is a vocal advocate of using artificial intelligence (AI) for good.
"I would not trust AI. You are not supposed to trust AI. You are supposed to use it, always doubt it, always verify what it tells you, cross validate, so that you can be able to use it responsibly."
Education has been a driving force throughout Tshilidzi Marwala's life, alongside the seismic transitions he has witnessed in his native country and around the world. "We [returned to South Africa just after the end of apartheid] and then we realized that freedom is beautiful… Democracy is a beautiful concept, but it's a very difficult journey. It's not an overnight thing."
With a doctorate in neural networks among his many academic achievements, the UNU rector is familiar with the architecture behind the current rapid developments in AI. In this episode, he reflects on the intersection of political freedom, education and technology, and shares why digital literacy is among the most important skills of our age.
"[AI is] making health accessible to people ... if you look at issues of food production, zero hunger is a reasonable goal. You know, I think AI can play a big role."
Edited transcript, photos, multimedia and more at the AAN website: https://www.un.org/en/awake-at-night/s13-tshilidzi-marwala-use-ai-responsibly-for-a-better-world
Podcast full video available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/y1Kh_BzIV7A
Born to Italian parents in Venezuela, Allegra Baiocchi has been on the move ever since and has lived in more than 25 countries around the world. Now UN Resident Coordinator in Mexico, she believes in the power of the United Nations to improve the well-being of all people, wherever they are.
"I am truly an optimist. I do think we can turn this around, but it does need a lot of people taking action, and so I stay awake at night trying to figure out how to get people to act."
Formerly the UN's chief humanitarian coordinator for western and central Africa, Allegra Baiocchi faced down overlapping deadly crises, from Ebola and war, to drought, famine and displacement. In this episode, she reflects on the highs and lows of her long and varied career, and shares how she brought up children who are as much citizens of the globe as she is.
"There's still so much magic in the UN, because while we look at the disagreement, we're not seeing how much agreement is happening every day on many, many issues, and just that, you know, being able to bring the world around any topic and actually have them agree is incredible."
Edited transcript, photos, multimedia and more at the AAN website: https://www.un.org/en/awake-at-night/s13-allegra-baiocchi-why-I-am-still-an-obstinate-optimist
Podcast full video available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/7HA8wArE3aI
War is Mary Maker's earliest memory. Born in South Sudan and named Nyiriak — meaning "war" — she spent her youth living and working in one of the world's largest refugee camps. Now a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, she is raising her voice on behalf of those she left behind, helping refugee students land scholarships to top universities.
"I want to be seen. I want to be heard. I want to be acknowledged. I want to be at the table, making decisions and feeling like a part of something. Are you able to see us? Are you? Are you able to go beyond the news and really understand that this is someone like you?"
After her family fled to safety, Mary built a new life of opportunity through education and hard work – finding her feet, and her voice, on stage. In this episode, she shares how she overcame a childhood marred by death and conflict, and how theater became both her refuge and her path forward.
"You're taking this new title, the refugee ... and you see the UNHCR logo, with the hands holding each other. And I remember my mom trying to spell it out for me, UNHCR. And she's like, we're safe. I think we made it."
Edited transcript, photos, multimedia and more at the AAN website: https://www.un.org/en/awake-at-night/s13-mary-maker-launching-a-new-life-from-a-refugee-camp
Podcast full video available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/8kCtNQJGf4s
Fighting for and believing in change is in Jorge Moreira da Silva's blood. Now executive director of UNOPS, the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), the former Portuguese minister is helping to improve lives. From restoring roads and repairing power plants to running health centres and constructing renewable energy mini-grids, UNOPS implements projects in more than 130 countries – often in fragile and conflict-affected settings.
"It's about providing social basic human needs. We have found a way to provide livelihoods to 15 million people in Afghanistan...rehabilitating roads, streets, water canals, paying men and women to do the job."
In this episode, Jorge Moreira da Silva reflects on the practical and political challenges of delivering projects in complex environments – from funding gaps to lack of political will. He also shares how releasing an Iberian lynx and earning his pilot's license have to do with keeping hope alive through dark times.
Since this interview was recorded, the UN Secretary-General has appointed Jorge Moreira da Silva to lead the UN task force for the Strait of Hormuz. The Initiative aims to facilitate the delivery and movement of much needed fertilisers and related raw materials to Asia and the African continent. The urgent delivery of these fertilisers is crucial to avert more hunger and food insecurity. He has been engaged in extensive consultations with all parties involved to drive this initiative.
Edited transcript, photos, multimedia and more at the AAN website: https://www.un.org/en/awake-at-night/s13-jorge-moreira-da-silva-building-the-foundations-for-human-dignity
Podcast full video available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/s0618xFbT_M
Elpida Rouka's first name means hope in Greek, a feeling that can sometimes be elusive when serving in the most troubled places on earth. Currently a senior political affairs officer in Geneva, she is a survivor of the 2003 Baghdad Canal Hotel bombing, the deadliest attack in UN history.
"First you feel the shake, and the light, and then the blast, the sound comes. I blacked out between exiting the building, but when I was out, there was just a scene of a massacre. The only thing I recall after that was being thrown a phone and told: 'Call your parents, now.'"
Humanitarian workers are routinely exposed to primary and secondary trauma. Yet stigma and survivor's guilt can prevent aid workers seeking timely help for post-traumatic stress. In this episode, Elpida Rouka reflects on grief, loss, and mental and physical scars, and shares why the exact wording of the preamble of the UN Charter has helped give her the strength to heal.
Edited transcript, photos, multimedia and more at the AAN website: https://www.un.org/en/awake-at-night/s13-elpida-rouka-overcoming-trauma-in-the-service-of-peace
Podcast full video available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/F24g2DhQUb8
Former Ghanian Foreign Minister Hanna Tetteh knows first hand the responsibility that comes from being an elected politician. Now head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, she draws on that experience as she works to get the nation onto a peaceful and democratic footing.
"I have to be optimistic. Otherwise I'll stop. And I think that when you're doing this kind of job, you have to keep yourself optimistic. You always have to find openings and entry points and try to see what you can work with and where you can create some opportunity to have a conversation that results in some concrete outcome."
Politics was always present in Hanna Tetteh's house growing up. Inspired by a dual heritage rooted in Hungary and Ghana, she became a passionate advocate of inclusive dialogue. In this episode, she reflects on her journey into politics, on bringing women and youth on board for Libya's future, and shares why, when it comes to peace-building, patience is the biggest virtue.
Edited transcript, photos, multimedia and more at the AAN website: https://www.un.org/en/awake-at-night/s13-hanna-tetteh-lighting-libya-long-path-to-peace
Podcast full video available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/jCVHfShyj6w
From Bangladesh to Kosovo, Syria to Sudan, Kelly Clements has spent more than 30 years helping to save lives during some of the biggest refugee and humanitarian crises in recent times. Now the outgoing Deputy High Commissioner at the UN's refugee agency, UNHCR, she's making an impassioned case for a more humane world.
"How can we convince those that continue to wage wars that continue to treat people badly? How can we show what's possible with a little hope, compassion, and more peace? The force of good is much stronger than the force of evil."
Global refugee needs are surging as wealthy nations turn away from helping the most vulnerable people on earth. In this episode, Kelly Clements reflects on her deep frustration at the devastating cuts to life-saving UN services, on the lasting power of helping just one person, and shares how the love of her family always gives her strength to serve.
Edited transcript, photos, multimedia and more at the AAN website: https://www.un.org/en/awake-at-night/s13-kelly-clements-the-force-of-good-is-much-stronger-than-the-force-of-evil
Podcast full video available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm747kvVrPU
Bintou Keita knows instinctively that some moments call for a more human response than words alone can offer. Once, at a ceremony to mark the end of the devastating Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone, she found herself hesitating to deliver her pre-prepared statement to a grief-stricken crowd.
"I have my statement, but I can't deliver [it] because there's something else I have to do before. And in that moment, what came to me was humming, so I did it. And at that moment, the tears - my own, the tears in the audience - came out. These people were grieving, were still mourning."
Bintou Keita has retired after 36 years with the UN, most recently the Secretary-General's Special Representative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and head of the peacekeeping mission there. In this episode, she reflects on times when peacekeepers saved thousands of lives, on how women can lead the way out of devastating conflicts, and shares why she has learned to never say never.
"We kind of lost our way to our heart. We believe that there is a divide between when we are working and when we are not working. And I don't believe in that. I think we are bringing who we are in the work."
Transcript, photos and more: https://www.un.org/en/awake-at-night/s12-bintou-keita-why-peace-begins-with-people-not-power
A medical doctor by training, Dr. Felipe Paullier is a passionate advocate for young people. Two years ago, aged just 32, his life took a new turn when he became the first-ever Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, the youngest senior appointment in the history of the United Nations.
"Leaving young people at the sidelines of how we find solutions is not the way. It's really bringing them [in], because on many of the things, the solutions will come from them."
The UN Youth Office believes that positive change is rooted in empowering young people to meaningfully participate in decisions that impact their lives and futures. In this episode, Felipe reflects on youth demands for peace and opportunity, on the stubborn barriers to change, and shares why he always prescribes reconnecting with nature as a cure for digital overwhelm.
"I've heard this from the Secretary General. You know, power, in essence, is not to be given, it's to be taken. "
Photos, transcript and more: https://www.un.org/en/awake-at-night/s12-felipe-paullier-youth-power-and-possibility
After enlisting at 18, Cheryl Pearce battled rigid gender barriers to rise through the military ranks. Now the UN's Acting Military Adviser for Peacekeeping Operations, the Australian-born Lieutenant General is the highest ranking woman in uniform within the United Nations.
"Peace for me, is seeing communities having food security, having water security, education, knowing, you know, as a mum myself, knowing that my children can grow up to feel like that. They can have a life and a future and fulfill their dreams and goals."
Lieutenant General Pearce knows what it takes to serve in some of the most difficult places on earth, from East Timor to Afghanistan. In this episode, she reflects on the sources of her mental and physical resilience, on making a robust case for peacekeeping in an age of disinformation, and shares why her family wants her to show her chaotic side once in a while.
Photos, transcript and more: https://www.un.org/en/awake-at-night/s12-cheryl-pearce-how-to-lead-forces-for-peace
Jean-Martin Bauer was just a teenager when a visit to his uncle's Haitian rice farm planted the seed of his life-long passion for food security. Now Director of Food Security and Nutrition Analysis at the World Food Programme (WFP) he works to feed hungry people worldwide.
"Even now, even during these dark times … there are opportunities to sow seeds for a better future."
The world faces a global hunger crisis, with a record 319 million people currently not getting enough to eat. The author of a recent book on hunger in the Twenty-First Century, Jean-Martin Bauer reflects in this episode on the human cost of famine in Gaza and Sudan, the impact of funding cuts on the most vulnerable, and explains why the best solutions are those closest to home.
"That island in the south of Haiti was a great message of hope for everyone in the country, because the farmers of Haiti can feed themselves. They can feed the nation if given a chance."
Former German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock is a new face at the United Nations. Sworn in as President of the General Assembly in September, she brings experience and energy at a time of challenges and new beginnings – including the selection of the next Secretary-General.
"We need this place where countries, big and small, rich and poor, are coming together and have an equal say and an equal vote."
Shaped by her nation's turbulent past and successful reunification Annalena Baerbock entered politics at a young age. In this episode, she reflects on the importance of female pioneers, the impact of online harassment and shares why the UN Charter can still move her to tears.
Filippo Grandi has devoted more than three decades to easing the suffering of refugees: "My pride after all these years is that the center of this effort of my lifetime has been on people, and especially on the people that suffer most in the world, including refugees."
Now, shortly before his term comes to an end, and as more than 117 million people worldwide remain forcibly displaced, the long-serving UN High Commissioner for Refugees is welcoming a rare moment of hope for one of the world's largest refugee populations. "Home means your house, your family, your friends, your work, your school, and it is fantastic when, like in Syria […] people can go back to their homes. This is what most refugees want."
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, not only helps those who flee war and persecution, but also those who choose to go home when peace returns. Appearing on Awake at Night for a second time, Filippo Grandi reflects on the dangers of divisive politics, the human cost of painful budget and staff cuts, and shares his hopes and dreams for life after the UN.
Every day at noon, Stéphane Dujarric steps on stage to field questions about the United Nations from international journalists. As spokesman for the Secretary-General, he must be ready to talk on all aspects of the organization's work at a time of unprecedented financial and political strain.
"There is no way we can move forward in this world without multilateralism, without an organization like this one. It's like a plant, right? It needs to be watered. We can't let it wither away."
An alumnus of the United Nations International School, Stéphane Dujarric was immersed in the world of international diplomacy from an early age. In this episode, he shares why his own family owes everything to the actions of two courageous diplomats, and reflects on how being a procrastinator can be a superpower when faced with the challenge of the 24-hour news cycle.
A life-long humanitarian, Matthias Schmale has borne witness to a number of seismic moments in world history. Currently United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, he is overseeing efforts to help Ukrainians prepare for a fourth winter at war.
"The longer this lasts, the more the resilience will go down, the more the psychological damage will take hold [...] There are nights where I lie in bed thinking, why can't this nightmare for civilians end?"
Ukrainians have endured four years of hellish conflict that continues to devastate civilian lives and infrastructure, leaving 36 percent of the population in need of aid. In this episode, Matthias Schmale looks back on a long career of humanitarian service, reflects on the deep scars of war and explains why daily life in Kyiv can be both heaven and hell.
How does one out of five sisters from rural Nigeria grow up to be UN Deputy Secretary-General? Blessed with tenacity, determination and grit, Amina Mohammed has always been driven to improve the lives of her fellow human beings and our planet. Rising to the top of the United Nations, her vision has helped shape the world’s blueprint for a brighter future.
“One step at a time, this whole life is about a journey. Make each step count. It is about taking people with you. Don't do this alone. It's too heavy. You need people to cry with you, laugh with you.”
Amina Mohammed is known for making the impossible possible, and has relied on a strong moral compass and the strength of her convictions across a long and varied career of service. In this episode, the UN Deputy Secretary-General and mother-of-six and grandmother to five reflects on what the Sustainable Development Goals have meant in her own life and shares what chocolate and traditional clothes have to do with strong leadership.
“Muslims in Nigeria say, well, there you go, this is a woman working in the international scene, and she's not shy or embarrassed to wear her culture or her religion and to stand proud with it.”
Transcript and photos: www.un.org/en/awake-at-night/s…ake-each-step-count
Whenever a new cancer patient entered her office in the U.S., Dr. May Abdel-Wahab knew she could help by palliating their pain and working towards a cure. Now, as Director of the Division of Human Health at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), she delivers hope to patients in places where treatment has until now been unavailable.
“So much can be done to treat cancer, but too many people in the developing world have no access to care. It's unthinkable. It's unfair.”
With global cancer cases expected to mount in the next two decades, the IAEA is equipping low- and middle income countries with training and radiotherapy to help more people survive the disease. In this episode, Dr. May Abdel-Wahab reflects on the outlook for cancer outcomes around the world, the challenges of anchoring new treatment centres, and shares how her upbringing taught her to see the world as one human family.
“Every person that walks through the door is a new person, a new friend … if they leave the exam room with a smile and feeling hope, then you've done a good job.”
Related content and photos: https://www.un.org/en/awake-at-night/s11-may-abdel-wahab-a-ray-of-hope-for-cancer-patients
Every day, Peter Hawkins wakes up filled with determination to make a difference. As the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Representative in Yemen, he puts that boundless energy into helping young people survive one of the world’s most intractable humanitarian crises.
“Despite serving in some of the most challenging and difficult places, I've been lucky,” he says. “I've loved my life. I have no regrets. Every day I wake up, I feel there's something I can do. There's things I enjoy. So nothing keeps me awake, everything keeps me going during the day.”
After a decade of conflict and collapse, a new generation of Yemenis are yearning for a better tomorrow: “So the children sit there in these classrooms with no walls, no floors, no desks, and learn, and they're proud about what they learn. And they come to me and say, ‘Look, don't worry, we will continue to learn. But if you can give us desks, if you can fill up the walls and you can give us a floor and a blackboard, it will be even better.’”
In this episode, Peter Hawkins reflects on the striking resilience of the people he serves, and shares how his upbringing in Ethiopia and service in Iraq taught him to never give up working for change. For him, the biggest challenge today is not so much about raising awareness, but about action. “It is so important to understand how one side of the world is so lucky and the other side of the world is still desperately poor, and how we bring those two together.”
https://www.un.org/en/awake-at-night/s11-peter-hawkins-nothing-keeps-me-awake-everything-keeps-me-going
Vivian van de Perre’s calling is to help nations transition from conflict to peace. Now the deputy head of peacekeeping in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), she leads a life-saving operation in the rebel-held city of Goma.
“It's tragic and it's unimaginable, but at the same time, people live their lives and they do the best they can, and they remain generous and warm, despite the circumstances that they live in. You go to these places and you see the worst and you see the best, and it's all in one package, and it is just something that really, really touches you. It's not like a regular job.”
A recent peace accord has raised hopes of an end to the violence that has plagued eastern DRC for the past three decades. In this episode, recorded before the peace agreement, Vivian van de Perre reflects on the impact of funding cuts on active war zones, on peacekeeping as a delicate balancing act, and shares why she falls for every place she serves.
“[Losing colleagues is] heartbreaking, and you can't think about it all day long, because it will be so demoralizing you have to keep going. Nobody expects to not come back.”
https://www.un.org/en/awake-at-night/s11-vivian-van-de-perre-working-for-peace-in-the-dr-congo
Yacoub El Hillo spent more than thirty years serving refugees and displaced people in some of the world’s worst conflict zones. But when cataclysmic war erupted in his hometown of Khartoum, Sudan, the Regional Director for Africa at the United Nations Development Coordination Office (DCO) had to help his own family flee the violence.
“I don't think there's any home in Khartoum that was spared … the assumption is that everything is gone.”
Having served in more than 16 duty stations, from Liberia to Syria, Somalia and Afghanistan, Yacoub El Hillo has rarely seen any conflict as devastating as the one currently decimating Sudan. In this episode, he reflects on the scale of the human suffering there, looks back on a rich and varied career with the UN, and shares why all nations deserve a chance to strive for a brighter future.
“[Serving refugees] is not a job, it's a mission, and there's always fire in the belly that keeps you wanting to do more, but also never giving up. This is the UNHCR I joined."
https://www.un.org/en/awake-at-night/s11-yacoub-el-hillo-when-war-comes-home
With her background in human rights law, Georgette Gagnon was once said to represent the conscience of war. Currently serving as the Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan, she has been devastated by the sweeping loss of rights for women and girls there.
“You used to see across the country hundreds of girls going to school... Now, of course, you don't see that, and it's heartbreaking. It's such a huge loss for the entire society,” she says.
Afghanistan has one of the highest numbers of people in need of humanitarian support, and drastic cuts to humanitarian assistance affect access to critical care for millions. In this episode, Georgette Gagnon shares her hopes and fears for a country close to her heart, and reflects on a career serving in some of the world’s toughest places, from Syria to Sudan and Libya.
“If you're working on human rights, that's your job. Having a conscience is about serving humanity. You know, what am I doing every day for human beings, particularly those who are in, you know, a much more challenging situation, we need to support their courage, their resilience, their need to survive...and their rights.”
As a young white activist in South Africa, Nicholas Haysom risked detention to oppose the apartheid regime, later working alongside Nelson Mandela. Now Special Representative of the Secretary-General for South Sudan and Head of the United Nations Mission there, he is still striving tirelessly in pursuit of peace and human rights.
“The lesson of [Nelson] Mandela is not just being a nice person, it's perseverance in your ideals. It'll change the world.”
After a long and varied career, Nicholas (Fink) Haysom is supporting recovery and resilience in South Sudan, the UN’s newest member state. In this episode, he reflects on helping the world’s youngest nation build a better future, on why thorny negotiations are always necessary to move on from any civil war, and on why lasting peace should never be taken for granted.
https://www.un.org/en/awake-at-night/s11-nicholas-haysom-do-not-take-democracy-for-granted
Rather than follow in the footsteps of his late father, a Nobel-prize winning writer, Gonzalo Vargas Llosa opted instead to serve humanity. Now the UN High Commissioner for Refugees’ Representative to Syria, he just witnessed a historic end to 14 years of conflict and crisis.
“There were these long, long lines of cars of Syrian refugees coming back from Lebanon. So many of them stopped the car the moment that they entered Syria, they got out of the car, they kissed the ground … saying we are so happy to be back in this new Syria.”
The fall of the Assad regime has brought fresh hope for millions of displaced Syrians. Yet with a lack of housing, services and jobs still preventing most from returning, the UN is calling for action to support returnees. In this episode, Gonzalo Vargas Llosa looks back on a career full of seismic turning points, and reflects on the painful sacrifices of a life spent in service.
https://www.un.org/en/awake-at-night/s11-gonzalo-vargas-llosa-what-next-for-syria-refugees
Our troubled world can be a source of great joy, and great suffering. United Nations staff witness both, day in day out, as they serve humanity in some of the toughest places on earth. They do so at considerable risk, and with shrinking resources. Yet despite all the challenges, dedicated UN staff around the world continue to find the strength to keep making a difference to millions of lives.
Join UN chief communicator Melissa Fleming as she gets to know the extraordinary people dedicating their lives to service.
Coming soon from the United Nations, Season 11 of Awake at Night.
Having grown up in war-torn rural Zimbabwe, Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda overcame extreme hardship to pursue a career at the highest levels of the United Nations. Now UN Assistant Secretary-General, and one of two deputy executive directors of UN Women, she wants little girls everywhere to aspire to the same heights.
“Peace is a prerequisite. It's so critical for development… for unleashing the potential of the little girls. Peace is so important for enabling mothers, widows to give the best they can.”
UN Women works to uphold women’s human rights and ensure that every woman and girl lives up to her full potential. In this episode, Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda reflects on a childhood touched by war, poverty and disease, on a lifelong love of learning, and on how a recent accident gave her a new perspective on inequality.
"Never let your circumstances determine your future. They are just a stepping stone to who you truly are."
Catherine Russell never forgets the children she meets. As Executive Director of UNICEF, she bears witness to the stories of tens of millions of children and young people suffering around the world, and shares causes for optimism and hope wherever she finds it.
“Children just want to be children. No matter what, the bleakest situation, the most terrible things, they still want to play right? They want to find some joy. They want to just be kids, and I think that's what we have to all work to protect.”
2024 was one of the worst years on record for children in conflict, a devastating statistic that the United Nations is refusing to accept as a deadly new normal. In this episode*, Catherine Russell reflects on the impacts of childhood trauma, the limits of human resilience, and looks back on a childhood spent trick-or-treating for UNICEF.
* Episode recorded end of 2024
Carmen Corbin dreamt of serving with the United Nations from an early age. Now head of transnational organized crime, illicit trafficking and terrorism prevention programs at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in East Africa, she is dedicated to protecting children from shocking online exploitation.
“We won't know who is real and who is not real. We can't keep up. All of us, in some way, shape or form, will potentially suffer from the fact that we won't be able to trust anyone or trust anybody that we meet, because you're never sure if that person is truly who they say they are.”
The UNODC supports law enforcement efforts in tackling all transnational organized crime and counter terrorism, including cybercrime. In this episode, Carmen Corbin reflects on the challenges of overseeing a wide portfolio, on the psychological strain of prosecuting the worst kinds of cybercrimes and shares her advice for a successful international career.
Celeste Saulo has always been fascinated by the weather. Now Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), she is seeing climate breakdown warp global weather systems beyond recognition, with devastating impacts on countless lives and livelihoods.
“We can see how many people are suffering…We can see that people are running out of food, are running out of water, and the real narrative is that this will affect everyone sooner or later.”
The United Nations Secretary General has issued a red alert for the planet after a full decade of record-breaking heat driven by human activity. In this episode, Celeste Saulo reflects on our shared responsibility to future generations, on an emotional meeting with the Pope, and on why she can never give up hope.
“If you work with youth, you need to have hope, because for me, it's not fair not having hope… We need to work along the lines we believe are better opportunities for them, and we need to engage them, and I would say, to follow them.”
Having overcome a childhood marked by violence, abuse and neglect, Benjamin Perks has always drawn strength from an innate sense of optimism. Now Head of Campaigns and Advocacy at UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, he helps protect young people in similar situations all over the world.
“I think it was very clear that we were in a bad spot, though, being dealt a bad hand, but I was somehow optimistic that things would be better.”
Having recently authored a book about his experiences, Trauma Proof, Benjamin Perks reflects in this episode on a lifetime campaigning for all children to be safe, seen, and soothed, and on how an encounter with a special teacher put his life back on track.
“When I held my son in my arms, I knew that what had happened to me was now unimaginable to myself… that made me ask the question, if I can heal from it, if I can recover and not transmit it to my child, can we do this for the whole of humanity?”
UN official Laura Dolci was feeding her baby son when she heard the devastating news that her husband Jean-Sélim Kanaan had been killed in a suicide bomb attack on the UN Headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq. It was August 19, 2003: the darkest day in UN history, and the darkest day in her life.
Just days before, she recalled, “he kissed us goodbye, and I remember telling him in my joking way: ‘Be sure you come back.’”
Working through tremendous trauma, Laura Dolci became a fierce advocate for terrorism victims – calling for recognition and support to those affected by what she calls a senseless crime. At the United Nations, she is now a distinguished leader in international human rights. In this episode, Laura reflects on the meaning of the term resilience, on her late husband’s legacy, and on her hopes for their son.
“One of the first things I had to tell [my son] was, ‘Your father was killed.’ … The weight of that word in a family is big. How do you make sure that the next generation can still believe in justice, in mediation, in respect, in resolving tensions and conflicts?”
As a doctor, Dr. Hans Kluge helped save lives in some of the toughest places on Earth. Now the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Europe, he is working to improve the health of hundreds of millions of people - in a region stretching from Vladivostok to Lisbon.
“We cannot have health without peace. Peace is the most urgent medicine.”
Stepping into his European role just as a global pandemic swept the earth, Dr. Kluge never dreamed that his previous experience in crisis-hit sub-Saharan Africa would prove so useful. In this episode, Dr. Kluge reflects on lessons learned during COVID, the mental health crisis, and on some surprising methods to build trust with remote communities.
“My dream and my vision is that we have a culture of health. It means that, independent of your financial means, your sexual orientation, whether you are documented or an undocumented migrant, that you are empowered to live a healthy life, and this means that we have to have universal health coverage.”
Arif Husain has spent the past decade raising his voice on behalf of those struggling to get enough to eat. Now Chief Economist at the World Food Programme (WFP), he is calling for the world to put a stop to mass hunger.
“We want people to scream at the top of their lungs saying enough is enough […] We as humanity will not tolerate this, regardless of what and where it is happening. It's just not right if you are hurting women, children, innocent people.”
There is no shortage of food in the world, yet the WFP says the number of people going hungry has more than doubled in the past five years. In this episode, Arif Husain reflects on how the deadly trio of conflict, climate change and economics conspire to breed hunger, and offers listeners hope from a surprising source.
“I tell my colleagues … as humanitarians, our jobs are bigger than us… We don't do our job, we lose people. So every time you feel like you don't have to do 100 plus percent, just think about that.”
Conflict, famine, humanitarian disasters, climate change. Our world and its peoples are facing huge challenges. Wherever and whenever crisis hits, United Nations staff are on the ground saving lives and negotiating at the highest levels to alleviate suffering.
This work is only possible due to the personal sacrifices made every day by UN workers around the world. So, what motivates someone to lead the global fight for human rights, equality, or justice? Join UN chief communicator Melissa Fleming as she gets to know the extraordinary people behind the Organization.
Coming soon from the United Nations, Season 10 of the podcast Awake at Night.
Acclaimed actor, filmmaker and three-time Academy Award nominee Edward Norton has long been raising his voice on behalf of the planet and its most vulnerable communities. As a UN Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity, he is championing the protection of biodiversity for the well-being of all.
“It’s quite heartbreaking. I started diving, when I was 14, in the Caribbean. The change to the reef environments in the Caribbean in my adult lifetime is staggering and really upsetting. Reefs are in just terrible shape, terrible shape. Bleached, covered with algae, fish a fraction of what they were. What was vibrant and colorful and rich is just sort of denuded. It looks like a burnt forest or something. It’s just not, it’s not as alive.”
Working closely with communities in East Africa and around the world, Edward Norton is pushing for conservation that also tackles poverty by providing sustainable sources of income for local communities.
In this special episode, the Hollywood star reflects on his activist upbringing, his hopes for his children, and on balancing a successful acting career with a rich, varied and meaningful life.
Muhannad Hadi knew that humanitarian work was his calling from an early age. Now UN Deputy Special Coordinator and humanitarian coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, he is devoting himself to helping to alleviate the unimaginable suffering in Gaza.
“They told me that agony, 24/7. They told me what they go through from the morning until they drop asleep, out of exhaustion. And I promised that I will tell the story.”
The UN estimates that the ongoing conflict in Gaza has displaced up to 1.9 million people – 90% of the population - many of whom have fled multiple times. In this episode, Muhannad Hadi reflects on the horrendous conditions in Gaza, the importance of having a supportive family, and how his time volunteering in Jordan led to a lifelong humanitarian career.
Growing up as a refugee in Burundi, Juliette Murekeyisoni dedicated herself to helping others from an early age. In her recent role as UNHCR’s deputy representative in South Sudan, she continued to keep hope alive by encouraging refugees to focus on their education and long-term perspectives.
“For me, every time I meet them, I tell them: “Don't lose hope, you are not going to be a refugee forever. One day you'll go home, and you can use the skills you have learned here. So, any opportunity you have, learn.”
South Sudan hosts around 330,000 refugees as well as 2 million others internally displaced due to conflict, insecurity and the impact of climate change. In this episode, Juliette Murekeyisoni reflects on improving prospects of those forced to flee, on her own traumatic experiences during the Rwandan genocide, and on a life touched by the kindness of strangers.
Matthew Hollingworth has worked in conflict zones around the world, from Ukraine to South Sudan and Syria. Previously in charge of the World Food Programme’s (WFP) emergency operations in the West Bank and Gaza, Matthew was responsible for delivering life-saving aid to desperate people.
“People ask me every single day when I'm in Gaza: “When will the bombs stop? When will the fighting stop? When will they stop blowing things up? When can I go home?” We don't have the answers. But we do know that that is what's needed.”
WFP delivers food relief to more than 120 countries across the world suffering the impacts of conflicts, disasters and climate change. In this episode (recorded on 21 June 2024), Matthew Hollingworth reflects on his daily struggle to prevent famine in Gaza, on the apocalyptic scale of the destruction there, and on the morale boost he gets from working with extraordinary colleagues on the ground.
Growing up on a farm, Beth Bechdol never dreamed of following in her agricultural family’s footsteps. Now Deputy Director-General of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), she has not only returned to her roots, but is now fighting the corner of farmers the world over.
“I know what it takes to grow a crop and to provide enough support for your animals. And if you don't have access to any of that, it's crushing. These are the things that on a regular basis keep me up at night.”
The United Nations works to defeat hunger and achieve food security around the world, providing emergency agricultural aid to help mitigate food crises. In this episode, Beth Bechdol reflects on the perils of donor fatigue, on the devastation wrought on agriculture by war and climate change, and on what the world can learn from the wisdom of farmers.
Born in Brazil to German parents, Achim Steiner knows first hand the power of cultural exchange to drive international cooperation. Now head of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), he leads global efforts to secure a better future for our planet and its people.
“The clearest lesson from 50 years of modern development thinking is don't try and just pick one aspect and put all your eggs in that basket. Society is complex, development is about choices. And you will either get them right and succeed or you will fall apart.”
Across the world, the UN supports efforts to end poverty, tackle climate change, and break barriers to progress and development. Yet brutal conflicts can reverse decades of progress in a few short months. In this episode, Achim Steiner reflects on the thorniest challenges facing humanity, on his hopes for a fairer, cleaner future, and on the vital lessons he learned in rural Pakistan.
“How, in our age, do we overcome this competition between ecology and economy, which is leading us to so many destructive and ultimately, increasingly catastrophic realities around the world?”
Volker Türk has the greatest respect for those able to hold onto hope when all appears to be lost. As United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, he has devoted his life and career to helping the world’s most vulnerable people.
“What has always struck me was encounters with people who are extremely resilient … who actually see hope, including in the most atrocious circumstances, and who just keep doing the right thing.”
The Office he leads works around the world to uphold human rights, speaking out against all abuses and empowering people to claim their rights. In this episode, Volker Türk reflects on holding rulebreakers to account, the strength displayed by refugees, and why the best ideas often arrive in the dead of night.
“Human rights … is the strongest tool that we have in our hands to be a voice of those who don't have power and to speak truth to those who have the power and to make sure that they understand that yes, that there are limits to power.”
Amy Pope has always championed humane and orderly migration as an opportunity for societies, not a problem. Now the first female Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) she is campaigning for a fundamental shift in attitudes towards newcomers.
“You just give somebody a little space. Everybody has purpose. Everybody has dreams, everybody wants to be seen.”
Human migration is likely to rise over the coming decades, with the IOM predicting that hundreds of millions of people could be displaced due to climate change alone. In this episode, Amy Pope reflects on how better to prepare communities and why celebrating the contributions of migrants is a win-win for societies around the world.
“The evidence is pretty overwhelming that it doesn't even take very long for migration to actually pay out pretty significantly for the communities who host the migrants, and definitely for the communities that migrants are coming from.”
Big or small, Joyce Msuya has always found ways to give back. Now Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, she oversees the global response to the world’s worst crises.
“For me, personally, it's a privilege to serve humanity. I wake up every morning and think about how I can shift the needle in someone's life.”
From Gaza to Ukraine, Haiti to Sudan, the UN estimates 300 million people around the world are in need of life-saving assistance and protection. In this episode, Joyce Msuya reflects on keeping hope alive despite waking to fresh crises every day, on the shocking impacts of climate-related extreme weather, and on the long-term benefits of a strict boarding school.
“A peaceful world would be a gift for all humanity. There's just too much suffering everywhere. If we can live a better and more peaceful world for our children than what we are currently living with, then humanity will be well served.”
Doreen Bogdan-Martin’s fascinating career handed her a front row seat for the digital revolution. Now Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), she’s among those leading global efforts to set guardrails on the use of Artificial Intelligence.
“I think we've never seen anything like this before … the plane is in flight and we're building it while we're flying - it's tremendous.”
AI presents huge opportunities for humanity, but also poses great risks. In this episode, Doreen Bogdan-Martin reflects on working to ensure the humane and sustainable use of AI, on connecting the billions around the world who are not yet online, and on juggling a career with four children.
“2.6 billion people don't have access to the internet … if you're not part of the digital revolution, you're not going to be part of the AI revolution – we’ve got to close that gap.”
Appointed to a senior UN role aged just 26, Jayathma Wickramanayake’s career trajectory testifies to the power of education. Now senior policy advisor at UN Women, she is working to empower all women and girls to fulfill their potential – whatever their background.
“I was never told that because I was a girl, I couldn't do X, Y or Z. [My parents] always encouraged us to explore our passions … as long as we put education first, because that was non-negotiable.”
Despite significant progress on gender parity, too many girls and women still miss out on quality education, with women making up about two-thirds of the world’s 776 million illiterate adults. In this episode, Jayathma Wickramanayake reflects on the global hunger for learning, her beginnings in conflict-ridden Sri-Lanka, and her hopes for her own baby son.
“I would always say, don't wait for advice. Don't wait for invitations. Just look around, you will find ways to contribute to change in your own family, in your own community, in your college, in your university and in your country.”
A former child refugee, Mohamed Yahya knows the life-long pain of yearning for a lost home. That’s why some of his most emotional experiences with the United Nations have involved helping displaced people return to their towns years after they fled a brutal conflict.
“A little bit of me was, I must say, envious of them, that they're able to go back home. I always imagine how I'll feel when I go back home without fear.”
Until recently working with internally displaced communities in northern Nigeria, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Pakistan is a life-long champion of community-led development. In this episode, Mohamed Yahya reflects on the challenge of rebuilding scattered communities, on his experiences of being a refugee twice, and on the lasting allure of home.
“Somebody who lived in an IDP camp … [is] suddenly back home, in dignity, self-reliant and thinking, ‘I want to reimagine what life means for me’ … Yes, I'm very proud.”
Philippe Lazzarini holds one of the most challenging positions in the whole of the United Nations. As head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), he is leading the backbone of the humanitarian operation in Gaza.
“Ceasefire, ceasefire, ceasefire. If we have a ceasefire and the opening of the crossing, and we can flood assistance to the Gaza Strip, we would be able to prevent this catastrophe.”
Following the devastating terror attacks by Hamas and others on 7 October, Israel’s military operations in Gaza have brought unspeakable death and destruction.
2.2 million Palestinians are in the midst of an epic humanitarian catastrophe. The world’s leading experts on food insecurity have clearly documented that famine in the northern part of Gaza is imminent. The healthcare system is collapsing. Desperation and scarcity have led to a near-total breakdown in law and order.
In this episode**, Philippe Lazzarini reflects on the trauma of the past months and the human cost of war.
** Episode recorded on 22 April 2024
Conflict, humanitarian disasters, climate change. Our world and its people are facing huge challenges. Wherever and whenever crisis hits, the United Nations staff are both on the ground saving lives and negotiating at the highest levels to alleviate suffering. This work is only possible due to the personal sacrifices made every day by UN staff around the world. So, what motivates someone to lead the global fight for human rights, equality, or justice?
Join UN chief communicator Melissa Fleming as she gets to know the extraordinary people behind the organisation.
Coming soon from the United Nations, Season 9 of Awake at Night.
Karolina Lindholm Billing was posted to Ukraine less than a year before the full-scale Russian invasion. As the UNHCR Representative in the country, she draws hope from witnessing the power of community volunteer networks in supporting displaced people in their hour of need.
“Volunteers from all areas of society have helped people who have been directly impacted by the war. They're cooking meals, giving clothing, giving money, opening their homes.”
War has forced around one-third of Ukrainians from their homes, in what is currently one of the world’s largest human displacement crises. UNHCR is assisting them with housing, cash, and legal assistance. In this episode, Karolina Lindholm Billing reflects on Ukrainian resilience, the drive to rebuild, and why people long to stay in their own homes, even in a war zone.
Cindy McCain has many pressing reasons to lie awake at night. As Head of the World Food Programme, it is her job to make sure the millions of vulnerable people around the world who are relying on United Nations food assistance – from Gaza to Sudan to Afghanistan – don’t starve.
“Our job is to give hope and help by giving food to those who really need it most. And that's what we do.”
Hunger is still one the biggest – and most solvable – problems globally, causing 783 million people around the world to go to bed on an empty stomach every night. In this episode, recorded four weeks into the war in Gaza, Cindy McCain reflects on finding hope in desperate situations, and raising her voice for the world’s forgotten millions.
Christian Ritscher’s work brings him into contact with some of humanity’s worst outrages. As head of the United Nations investigative team to promote accountability for the crimes committed by ISIL in Iraq, he seeks justice for victims of the notoriously violent terror group.
“Justice gives relief not only to the victims, but to a prosecutor as well. That is what keeps you upright and keeps you going on and says it is meaningful what you're doing.”
Islamic State, or ISIL, stands accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Iraq’s Yazidi community were among those worst hit, with thousands killed or enslaved by the group. In this episode, Christian Ritscher reflects on the impact on survivors, the difficulty of gathering testimony and on keeping faith in humanity when faced with its darkest acts.
“When you're an investigator, you'll see pretty clearly that ISIL did not hesitate at all to commit these crimes, while terrorizing the population and trying to establish their own caliphate or regime.”
A committed public servant, Gordon Brown has a strong sense of social responsibility. Now United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is working towards a powerful vision: giving every child the chance to go to school.
“There is talent, there is potential, there is brilliance in all parts of the world. There's a new Einstein, there's a new Malala, you name the brilliant people around the world. But some of them have been denied the chance, even now, to have even the most basic education at school. And so, if 260 million school aged children are not going to school today, or any day, what a waste.”
Modern slavery, trafficking, and child marriage are just some of the factors that contribute to an eyewatering 16% of youth worldwide missing out on school. In this episode, Gordon Brown reflects on the power of education to unleash hidden talent, on his own political legacy, and on why he still believes collaboration is the key to solving global crises.
Dr. Alice Jill Edwards spends many of her days listening to the testimonies of torture victims. Now the UN’s Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, she works towards a world in which torture is finally a thing of the past.
“I do remember the faces of most of the people I've met, and in fact, they keep me going in this work. And at the same time, of course, their stories haunt me.”
The United Nations Convention on Torture bans all forms of torture and other inhuman treatment, and yet these malpractices are on the rise worldwide in a mounting number of conflicts. In this episode, Dr. Alice Jill Edwards reflects on the challenge of holding states to their commitments, the visible and invisible scars torture leaves behind, and on the need to recharge without guilt.
A former judge, Catherine Marchi-Uhel has spent a lifetime pursuing justice. Now, leading the quest for accountability for atrocities and war crimes committed in the Syrian civil war, she finds comfort in survivors’ resilience and their determination to move on with their lives.
“In Syria, I was really struck by this lack of revenge. I haven't seen many people wanting revenge. They want justice. And that's really a very powerful attitude.”
Since 2016, the UN’s IIIM (International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism) has been helping investigate and prosecute the most serious atrocities committed in Syria during the devastating conflict. In this episode, Catherine Marchi-Uhel, head of the IIIM, reflects on the painstaking job of documenting brutality, the importance of preserving evidence, and how she keeps faith in the face of humanity’s darkest crimes.
Lewis Pugh was never afraid to take the plunge. Now ocean advocate for the United Nations Environment Programme, the record-breaking cold-water swimmer has completed long distance swims at both of the earth’s Poles, in the Red Sea, and along the length of the Hudson River, to spread a message of habitat renewal and conservation.
“The first thing that happens is I can't breathe and I’m gasping for air. And the cold just grips its way around you. And you just got to try and control your mind, because there's a moment when you feel like panicking because there's nothing like this.”
Healthy oceans, seas and rivers are essential to supporting life on Earth - providing food, medicine, and acting as the world’s largest carbon sink. In this episode, Lewis Pugh reflects on his love for the water, on his breathtaking swims, and on breaking the diplomatic ice to create the world’s largest marine park.
Erasmia Roumana’s job requires extraordinary strength. Working in Greece as a protection associate with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, she interviews refugees who have survived devastating shipwrecks at sea after embarking on desperate journeys in search of a better life.
“I have seen some very horrible situations. And I always wonder at that moment, how can people survive this? How can people move on after this?”
One tragic story stood out over the years. In 2014, Syrian refugee Doaa survived three days at sea following a shipwreck which killed 500 people, including her fiancé. In this episode, Erasmia Roumana shares the latest fateful twist in Doaa’s story and reflects on the courage and resilience of the survivors she meets.
Stephen Jackson fell hard for Africa three decades ago, and never looked back. Now the UN Resident Coordinator in Kenya, he channels his passion into his work, bringing together UN agencies to support the continent in its drive for sustainable development.
“Sometimes in this job, you just end up falling in love with the country where you work. Kenya is a very special place, and I think is a country on an extraordinary upwards curve, a very rapid one. You meet incredibly inspiring people here, and I love it to bits.”
Africa is a continent set on rapid development, with many observers pointing to Kenya’s maturing democracy and green transition as a model for other nations. In this episode, Stephen Jackson reflects on Africa’s fascinating diversity, as well as its invigorating self-confidence, resilience and ambition.
Reena Ghelani knows all too well the jarring silence of a crowded malnutrition ward. Now United Nations Assistant Secretary-General, Famine Prevention and Response Coordinator, she spends every day working on the frontlines of the global fight against hunger.
“You expect children to cry if they're suffering, but they don't even have the energy to cry. And the other thing is, I found that the mothers or the fathers are also silent. You know, luckily, many children survive when they get treatment, they are able to keep living.”
A deadly cocktail of conflict, climate change, and economic shocks have driven record numbers of people around the world to the brink of starvation. In this episode, Reena Ghelani reflects on the horrific impacts of hunger, on the lengths parents will go to feed a child and shares her advice for women pursuing a career as a humanitarian.
What does it take to be a United Nations worker in some of the world’s most complex and dangerous places? How are UN humanitarians, human rights advocates, prosecutors, development experts, climate leaders and peacekeepers improving our world? Stationed in all reaches of the world and witness to suffering and atrocities, how are they helping people and coping themselves?
To find out, Melissa Fleming meets them.
Coming soon: from the United Nations, season 8 of Awake at Night.
Growing up in Liberia, Sara Beysolow Nyanti is no stranger to the lasting pain of a country ravaged by recurring violence. As Former Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan, she often encountered the anguish of those bearing the psychological scars of war.
“This woman [told me] we have nightmares … And she talked about losing her four children and she said it without crying. My heart was crying while she was speaking … I couldn't bear it.”
Reeling from decades of conflict, South Sudan is now suffering the devastating impacts of climate change. Floods have hit many areas, forcing locals to share dry land with deadly snakes. In this episode, Sara Beysolow Nyanti reflects on the mounting climate threat, prospects for peace, and retaining hope in one of the world’s most dangerous places.
“How can I not have sleepless nights when you have to choose between whether you fund the services for gender-based violence, or whether you fund the services for food, because for some children, it's only that one meal in school that they have all day.”
“It's not just food and assistance, you need to give these children a life, a life of full opportunities… So, I think we're so far from where we need to go, to make the difference.”
When thousands fled the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov, fearing the loss of millions of lives, stayed on. Every day since, the former UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in the country has fought to ease the acute suffering of its people.
“I believe we are the last, best hope that humanity has. And we have to stand for it. For [many] we represent this larger world of justice, the moral compass. We must keep that.”
More than 9 in 10 Afghans now live in poverty, with 24.4 million reliant on humanitarian aid. Meanwhile, mounting restrictions on freedoms have excluded millions of women from work and study. In this episode, Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov reflects on three painful years of Taliban rule, on the desperate need for long-term prospects, and on finding hope amid the darkness.
“Imagine someone sitting under plastic sheeting and munching on a high energy biscuit and waiting - now for 20 years. That provisional shelter and biscuit will save your life today. But without education, health services, jobs, or income … you will run, you will join a radical group, you will eventually end up selling children, and organs.”
Cristina Duarte always brings great passion to any task she takes on. Now Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Africa, she works tirelessly to help the continent imagine a better tomorrow, one which not only meets its people’s needs, but also fulfills their dreams.
“The Africa we want is the Africa the world needs … [one that gives Africans] the social space to fully exercise all the entitlements of a human being.”
Born to an activist father who was integral to independence movements across Lusophone Africa, Cristina Duarte grew up instilled with Pan-African values. In this episode, the former finance minister reflects on her role in reforming Cabo Verde’s economy, on bringing power to remote villages, and how one chance encounter changed her mind about marriage.
A pediatrician by training, Najat Maalla M'jid has always been dedicated to rescuing children from suffering. Now United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children, she works tirelessly to protect young people around the world.
“What I learned in my life, it's the eyes. […] When you are speaking with children, when you have light in their eyes, it's still possible. When the light switches off, it’s too late.”
Half of the world’s children are exposed to violence every year, often leaving devastating, lasting impacts on their mental health. In this episode, Najat Maalla M'jid reflects on the importance of rapid intervention in cases of violence against children and the extraordinary courage and resilience of youth.
"You hear some policymakers telling us our children are our future. They are not your future. You are the past; they are the present and they are their own future.”
Dr. David Nabarro has dedicated his life to global health. After a long career that’s taken him from the horrors of war torn Iraq, to the devastating aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami, he is still spurred to action by the tremendous inequalities in global access to medical care.
“The thing that keeps me awake most at night is the rampant inequities in our world…We see an awful lot of needless suffering.”
A passionate advocate for sustainable development, David Nabarro has seen in his own family how medicine can transform lives. In this episode, he reflects on his lifelong struggle against inequality, the lessons of misfortune, and why communication is always at the heart of healing.
“We're not doing this work to make ourselves feel better … [but] because we are totally convinced that it's not necessary in today's wealthy world … for so many people to be experiencing hardship [and] have their lives and their livelihoods imperiled.”
Denise Brown knows what it takes to work under the shadow of war. As UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, she and her team must brave considerable risks as they strive to meet the colossal humanitarian needs of the Ukrainian people in the midst of a brutal war.
“The missiles slow us down, but they don’t stop us. That's testament to the courage, determination, and experience of the people we have there.”
Close to 18 million Ukrainians are now in need of humanitarian aid and protection. Millions have been forced from their homes by intense fighting that has killed and injured thousands. In this episode, Denise Brown reflects on life under bombardment, on the dangers of trips to the front line, and on making a difference in the most difficult of circumstances.
“We're in [some] places where very few others are. And we have the means, the experience, the capacity, that determination to be there. We are very strong when we want to be. And that inspires me.”
Sajjad Malik witnessed terrible suffering during the Syrian crisis. As UNHCR’s former representative in the country, he oversaw one of the UN Refugee Agency’s toughest and most dangerous operations.
“There are certain images that will stay with me for a very long time. Because those are the images that cannot be forgotten overnight.”
Since the war in Syria started in 2011 more than 5.7 million people have fled the country. Another 6.9 million are internally displaced. In this special bitesize episode, Sajjad Malik reflected on the catastrophic conditions he witnessed there and the lasting impact of those memories.
“I'm seeing women, children, elderly, boys, girls suffering in there. And it's, it's my duty to make sure that we talk about it, and then do something about it.”
With her writing, Amanda Khozi Mukwashi wants to change the conversation on race, gender, and identity. Now United Nations Resident Coordinator in Lesotho, she has written a book exploring the struggle for equity and the historical baggage of slavery and colonization.
“Let's talk about it a little more freely, not for it to hold our hands and tie them, but for it to liberate us to think differently.”
Moving back to the UK after leaving a high-level development post in Zambia, Amanda Khozi Mukwashi got tired of being asked where she was really from. In this episode, she reflects on the discrimination she has faced, on the rich family history she inherited from her grandmother, and on discovering her own multifaceted identity.
“I realized I'm a black person and that people see the color of my skin first, before they see who I am and what I'm capable of doing…that was the rude awakening.”
Ulrika Richardson has dedicated her life to the UN. As resident and humanitarian coordinator in Haiti, her belief in the organization’s idealistic values drives her to brave significant dangers in her mission to alleviate the suffering she has witnessed there.
“When you see people suffer, those images stay with you … that keeps you awake, and it should keep you awake.”
Life in Haiti remains precarious. Armed gangs, cholera, and fuel and food shortages mean violence, hunger, disease, and deprivation are everyday hurdles for millions of Haitians. In this episode, Ulrika Richardson reflects on the scale of their suffering, on preserving the dignity of those in need, and on the importance of saying goodbye.
Matilda Bogner’s job is to bear witness to unspeakable crimes. As head of the United Nations Human Rights mission in Ukraine, she and her team record accounts of horrific abuses and rights violations in a bid to bring the perpetrators to justice and ease the victims’ suffering.
“It's a very complicated job, but it is meeting people and finding out their stories. It's giving voices to victims. That's what motivates me.”
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has devastated millions of lives. Civilians have been subjected to summary executions, disappearances, arbitrary arrests, and mass rape. In this episode, Matilda Bogner reflects on the scale of these horrors, the mental health impact of documenting them, and on her urgent quest to raise the alarm with the rest of the world.
Growing up at a time of war in Bangladesh, Irene Khan learned first-hand how access to trustworthy information can save lives. Now UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, she advocates for reliable information for all, especially during conflict.
“Access to information from outside the conflict from a source that we felt was verifiable and trustworthy, was so important for us as a family to know whether we flee, whether we stay, should we go east or west. That's why I call it a survivor right.”
Social media has connected, informed, and empowered our world like never before. Yet malicious lies and hate speech spread online are causing real harm to our societies. In this episode, Irene Khan reflects on curbing harm while preserving vital freedoms, on the responsibilities of states and platforms, and reveals how she lets off steam in the kitchen.
Alfred Orono’s childhood came to an abrupt end when he was recruited as a soldier in Uganda, when he was just 11 years old. Now Chief of Child Protection at the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), he draws on his own experience as a child soldier to help young people find a peaceful way forward.
“I work with children who, when I look at them, I know exactly what's going on in their minds. I know how they feel. And I'm part of the solution to their problems.”
Every year, thousands of children are recruited by warring parties around the world. Yet their troubles rarely end after the conflict is over. Having suffered violence, abuse, and exploitation, many struggle to rebuild their lives. In this episode, Alfred Orono reflects on his own experience, the hope it gives to former child soldiers, and on living life without regrets.
Staffan de Mistura has dedicated his life to making a difference. Now the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, he spent a large part of his 48-year career at the UN striving for an end to some of the most intractable conflicts of modern times.
“I have no regrets. I would have never chosen another type of job. I think you can [make a difference] even in the worst-case scenario - always.”
From Syria and Afghanistan to Sudan and Iraq, the seasoned diplomat is known for bringing creative thinking to the negotiating table even when others have lost hope. In this episode, Staffan de Mistura reflects on harnessing constructive outrage as a driving force, on his determination in the face of despair, and why at 75, he isn’t ready to retire just yet.
Chris Mburu’s life was transformed by a small act of kindness. Now the UN Resident Coordinator in the Republic of Congo, he grew up in a Kenyan family struggling to afford his education. That was until a stranger in Sweden offered to pay for him to go to school.
“When I look at poverty, it evokes memories of my own childhood. What keeps me going is the desire to keep as many people as possible out of poverty, because I remember my past, and where I was, I really do not want to see anybody there.”
After attending Harvard, the now UN human rights lawyer wanted to give back. Having found his long-lost childhood benefactor, Holocaust survivor Hilde Back, he set up a scholarship in her name to put Kenyan children through school. In this episode, Chris Mburu reflects on his own path out of poverty, the transformational power of development, and the ripple effect of small acts.
Deborah Lyons knows how to keep a cool head in a crisis. Last August, when the Taliban seized power, the Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) was responsible for ensuring the safety of staff across the country, among them many women.
“I don't think anyone expected the chaos, the sadness, the carnage, the enormous shock of what happened in August.”
Since returning to power, the Taliban have severely curtailed women’s rights. Millions of women and girls are now excluded from work and school, contrary to initial assurances from Afghanistan’s new leaders. In this episode, Deborah Lyons reflects on the tragedy facing Afghan women, the trauma of the Taliban takeover, and what it takes to lead in turbulent times.
“I would have drivers say to me, ma'am, please help me. Tell me what to say to my daughter. She can't go to school. She cries every day.”
Deborah Lyons knows how to keep a cool head in a crisis. Last August, when the Taliban seized power, the Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) was responsible for ensuring the safety of staff across the country, among them many women.
“I don't think anyone expected the chaos, the sadness, the carnage, the enormous shock of what happened in August.”
Since returning to power, the Taliban have severely curtailed women’s rights. Millions of women and girls are now excluded from work and school, contrary to initial assurances from Afghanistan’s new leaders. In this episode, Deborah Lyons reflects on the tragedy facing Afghan women, the trauma of the Taliban takeover, and what it takes to lead in turbulent times.
“I would have drivers say to me, ma'am, please help me. Tell me what to say to my daughter. She can't go to school. She cries every day.”
Adiba Qasim has shown extraordinary courage and resilience. She narrowly escaped when her village was stormed by Islamic State militants who killed and enslaved thousands of Yazidis. This is her story.
“We were surrounded by the Islamic State. And we had no weapons even to fight. We had nothing. We were left alone.”
Returning to northern Iraq in 2015, Adiba threw herself into humanitarian work, aiding survivors who had been enslaved by the militants. In this special bitesize episode she reflects on the horrors she witnessed, on battling survivors’ guilt, and on her motivation to help others.
Ugochi Daniels was just six years old when her family fled the civil war in Nigeria. Now the International Organization for Migration’s Deputy Director General for Operations, she is often struck by the pain of uprooted children, most recently those escaping from Ukraine.
“I noticed this woman with a 10-year-old boy. He never looked up, his eyes were down, and he never blinked. And I just kept on thinking, what has this boy seen on his journey here?”
Women and children are particularly vulnerable when they have left their home – no matter for what reason. Across the world, IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. In this episode, Ugochi Daniels reflects on efforts to meet the needs of people on the move, and on a life dedicated to the service of others.
Giles Duley used to live the rock’n’roll life of a fashion photographer, but now travels the world’s war zones documenting the lives of those caught up in conflict. He stepped on a landmine while working in Afghanistan and lost three of his limbs, and very nearly his life. This is his story.
“It was a miracle I survived that day. I was just lucky, it just wasn’t my day to go.”
Incredibly fortunate to be alive, few of Giles’ family and friends believed that he would work again after the accident. But he knew otherwise. Photographing Syrian refugees for UNHCR on the Greek islands, he found his way back into life and work. In this special bitesize episode, Giles Duley reflects on his drive to help others, tell life-changing stories, and on finding the strength to return from rock bottom.
Serge Brammertz is one of the world's leading international prosecutors. As Chief Prosecutor of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, he leads the process of tracking down fugitive criminals from wars in the former Yugoslavia, and the genocide in Rwanda.
“Every single person indicted is exactly the opposite of a hero. And the only heroes in fact are the survivors and victims.”
Decades on from the brutal Balkan wars of the 1990s, genocide denial and glorification of war criminals remain rife in the region. In this episode, Serge Brammertz reflects on his life-long quest to bring war criminals to justice, on working with the survivors of genocide, and what he has learned about the human condition.
Despite monitoring multiple global crises, Rebeca Grynspan has never lost her faith in the power of change. As Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), she is assessing the impact of the war in Ukraine on cash-strapped countries still reeling from the pandemic.
“We don't have to be naive, but we have to believe in change, because change has happened. And we can make it happen again.”
A trio of crises – climate change, COVID-19, and the war in Ukraine – are setting global development by decades, with vulnerable countries worst affected by global food and energy shortages. In this episode, Rebeca Grynspan reflects on these setbacks, their disproportionate impact on women, and why the world can never give up on the promise of development.
Monique Sokhan survived the Cambodian genocide, having fled the Khmer Rouge terror when she was just a small child. Now, working as Senior Protection Coordinator, at UNHCR’s Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, she is still searching for answers about the atrocities that killed many of her family members.
“It’s difficult because you’re wondering why others have died and you’re alive. And for those who did not survive […] I felt like having a responsibility somehow to do something that would make them proud of me.”
Dedicating her life to humanitarian work, Monique soon found herself face to face with the very people who were responsible for killing her own family and friends. In this special bitesize episode, she reflects on her quest to understand the perpetrators of genocide, on reserving judgement, and on the unanswered questions that continue to haunt her.
Osnat Lubrani knows first-hand the horrors of war. As UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, she has witnessed the dramatic changes since the Russian invasion and rapidly mounting needs as the war tears lives apart across the country.
“What is keeping me awake at night is the horror of knowing that it hasn't ended yet and that there are more people alive today that are very likely to be dead tomorrow.”
At least 15.7 million Ukrainians are now in urgent need of humanitarian aid, with the UN working to expand existing programs and establish new life-saving operations. Yet access to some of the most vulnerable is proving extremely problematic. In this episode, Osnat Lubrani reflects on the frustrating battle to reach them, what it feels like to receive distressing cries for help, and what gives her hope when all seems lost.
Vladislav Kaim is dedicated to protecting the environment. A member of the UN Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change, he promotes green jobs, the energy transition, and generous climate finance - urgent priorities for our rapidly warming world. Yet the war in Ukraine has blown apart regional and global networks working towards a livable future. “The war is affecting the sustainable development of every single country in our region.”
As a Moldovan, Vladislav Kaim has seen how the devastating war in Ukraine has affected the region and turned people's attention away from the climate emergency. In this episode, he reflects on the effect of the war on long-term climate action, and on his fears for loved ones in the region.
What does it take to stay calm in the crossfire?
Unaisi Vuniwaqa has witnessed terrible suffering. As the Assistant Secretary-General for Safety and Security, she has worked as a UN peacekeeper in some of the world’s most dangerous places.
“Sometimes it can be very overwhelming, you really feel for the people and the suffering that they're going through.”
Peacekeepers have one of the toughest roles in the United Nations. Serving in brutal conflicts such as that in South Sudan can mean drawing on all their reserves of courage and ingenuity. In this episode, Unaisi Vuniwaqa reflects on what it takes to keep a cool head while in mortal danger and on maintaining the safety of UN staff and peacekeepers around the world.
What would it take to make that happen? Bo Viktor Nylund has always been drawn to complex, difficult places. As the Representative of UNICEF in Syria, he is a passionate advocate for the rights of children growing up in one of the world’s most thorny and protracted crises.
“When I meet with children, I just see that there's always that glimpse of hope in their eyes and that drive to make a future for themselves.”
Children continue to bear the brunt of Syria’s decade-old conflict, with millions of childhoods shattered through destruction, displacement, and death. Meanwhile, thousands of children of Islamic State fighters, some as young as 12, are being held indefinitely in camps in the country’s north. In this episode, Bo Viktor Nylund reflects on their grim plight and his determination to do right by every Syrian child hoping for a better future through education.
What is it like living and working in Afghanistan as a woman leader of a UN Agency? Mary-Ellen McGroarty witnessed the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan in August 2021. As Head of the World Food Programme in the country, she has seen first hand the seismic shift in the economic, political and cultural landscape. “Some days, I sometimes wish I hadn't been here before the 15th of August, because then I wouldn't have seen the hope and the promise and the potential.” Now, over 50% of Afghans are threatened with hunger. People are unable to go out to work either because of the economic crisis or, in the case of millions of women, because of new restrictions on their freedom. In this episode, Mary-Ellen McGroarty reflects on the impact of the takeover, the scale of the ensuing humanitarian crisis, and what it’s like sitting face to face with the Taliban.
When war and catastrophe hit, the United Nations is there. Hear from more of the extraordinary people working at the frontlines of the world's most pressing crises in the new season of Awake at Night, coming on 20 May.
How did a boy raised in a small village in Barbados become one of the top United Nations officials tackling climate change?
In this episode of Awake at Night, Selwin Hart takes us on his inspiring life journey -- from growing up in a home without electricity to being at the centre of global negotiations to tackle the climate emergency.
The first person in his family to attend university, Selwin talks about the transformative power of education. He also explains how determination and a sense of community have served as driving forces in his career.
“If we give up, it means that my people in Barbados, my neighbors in the Caribbean, my friends in the Pacific, my friends in Africa, my friends in the developing world, and even folks in rich countries, we would seal their fate… So I refuse to give up.” Selwin says during his conversation with podcast host and UN Global Communications chief Melissa Fleming.
“How obscene it would be for a country…that still has poverty, that still has all these problems, to spend billions in nuclear weapons. What for?”
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi has specialized in non-proliferation and disarmament issues for more than 35 years – ever since he began his career as a diplomat in his native Argentina, when the country's then military dictatorship announced that it had mastered uranium enrichment.
For many, nuclear is a feared technology. But Rafael argues that it’s also a beneficial one. In his conversation with podcast host Melissa Fleming, he explains how advances in nuclear technology have led to pioneering medical treatments and smarter agriculture. He cites the launch of Rays of Hope, a new initiative to harness nuclear technology to scale cancer treatment for women across Africa.
Rafael also shares how meeting atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki drives his work at the helm of the IAEA, known as the world’s ‘nuclear watchdog.’
What is a day like in the life of the epidemiologist heading the global response to COVID-19?
For the past 21 months, WHO COVID-19 Technical Lead Maria Van Kerkhove has been working around the clock with thousands of scientists to try to keep all of us safe.
In this personal and insightful episode, Maria shares her memories of the first moment she became aware of COVID-19 – before most of the world knew it existed – and then she takes us behind the scenes of WHO’s early steps to tackle the crisis.
Maria also talks about what, throughout the entire pandemic, motivates her every day to get out of bed and care for others, at the expense of her family life.
“When I went to China in February 2020… he [my child] was really scared. So, he thought I wasn't coming home and I think everything changed for him. You know, it was this mysterious new virus. Everything was shutting down. People were scared, there was an ominous nature about it and he thought I wasn't coming home. So, for him, that was really scary,” she says.
“I've seen horrible things. I've seen massacres. Human suffering. These are not easy sights to see. The best way I found to deal with that is just to be determined to fix it in some fashion.”
UN Humanitarian Coordinator and Resident Coordinator for Yemen David Gressly has seen some of the worst of man's inhumanity to man during a career of more than 40 years in peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance and development. In this episode, he talks with podcast host Melissa Fleming about what has driven him to devote his life to helping the most vulnerable in some of the most fragile places on earth.
With more than 20 million people in need of assistance and a seven-year ongoing war, Yemen is among the world's worst humanitarian crises. But it’s not just conflict that threatens the Yemeni people. As David explains, every three days someone is injured or even killed by landmines or unexploded ordnance. During this eye-opening conversation, David shares his concerns about the dire situation in Yemen and the likelihood of being able to sustain the humanitarian response in the year ahead.
"Every trafficking story is a story that can shake you to your core. We're talking about children sometimes, about babies… We're talking about women at very vulnerable ages. We're also talking about men that desperately seek employment and find their hands into criminal gangs that would exploit them for sexual purposes to any other purposes."
Ilias Chatzis heads the team fighting human trafficking and migrant smuggling at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. In this episode, he joins podcast host Melissa Fleming to talk about how a man who grew up on a Greek island came to have a burning sense of justice and a crime-fighting career of more than 25 years.
In this conversation, Ilias describes how reports about online abuse of children and sexual predation of women have surged during the COVID-19 pandemic and how criminals are always adapting to new technologies to exploit their victims.
Ilias also shares his concerns over the lack of resources worldwide to fight trafficking and smuggling and why we must learn from history if we are to ever overcome these scourges.
“We took around seven children back to the UNICEF compound here in Kabul… there was a little boy called Mudares who was just three and he came in and he kept saying, ‘Where's my mother? You know, ‘why is my mother not here?’ … We put him on the seesaw, he'd never been on the seesaw before, so I was on one end of the seesaw, and he was on the other… And at one point as he went up high, he shot his hands, both his arms right up high in the air and I said, ‘Hold on, you need to hold on’ and my child protection colleague said to him, ‘Why did you let go, you know, he must hold on?’ And he said, because when I go up high, I feel I can reach the stars and I want one from my mother.’ It was a reminder for us all just to keep going for the children of Afghanistan -- because if Mudares can look to the stars, we can all look to the stars and do better.”
In this episode, UNICEF’s Chief of Communications in Afghanistan Sam Mort speaks to Melissa from Kabul shortly after the Taliban’s takeover. Sam, along with other UN colleagues, has remained in Afghanistan to help the country’s people as they face a worsening humanitarian situation.
She tells stirring stories of loss, reunification and reaching to the stars for hope.
“I see a bravery in Afghanistan's girls and women that I haven't seen anywhere else, because the fears and the threats are real and they acknowledge it. And they move forward,” she says.
“We know that whenever you have these sort of atrocity crimes that happened here [Bosnia and Herzegovina], they're often preceded by hate. They're often preceded by individuals and responsibility, whether they're political leaders, whether they're religious leaders, whether they're average population, putting out hate or putting out ‘the other’ so that religious community is evil, or they're responsible for XYZ.”
Ingrid Macdonald is the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She is tasked with spearheading the UN’s efforts to support development in a country still deeply scarred by ethnic divisions and the legacy of war and the 1995 genocide at Srebrenica.
Ingrid, who was raised in a small New Zealand mining town, joined the UN in 2016. But she has a long record of working in humanitarian, development and human rights jobs around the world, from Darfur to the Philippines and from Peru to Ukraine.
In this insightful episode, she talks about the challenges she faced in many of those roles and her vivid memories of trying to advocate for the vulnerable, including her time helping women in Afghanistan.
Since relocating to Sarajevo in early 2020, just as COVID-19 was taking hold across the world, Ingrid has been focused on finding ways to bring divided communities together as well as tackle hate speech and genocide denial, just 26 years after Bosnian Serb forces massacred 8,000 Muslim men and boys at Srebrenica.
“When I could no longer pursue the dream of being an artist because my hands became too weak to hold a pencil, I needed to dream, a new dream, and I realized that that is, in itself, a gift to be able to sort of pivot and change direction and ask yourself, what else? That I still have my spirit. I still have my mind and I still have a deep desire and yearning for an extraordinary life. And I still want to be of service to humanity and the world.”
Eddie Ndopu is an award-winning disability activist from South Africa and one of 17 United Nations advocates for the Sustainable Development Goals. Diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy, a rare degenerative condition, and given only five years to live, he is now 30 and has dedicated his life to ensure that the voices of those at greatest risk of being left behind are being amplified and heard worldwide.
During this inspiring episode, Eddie recounts the difficult daily challenges he has faced throughout his life, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how his mother, “the wind beneath his sails”, sacrificed so much to make his life possible. He also talks about his big dream: to be the first physically disabled person in outer space and to address the United Nations from there.
Eddie’s heartwarming story and courageous spirit are proof of his belief that everybody should be afforded the opportunity to dream and become everything that their imagination desires.
“The women and the girls of Afghanistan have earned the right to be heard, to take their place in society openly, as they have done behind the scenes for decades, if not centuries."
Nada Al-Nashif is Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights and has been serving the United Nations for almost 30 years. Born in Kuwait to Palestinian parents, her life was turned upside down with the Iraqi invasion of 1990, when her family was forced to flee and leave everything behind to rebuild their lives in Jordan.
Following her uprooting, Nada took her first UN job in Libya during Gaddafi's rule, and then served across other conflict zones, including Lebanon and Iraq. In the late 1990s she travelled to Afghanistan as part of a UNDP team negotiating with the Taliban to open girls’ schools.
Nada also experienced one of the darkest days in the UN’s history. On 19 August 2003, a truck packed with a tonne of explosives blew up the UN’s headquarters in Baghdad, killing 22 colleagues, including the UN’s Special Representative for Iraq Sergio Vieira de Mello.
“It's hard to accept but you need to because you cannot keep asking ‘Why was I there? Why me? Why not me?’” she says. Nada explains how her own injuries act as a constant reminder of human vulnerability and the blessing of having survived to tell the story.
“Going to space will become like taking a plane today; working in space, living in space, having a one-week holiday in space.”
Simonetta Di Pippo is the Director of the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs. Trained as an Astrophysicist in her native Italy, Di Pippo was the first female director of the European Space Agency. Since then, her work has been integral in using space for our common wellbeing here on Earth - from monitoring soil and water through meteorological data so farmers can grow healthier crops to tracking climate change using satellites. Simonetta shares her passion for space being preserved as a global common benefiting all humanity and on the importance of ensuring peace in outer space.
“If anything works for women, in any country, it is most likely to work for most people. If you want to address the majority of the people who really need you, target women.”
A voice of deep authority on this subject, with a lifetime of activism and service, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka is the Executive Director of UN Women. She was born and raised in South Africa, and as a young teacher, joined the struggle to end apartheid and to reshape her country. She served in parliament, in ministerial roles and as Deputy President when Nelson Mandela took over the Presidency. She used her positions to bring new perspectives to the country’s priorities, combat poverty and bring the advantages of a growing economy to the poor, with a particular focus on women.
Phumzile shares anecdotes about her friendship with Mandela and describes the formative issues behind her leadership of women’s rights and drive for investment in gender equality that culminate in the Generation Equality Forum. These insights inform the combination of innovative alliances across generations, feminist and youth movements, civil society, philanthropy, governments and the private sector that promise accelerated change for the women and girls who need it most.
"I understand the people I speak to in my current job, because I've been in their shoes: I've been arbitrarily detained. I've experienced enforced disappearance.”
Michelle Bachelet was the first female President of Chile for the Socialist Party of Chile (2006–10; 2014–18). She is now the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Michelle’s father served in the Air Force and, in 1973 after being taken prisoner during a coup that overthrew the government, he died in jail at just 50 years old. Michelle shares the harrowing stories of how she and her mother were later taken to a clandestine detention centre, her exile in Australia and East Germany, her motivations to study medicine and return to Chile and why, despite everything, she remains a prisoner of hope.
As she herself believes: “We may not be all responsible for the past, but we are responsible for the future.”
“Not just tolerance. I don't like the word tolerance. Tolerance means I am superior than you are. I don't want to be tolerated. I don't want to be a second-class citizen. I want respect. Mutual respect and mutual understanding.”
Rabbi Arthur Schneier is a Holocaust survivor and a human rights activist. He shares harrowing memories of his childhood in Vienna and later in Hungary after the Nazis came to power. Many of his family members were murdered, including his grandfather, a prominent rabbi who died in Auschwitz. He was determined to also become a rabbi in his honor, and to make a new life in the United States.
From the Park East Synagogue in New York City, Rabbi Schneier has dedicated a lifetime to promoting peace, reconciliation, and inter-faith and inter-cultural dialogue. UN Secretary General António Guterres has called him “an inspiration for the world and for the United Nations.”
“What we're seeing is the desperation out there in the hospitals. We're seeing desperation in the communities. We're seeing even among our team being affected directly by it. At the same time, you know, we've seen communities come together.”
Yasmin Ali Haque has worked for the UN’s Children’s Fund, UNICEF for almost 25 years and is now the Country Representative in India. She explains how the current coronavirus situation there is driving some of the world’s poorest families back to negative coping mechanisms including a returning rise in child marriage. Involved in emergency response throughout her career, Yasmin was also working in Sri Lanka when the devastating tsunami hit in 2004 and shares some of the heartbreaking stories from the wreckage alongside her memories of growing up in a repartition camp in Bangladesh during the Indo-Pakistan war in the 1970s.
“When I talk to people in the community, whether it's a health worker or a mum or a dad or a grandparent, that's the reality check for me. Are we really doing what is needed the most?”
“I returned from Bangladesh...and sent all of my dresses for dry cleaning. I have not worn these dresses again. I can't wear them. There's too much pain...because I came out and I was wet with all the women crying. I like to open the wardrobe and remind myself of the survivors at all times. They are my moral compass and I have to keep fighting for them. This is what keeps me going.”
Pramila Patten is the Secretary General's Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict whose work aims to end rape as a weapon of war, making it a crime that is both preventable and punishable. Pramila travels the world to meet survivors, carrying back the harrowing stories they entrust her to retell. She then advocates tirelessly on their behalf for accountability and justice.
“[There are] two iconic images of the 20th century: Diana walking through the minefield in body armour and then with a little girl who lost a leg to a mine. I was proud to...highlight the incredible work that's been done by deminers around the world by hosting that visit.”
Paul Heslop is the Head of the UN Mine Action Team in Afghanistan and has been clearing mines in conflict zones for nearly thirty years. He shares the remarkable progress deminers have made in removing explosive devices across the globe with Mozambique (his first post back in ‘94) declaring itself mine-free two years ago. Paul also recounts his time as a field officer for the Halo Trust when Princess Diana came to visit a minefield in Angola where he was working back in 1997. He recalls that epochal moment and how his quick thinking led to the non-profit gaining huge worldwide exposure through the iconic photographs of the trip.
“As long as they are treated in hospital, you see them communicating. And as soon as they get out of the hospital, they are pointing a gun at each other.”
Aboubacar Kampo is UNICEF’s Director of Health Programmes but he has also worked as a physician and surgeon in some of the world’s most complex emergency zones, from Afghanistan to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Abou shares his experiences from the ER wards of Chad, where the government is forced to share beds between the rebel forces. He also recounts the harrowing story of Irene, a victim of rape and violence in Liberia. Abou’s life-changing work is proof that, even in areas facing gross atrocities, we can see the good side of human nature.
“The one thing that we learn with complex emergencies is that the condition of the peoples is always the same. In Liberia, they have been fighting a war for more than 10 years... [but] ...if you meet the local population, as poor and as deprived as they may be, they still share a meal with you.”
“I remember sitting on the porch… with the local principal and I said, ‘You need food and you need medicines. Why exam papers?’ And he said, ‘Look, that's for now. But the exam papers are our future. Our kids are our future. This is more important to us than food and medicines.’”
David Shearer is the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for South Sudan but has also served in crisis areas across the Middle East and Afghanistan. He shares his captivating career stories from a posting in an occupied Palestinian territory, the nerve-wracking negotiations to release his wife from gunpoint in Somalia, and his incredible work entering behind Sri Lankan government lines to deliver exam papers to its schools. He also recalls how he narrowly missed out on becoming the Prime Minister in his home country of New Zealand.
“It was a Close Protection Officer...who heard me. Had I not decided to knock exactly at that point in time, they would have repaired the backhoe [and] started to dig. They would’ve destabilised the area over which I was lying and I would not be sitting here today.”
It’s been over ten years since Senior Civil Affairs Officer, Jens Kristensen found himself trapped in the earthquake that hit Haiti’s Hotel Christopher. Jens recounts his harrowing experience of being confined in a dark coffin-like space for five days with no water or drink, not knowing when, or if, he would be rescued. He also explains his remarkable decision to return to work after just two days following the rescue knowing that “mentally and physically I was capable and still able to help.”
“It was a terrible, terrible disaster for the UN. For Haiti. For the world...I think that finding me as a survivor gave people hope. It was a light in the darkness. People were there. People were cheering. It was a new birthday.”
"When it comes to a pandemic, it really needs global collaboration and solidarity because the pathogens and viruses do not respect borders."
Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist at the World Health Organisation (WHO), shares her insights on how lessons from other infectious diseases like tuberculosis and HIV have shaped our response to the current pandemic. The clinical scientist also discusses how new technologies have given us the possibility to control diseases in ways we’ve never had before.
During the early ‘90s, Soumya successfully raised funds to get antiretroviral drugs to families affected by the HIV epidemic. Many of their children are still alive today thanks to her work. In this fascinating interview, she explains her hopes for future generations who are now exposed to the intricacies and power of science to affect change.
"I'm very hopeful that this will inspire more trust and confidence in science, and also inspire young people to take up science as a career because they can see how wonderful it is to be able to contribute."
“Genocide is a human creation so there has to be a human solution to it. What the world hasn't learned is what to do about the response….The early warning is there [...] but response is extremely poor. For ‘never again’ to work, we need to invest energy in addressing the foundations that produce the people who end up becoming genociders.”
Alice Nderitu, the Secretary General’s Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide, speaks candidly about her experiences mediating in areas of conflict and how her powerful storytelling techniques built a peace agreement between 56 ethnic communities that still stands today. She also shares the indicators that can lead to violence and the importance of being an active listener.
As she describes: “I always say that, as a mediator, you have to have a very small mouth, big eyes, and big ears because you have to keep listening. Especially listen to what is not being said.”
“We all need to be convinced that we don't have a plan B. We only have one plan. And that one plan is to correct how we do business around our food systems and what our environment can handle. Our planet can take care of itself. It will eject us and move on. But is that where we want to be?”
Dr. Agnes Kalibata, the UN Secretary General's Special Envoy to the 2021 Food Systems Summit, shares her remarkable story of growing up in a Ugandan refugee camp with her Rwandan parents. Her father, a trained doctor, was forced to retrain as a farmer after relocating. But his passion for learning drives his daughter and she’s admitted into the best girls' school in Uganda, receiving a UNHCR scholarship to support her studies.
Agnes discusses how an encounter during her Ph.D led to her becoming the former Minister of Agriculture in Rwanda and why it’s so important to build resilience around climate change at this year’s Food System Summit.
This week’s guest is Jean-Nicolas Beuze, the Representative of the UN Refugee Agency in Yemen - a country where two-thirds of the population relies on our humanitarian assistance for their daily survival. Beuze discusses the disparity between the Western world's outlook and the harsh realities most of the Yemeni people face “The Western world worries about the coronavirus. Yemen cannot even afford to worry about the coronavirus because we have malaria, chikungunya, cholera and dengue fever. All that. Plus, there is a famine.”.
In a deeply personal interview about his career helping refugees and victims of torture, he describes being driven by the “denial of their human rights” and that “injustice was something I could not accept”. He also reveals fearing for the first time for his own loved ones who face the dangers of COVID-19 back home.
This week's guest is Inger Andersen, the Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme, UNEP, which she describes as ‘the environmental conscience’ of the world. She calls for bold action as she warns climate change poses an existential threat far greater than COVID-19 and, unstopped, “will change the very foundation of our existence as we know it.”
“When we respect nature, and our planet, we are respecting ourselves. And when we fail to, we are in fact disrespecting ourselves or certainly the next generation and their life."
This week's guest is Sarah Copland. Sarah is a UN Officer working on women's rights and gender equality. On August 4th 2020, Sarah was living and working in Beirut and preparing for the arrival of her second child. Tragically, she and her family were caught in the vast explosion that caused devastation across Beirut, and Sarah’s young son Isaac was killed.
Trying to understand her grief, Sarah started writing a blog, and in the process her words have resonated with others experiencing loss. “Writing helps me organize my thoughts because it's, it's a mess up here. There's just so much going on in my head and it helps others relate to me, I think which in turn helps me because I found in these past few months, I've shut down a lot. And it's through writing that I'm able to connect again. Because once if people can read how I feel, then that sort of opens up a door to be able to connect and talk.”
My guest this episode is Richard Ragan, the Country Director of the World Food Programme in Bangladesh. Richard says a sense of adventure drew him to working for the UN, and his career has taken him all over the globe - including to North Korea, and to Liberia to coordinate the emergency response to Ebola. A keen outdoor sportsman, Richard never misses the chance to surf or climb wherever he is, and he has even snowboarded through the streets of Pyongyang. Nonetheless, he says it is his responsibility to feed the hungry that keeps him awake at night.
“I don't want one person that I'm responsible for to be hungry. And you know, that, that keeps me up at night, for sure. But the thing that scares me, probably more than anything, and, you know, there's no vaccination for it is, is climate change. You know, I think COVID is a wake-up call for all of us, it does not discriminate. It's like the waves or the mountains, it doesn't care.”
This week’s guest is Yasmine Sherif, Director of Education Cannot Wait, which delivers education in humanitarian crises through funding investments for UN agencies and civil society organizations. Yasmine describes herself as a pragmatic idealist, who was taught by her mother not to look for success in life, but to seek to serve. Before her current role Yasmine worked for UNHCR resettling refugees. She says that her mission now is crucial to helping people overcome crises and rebuild their lives:
“If you invest in the children, give them the tools, the education, so that they are no longer disempowered, that if you and I cannot change the world, they can do it. So that's why education is so important. And I would say, especially for children and adolescents, who are refugees internally displaced in crisis countries... they are strong but just need to give them the tools, don't leave them behind. And education is that vehicle to become powerful leaders for the future.”
This week's guest is Martin Griffiths, the Secretary General's Special Envoy for Yemen, a country that’s been devastated by civil war. Martin’s job is to try to keep open routes to negotiation between the warring parties. He says a mediator has to bring hope to seemingly hopeless situations. Martin speaks candidly about his struggles with depression, the mental toll humanitarian work can have, and the importance of empathy when mediating between sides in a conflict.
"I'm not from Yemen. It's our conflict because it has such dramatic consequences, not only for the people of Yemen more broadly. But the job of a mediator, I think, is to infuse hope into people, to say there can be a solution to this, to come up with ideas as to how they might resolve their inevitable differences. And to give some kind of sense of vision to the people of Yemen, that this doesn't need to go on indefinitely, because in a war, it seems endless to those living through it. While their children don't go to school, they are displaced and disrupted. There seems no possible end. And I think what we do in the United Nations, and in the job that I have, is to try to give people a sense, there is another way, there's a way out of this, and that their leaders need to take it."
This week's guest is Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Filippo is recovering from Covid-19, and says it's given him a sense of the fragility of life, especially for refugees and displaced people. Filippo says that feeling motivates him in his work, and his constant concern is to do everything possible to support those in need.
“What keeps me awake at night in general, in this job, I think, it is the thought that I have not done everything that I could to help the people that we work with. This is what keeps me awake at night. This is what has kept me awake at night for years. Have I done everything possible, humanly possible? We don't go to sleep if we have not finished doing everything that we can do to solve the problem, to rescue a person, to allow a refugee to have access to safety, to find the solution for a group of displaced people.”
Funmi Balogun is the head of Humanitarian Action at UN Women, supporting some of the world’s most vulnerable women and girls - people who are displaced or refugees. She works to make sure that the humanitarian response does not perpetuate gender inequality. Funmi's upbringing in Nigeria spurred her to fight against gender inequality - it’s something she has experienced in her own community. The rolling back of rights for women across the globe in recent years keeps Funmi awake at night.
"There's been a lot of pushback on women's rights in particular. Still, I also see a lot of fightback from the young women, I read a lot of what people are seeing on Twitter, how people are fighting for these things in a place like Nigeria that is very patriarchal. That, you know, misogyny is very high. And I see the battles and I see the women pushing back fighting. And I'm like, you know what? maybe all is not lost?"
Dr. Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), is working to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled.
“You really see… how important it is to have peace in the home and the ability for girl child in particular to be able to scream at the top of her lungs if she feels that something wrong is happening to her.”
Mark Lowcock leads global humanitarian relief efforts for the UN. Mark's optimism has sustained him throughout his 30-year career delivering aid to people suffering from war, poverty and famine.
"One of the things I hold on to is most people on the planet have escaped from those problems, as the generations have passed. And when you're confronting the next bleak, horrible event, holding on to the fact that it's possible to escape…is invaluable.”
“... There is a better understanding that the health of people and the health of economies are tightly linked. So we can do much more now, make more progress on health, because this relationship is better understood. We should take hope from that and fight more on the issues of equality, reducing inequalities in health and giving everybody their right to health.”
Winnie Byanyima recently became the Director-General of UNAIDS, the United Nations organization that is leading the ambitious global effort to end HIV AIDS as a public health threat by the year 2030. Having been appointed in February, the start of her journey has been full on with the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic in March. She talks about what it's been like having to deal with the complexities of two pandemics at once and what she has learnt so far.
As we mark five years after Europe’s refugee crisis, we revisit our episode with Boris Cheshirkov, who worked for UNHCR as a spokesperson in his native Bulgaria when thousands of refugees were arriving at the border. It was an extremely tense time, testing European solidarity to its limits - bringing out the best of humanity and also the worst.
Anti-refugee feeling was running high. In Bulgaria, an asylum seeker was shot dead at the border. But when Boris spoke out against the violence, he himself became the target of a virulent online hate campaign. The threats were so severe he had to leave his country. Boris now serves in Greece, where refugees remain in limbo.
Marie-Roseline Bélizaire is a doctor and epidemiologist with the World Health Organization (WHO). She was on the frontlines of Ebola and is now turning her expertise to help fight the spread of COVID-19 in the Central African Republic (CAR). She was motivated to study medicine after both her parents died from unexamined causes in their community in Haiti. Now, she goes door to door in CAR implementing COVID-19 strategies for the most vulnerable. She was able to test the resilience of her own strategies first hand when she contracted COVID-19 herself. “I go visit in the communities too. We work with community leaders. So sometimes they go also with us from door to door”
Marie speaks about her upbringing in Haiti and how the lack of scientific and medical rigour motivated her to study medicine. She recounts her experiences on the frontlines of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, riding motorcycles into the bushes trying to contact trace that pandemic. Now, fighting COVID, she’s able to apply that expertise to the Central African Republic.
Zainab Hawa Bangura is the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) and worries for the health and safety of her staff and the populations they serve in the face COVID-19.
Zainab began her career as a women's rights campaigner in her home country of Sierra Leone. Her reasons were personal: at age 12, her father, an Imam, wanted to marry her off to an older man. Her mother refused, insisting her daughter must be educated and sacrificed her own marriage for her daughter’s future. Though extremely poor, her mother got her way and Zainab earned scholarships to study through university in London.
Returning home, Zainab documented horrific atrocities during the civil war and then joined the government as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Health.
As UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict from 2012-17, Zainab talks of the secondary trauma she felt after taking in the pain of countless accounts of rape inflicted on women and girls as a weapon of war.
Mike Ryan, Executive Director of The Health Emergencies Programme for the World Health Organization (WHO), is leading the team responding to the international containment and treatment of COVID-19. He tells Melissa Fleming how he had to give up on dreams of becoming a trauma surgeon, after he broke his spine in a car crash in Iraq. He was held hostage there while working in an Iraqi hospital during the first Gulf War. That experience set him on the path that led him to the WHO, with a specialism in infectious diseases. "It was very clear to me that you were either a surgeon or a good infectious disease doctor, because that seemed to be the two things a doctor could make a difference with, in many developing country environments".
From SARS to Ebola to Avian Flu to Covid-19, Mike Ryan has committed his life's work to fight the spread of infectious diseases. He says "The info-demic can be just as damaging as the pandemic itself, because if people aren't getting the right information, if they're not able to trust that information, and then we have a problem. There's no point having solutions to offer people if they don't hear about them, or they don't believe in them."
Matshidiso Moeti is the first female Regional Director for Africa for the World Health Organization (WHO). Now she’s the face of the COVID-19 fight in Africa, but she says facing the pandemic is easier than where she started her career as a doctor - fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa in the 1990s. Now, she says, we’re willing to talk about inequalities and tackle stigma about disease.
Matshidiso talks to Melissa about her childhood in South Africa and Botswana, and her fears about the effect of COVID-19, especially on women’s lives. ”The impact on women economically is going to make them even more vulnerable to many things, not just to COVID itself", she says.
In this episode, host Melissa Fleming speaks with Neil Walsh, Chief of Cybercrime and Anti-Money Laundering for the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. He describes the horrific surge of criminals exploiting and abusing children online while they are in lock-down and what he is doing to stop it. He speaks about his belief that “COVID-19 is the great reset button.” He also describes the scene he witnessed of a deadly terrorist bombing as a child in Belfast, Northern Ireland and how “that was the moment where I decided I’m going to do something to stop this stuff.”
He also speaks candidly about his continuing 14-year battle with bowel cancer and why he is so vocal on social media about his struggle with the disease. “There were four occasions where he was told by a doctor, ‘you may not survive tonight.’ He reveals that he was diagnosed on the day of his second date with his wife and the notes he writes to his four children in case he doesn’t make it out of surgery alive.
In this opening episode for Season 3 of Awake at Night, host Melissa Fleming speaks with David Beasley, Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), about his own experience being sick with COVID-19 and why people should listen to the science. He also explains why the pandemic is causing an spiraling epidemic of hunger. In Mr. Beasley's words, should the world fail to come together and invest in people everywhere, we may face a "famine of biblical proportions."
From his home in South Carolina, to Yemen, to Sudan and Ethiopia, Mr. Beasley shares candid moments of his journey in the world of humanitarian work, and his thoughts on why the UN is needed now more than ever.
WFP is the 2020 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.
How are health workers, humanitarians and peacekeepers racing to protect the world’s most vulnerable populations from the impact of the COVID-19 virus? In Season 3 of Awake at Night, host Melissa Fleming speaks with some of her remarkable colleagues at the United Nations about what drives them to help.
Adiba Qasim is from the Yazidi minority in northern Iraq. In August 2014, her village was stormed by Islamic State militants who killed and enslaved thousands of Yazidis. Adiba and her family managed to escape just before the militants arrived. She was 19 years old.
“At 7:00 in the morning, relatives called my father and said: ‘We are now coming to the North, because the Islamic State are 3:00 in the morning attacked us and many people have been killed and it is very difficult. So, run away! Get out of your house’!”
She was haunted by the knowledge that many of her friends and relatives were taken captive by Islamic State – and held as sex slaves. Some survived – and when they were freed, Adiba was there to help.
For the season 2 finale of UNHCR’s podcast series, the actor and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Cate Blanchett talks about what keeps her Awake at Night. Describing her experience of working with UNHCR and meeting refugees as “one of the great privileges of my life”, Blanchett reflects on how it has profoundly altered her perception of human suffering and the capacity to hope.
Boris Cheshirkov worked for UNHCR as a spokesperson in his native Bulgaria during Europe’s refugee crisis – when thousands of refugees were arriving at the border. It was an extremely tense time. Countries throughout Europe seemed at a loss at how to cope with the flow of desperate people. Anti-refugee feeling was running high. In Bulgaria, an asylum seeker was shot dead at the border. But when Boris spoke out against the violence, he himself became the target of a virulent online hate campaign. The threats were so severe he had to leave his country.
Shahrzad Tadjbakhsh is an effective and tireless advocate of human rights. A lawyer, she holds a senior position at UNHCR headquarters in Geneva, working on refugee protection. But she has never lost her human touch. Perhaps it’s a legacy of her own experience as a refugee when she was just 10 years old. In 1979, her father was serving as the Iranian ambassador in India. But following the revolution in Iran, the whole family had to flee from Delhi.
Even in the middle of a war zone, Bruno Geddo manages to light up the room and make people smile, maybe even laugh. He is somebody who deeply appreciates different cultures in the world and sees beauty in the ugliest of times. For 30 years now, he has been helping the victims of conflict in the world’s most dangerous places with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. His most recent posting was to Iraq, from where he spoke about the impact of the violent battle with the Islamic State.
Monique Sokhan fled from the terror of the Khmer Rouge and the genocide in Cambodia in the 1970s, when she was just a small child. Many of her family members who stayed behind did not survive. As she felt a responsibility to do something that would make them proud, she decided to work for refugees. But her first job for UNHCR was in Thailand, as a Protection Officer in camps for Khmer Rouge refugees.
Fabrizio Hochschild has reached one of the highest positions in the United Nations. But he’s managed this achievement while learning to deal with the trauma he suffered while experiencing the horrors of the war in Bosnia in the 1990s. At times he thought it would cost him his career – but he now champions mental health care within the UN.
Would you go to a war zone to help people you've never met? Hear the incredible stories of people who did just that. A Silver Award winner at the British Podcast Awards 2019 - Season Two of Awake At Night from the UN Refugee Agency is coming soon.
BONUS EPISODE. Best-selling author and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Khaled Hosseini describes his own experience of being a child refugee, and explains how his work with refugees has helped him overcome feelings of survivor's guilt.
Coming soon to Awake At Night. An interview with the bestselling author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini. A child refugee from Afghanistan, Khaled describes how his experiences shaped his writing, and how working as a UNHCR Ambassador helped him overcome survivor's guilt.
Alessandra Morelli's incredible life has taken her from the convent to the front lines. A former novice nun, she made a dramatic life change when she decided to work with refugees who had fled war in Croatia. Since then, she has worked in conflict zones like Afghanistan, Rwanda and Sri Lanka. While running the UNHCR mission in Somalia she survived two separate attacks by suicide bombers.
In over 20 years at the UN Refugee Agency, Felipe Camargo has worked in many of the world's most dangerous places. One of the places he has returned to multiple times is Bangladesh - where since 2017 more than 723,000 Rohingya refugees have sought safety from persecution in Myanmar. Felipe describes what keeps him going back to the field - even in the face of his own personal tragedy.
Giles Duley used to live the rock'n'roll life of a fashion photographer, but now travels the world's war zones documenting the lives of those caught up in conflict. He stepped on a landmine while working in Afghanistan and lost three of his limbs, and very nearly his life. This is his story.
Sajjad Malik is UNHCR's Representative in Syria - in charge of one of UNHCR's toughest and most dangerous humanitarian operations. Since taking up the post over two years ago, Sajjad has witnessed the terrible sieges of Homs and Aleppo. He says he feels compelled to speak out about the horrifying impact of war on children.
Fatima Mohammed was assigned to work in her hometown in northern Nigeria, a place full of happy childhood memories. But then she landed in Maiduguri and found check-points and constant fear at the heart of the fight with Boko Haram insurgents.
Vincent Cochetel has worked for the UNHCR for over 30 years. He spent the first part of his career listening to other people's horror stories, but then his own life became a nightmare. In 1998 while working in the Caucasus in southern Russia he was kidnapped and held hostage for 317 days. This is his story.
Extraordinary personal stories from people who have chosen to put themselves in harm's way, to help refugees. From UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.