UN Interviews

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UN News interviews a wide range of people from senior news-making officials at Headquarters in New York, to advocates and beneficiaries from across the world who have a stake in helping the UN go about its often life-saving work in the field.

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Strait of Hormuz: ‘Immediate’ solution needed to restore fertilizer supply, says UN taskforce chief

Unless a solution can be found immediately to allow fertilizers through the Strait of Hormuz in time for planting season, there’s going to be a “very significant and severe” food crisis which will hit the poorest countries and their citizens hardest. That’s according to Jorge Moreira da Silva, Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), which provides infrastructure, procurement and project management services around the world. He told Reem Abaza of UN News that the UN task force he is leading will be able to get its “one stop platform” up and running in just seven days, if combatants blocking the strait allow fertilizers and other raw material through, to benefit the world’s most vulnerable.

12 min
14 D’ABR.

Pace of transitional justice in Syria brings hope, but strong stigma remains

Syria has made “remarkable progress” on transitional justice in just one year, says one UN legal expert, raising hope, while also warning that powerful social stigma continues to prevent many survivors of conflict-related sexual violence from coming forward. Sofia Candeias, from the UN Team of Experts on the Rule of Law and Sexual Violence in Conflict, told UN News that new institutions and reforms mark a significant step forward following the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024. But the true scale of abuse may never be known, as stigma at personal, community and societal levels remains “the largest obstacle” to reporting and access to support. Calling on the international community to step up, Ms. Candeias told UN News’s Ana Carmo that sustained support is critical to ensure survivors can safely access justice and care.

13 min
9 D’ABR.

Deadly Lebanon strikes overwhelm entire health system, as casualties surge

A massive wave of Israeli airstrikes struck Lebanon on Wednesday – despite the US-Iran ceasefire declared hours earlier – killing 254 people and injuring 1,165 others, according to local authorities. Strikes hit densely populated areas, including Beirut, with no warning, leaving many still trapped under rubble. Hospitals are overwhelmed, facing mass casualties and critical shortages of supplies. The UN World Health Organization is working tirelessly to provide support across the country, while dozens of medical workers have been killed and injured in recent weeks. UN News’ Nancy Sarkis spoke on Thursday to the WHO’s Representative in Lebanon, Dr. Abdinasir Abubakar, who witnessed 10 different strikes on Beirut during the horrifying bombardment.

12 min
8 D’ABR.

Lebanon situation ‘critical’, senior UN official warns

The ceasefire between the US and Iran has brought no respite to civilians in Lebanon, where deadly Israeli strikes intensified across the country on Wednesday, dramatically worsening the humanitarian situation. Repeated escalations in violence over recent weeks have significantly increased humanitarian needs, raising concerns about whether aid agencies can keep up with demand. Blerta Aliko, the senior UN Development Programme official in Lebanon, was in the middle of updating UN News’s Ezzat El-Ferri, when heavy bombing began near her location in Beirut. Later, speaking from the safety of the basement at UN House, Ms. Aliko said the situation had now become critical.

22 min
7 D’ABR.

Rwanda after the genocide against the Tutsi: ‘We recreated a new country’

For over three decades Rwanda has been recovering from the almost unimaginable horror of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. On Tuesday the UN commemorated the systematic crimes committed there – in which more than one million people were killed – with ceremonies held at several of its offices around the world. The event was attended by survivors of the massacre, senior UN officials and representatives of the Rwandan authorities including Karoli Martin Ngoga, Permanent Representative of Rwanda to the United Nations. He sat down with UN News’s Assumpta Massoi and explained the significance of the ceremony held at UN headquarters in New York.

10 min
4 D’ABR.

‘Every day there’s new contamination’: Mine clearing in Ukraine

More than 130,000 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory are believed to have been contaminated by landmines and unexploded ordnance since the full-scale Russian invasion of the country in 2022. As the Government, with the support of the United Nations, attempts to clear the land, fresh mines continue to be laid in the shifting frontline regions. Ahead of the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, which is marked on 4 April, UN News’s Nargiz Shekinskaya spoke to Ben Lark, Ukraine Mine Action Program Manager at the UN Development Programme. He told her that the UN is focusing on training Ukrainian mine clearers, improving Government coordination and taking advantage of the latest AI-based technology to make the task more effective.

15 min
2 D’ABR.

Landmine danger grows faster than it can be contained

Over 20 per cent of Ukraine is contaminated by landmines, which are becoming more dangerous and more difficult to clear. Anti-personnel mines are now being deployed remotely by artillery, rockets, helicopters and drones, while some of the most sophisticated devices can launch projectiles at targets after detecting movement. Paul Heslop, head of the UN Mine Action Service in Ukraine, is warning that the biggest challenge facing mine action today is that contamination is increasing faster than it is being cleared, making it vital to adopt new technology quickly. Edouard de Bray from UN News asked Mr. Heslop how the latest tech is making landmines more deadly.

9 min
1 D’ABR.

UN warns of rising evictions and settler violence in Occupied Palestinian Territory

The United Nations human rights office (OHCHR) has warned of a sharp rise in the eviction of Palestinian families, particularly around Jerusalem’s Old City. According to Ajith Sunghay, OHCHR’s top official in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, evictions have intensified since the 7 October attacks of 2023, shifting from isolated incidents to more coordinated actions – some reportedly organized via WhatsApp and social media – targeting Palestinian communities and property. In an interview with UN News’ Reem Abaza, he added that tensions have escalated further in recent months, with nearly 36,000 Palestinians forcibly displaced in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, over the past year.

13 min

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UN News interviews a wide range of people from senior news-making officials at Headquarters in New York, to advocates and beneficiaries from across the world who have a stake in helping the UN go about its often life-saving work in the field.