Awake At Night

United Nations, Melissa Fleming
  • 4.8 (63)
  • News Commentary
  • Updated fortnightly

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.

  1. 6 hr ago

    Building the Foundations for Human Dignity, with Jorge Moreira da Silva - Executive Director of UNOPS, the United Nations Office for Project Services

    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.   Transcript, photos and more:  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

    39 min

  2. 30 Jun

    Overcoming trauma in the service of peace, with Elpida Rouka - Senior political affairs officer, Office of the UN Special Envoy for Syria

    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

    40 min

  3. 23 Jun

    Lighting Libya's long path to peace, with Hanna Tetteh - Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya and UNSMIL Head

    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

    47 min

  4. 16 Jun

    The force of good is much stronger than the force of evil, with Kelly Clements - UNHCR Deputy High Commissioner

    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

    40 min

  5. 3 Feb

    Why peace begins with people, not power, with Bintou Keita - Former UN Secretary-General's Special Representative DRC

    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

    46 min

  6. 27 Jan

    Youth, power and possibility, with Felipe Paullier - UN Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs

    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

    39 min

  7. 20 Jan

    How to lead forces for peace, with Cheryl Pearce - The UN's Acting Military Adviser for Peacekeeping Operations

    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

    36 min

  8. 13 Jan

    Fighting hunger in a world of plenty, with Jean-Martin Bauer - Director, Food Security and Nutrition Analysis, World Food Programme (WFP)

    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."

    38 min
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About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    United Nations, Melissa Fleming
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    140
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © United Nations
  • Show Website
    Awake At Night

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