UN Interviews

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UN Interviews

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.

  1. 4 DAYS AGO

    ICC issues arrest warrants for Israel leaders, Hamas commander - what does this mean?

    The International Criminal Court (ICC) recently issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant, together with a former Hamas commander, citing allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity. These warrants, according to ICC spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah, signify that the judges have found sufficient evidence establishing reasonable grounds to believe the suspects are responsible for crimes within the Court’s jurisdiction. Mr. El Abdallah spoke with UN News’s Reem Abaza on what comes next, including cooperation with and responsibilities of States Parties to the Rome Statute, the 1998 treaty that established the Court.

    10 min

  2. 4 DAYS AGO

    Human Rights Council President striving for consensus amid global challenges

    The President of the UN Human Rights Council has a critical mission: fostering consensus among Member States on pivotal human rights issues while navigating geopolitical tensions that often threaten the Council’s work. Independent and impartial, the President also helps bridge divides, promote cooperation, streamline priorities, and above all, guide Council meetings efficiently and in line with its rules and procedures. Against this background, UN News’ Vibhu Mishra spoke with Omar Zniber, the current Council President, about what his work entails and how he is keeping vital human rights issues in the spotlight. The veteran diplomat from Morocco started off by explaining his role and that of his Office.

    11 min

  3. 5 DAYS AGO

    War in Sudan is being fought over the bodies of women, says top rights investigator

    War in Sudan between rival militaries has been raging for 19 months, uprooting well over 11 million people both inside Sudan and beyond and leaving a staggering 24.8 million people in need of assistance. In addition to the struggle for survival, investigators appointed by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva have warned that women and girls have been subjected to large-scale sexual violence, gang-rape, abduction and detention akin to sexual slavery. To find out more about this disturbing development, UN News’s Nancy Sarkis sat down with Mona Rishmawi, member of the Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan, who told her a battle is “being fought on the bodies of women.”

    7 min

  4. 6 DAYS AGO

    Israel-Palestine: Outgoing UN envoy remains hopeful for peace and a two-State solution

    The start of the war in Gaza following the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October was “like an avalanche” that caught the international community by surprise, including the UN, the senior official leading peace efforts between Israelis and Palestinians recalled this week. Tor Wennesland, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, sat down for an exclusive interview with UN News’s Reem Abaza as he prepares to leave the post after four years and following decades of service with Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  Mr. Wennesland discusses the aftermath of the escalation in Gaza, prospects for a two-State solution despite attempts at undermining it, and why the international community must take the lead in helping the sides to reach a resolution.

    19 min

  5. 6 DAYS AGO

    Independent rights expert urges stronger, coordinated actions against Myanmar junta

    Members of the international community must unite and take stronger, coordinated action against the military junta in Myanmar, which overthrew the elected government in February 2021. This is the view of the Tom Andrews, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, who was appointed by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council to monitor and report on the situation in the country. While individual countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, and the European Union (EU) bloc have imposed sanctions which have had some impact, Mr. Andrews told UN News’ Vibhu Mishra that these actions remain insufficient and disjointed. Mr. Andrews began by reflecting on how the situation has changed compared with the last time he spoke to UN News, a year ago.

    13 min

  6. 15 NOV

    Lack of awareness, one of the ‘biggest challenges in antimicrobial resistance’

    Antimicrobial resistance, or AMR, is centre stage in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah this week, where top health officials have been attending the Fourth Global High-Level Ministerial Meeting on these so-called superbugs which have become increasingly resistant to existing strains of antibiotics. Threatening to make the medicines on which we depend less effective, AMR is already responsible for killing 1.3 million people every year. Attending the conference, Hanan Balkhy – a physician who is one of the World Health Organization’s senior officials leading the charge against AMR – told UN News’s Ezzat El-Ferri that “awareness is one of the global action plan pillars” which need to be strengthened.

    10 min

  7. 14 NOV

    Explosive hazards pose grave danger to children in Gaza amid future recovery

    Explosive remnants of war, including artillery shells, rockets, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), pose a grave threat to civilians everywhere – but especially children in Gaza, now and in the years ahead, according to the Chief of Programme Management with the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS). Taku Kubo spoke with UN News about the challenges these hazards present for long-term recovery and reconstruction in the region. Despite ongoing conflict and resource constraints, UNMAS has conducted close to 400 explosive hazard assessments and accompanied more than 270 humanitarian convoys as part of the aid effort. Mr. Kubo spoke to UN News’s Abdelmonem Makki.

    10 min

  8. 13 NOV

    Lebanon crisis highlights trauma of Syrian refugees forced to flee – again

    As the war in Lebanon grinds on, some 1.3 million people have now fled intense Israeli bombardment up and down the country, according to the authorities. This includes a significant number of Syrian refugees, who’ve already had to flee over a decade of civil war in their own country. Reaching Syria is by no means easy, because of the very real risk of bombing at border crossing points; and then there’s the question of how safe it is to return to Syria’s towns and cities. With more on this – and how the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, is helping returnees at Lebanon’s borders in cooperation with the Syrian Government – here’s Rula Amin, Senior Communications Advisor for UNHCR, speaking to UN News’s Nancy Sarkis.

    9 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.

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