“Our job is to give hope and help by giving food to those who really need it most. And that's what we do.”

World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director Cindy McCain has many pressing reasons to lie awake at night. As Head of WFP, it is her job to make sure the millions of vulnerable people around the world who are relying on UN food assistance – from Gaza to Sudan to Afghanistan – don’t starve. 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.

Hunger is still one of the biggest – and most solvable – problems globally, causing 783 million people around the world to go to bed on an empty stomach every night.

“[Donation gaps mean] I'm taking food from hungry people and giving it to starving people. That's a heck of a decision to have to make.”

Photo: ©WFP/JulianCiviero

"Justice gives relief not only to the victims, but to a prosecutor as well. So that is what keeps you upright and keeps you going on and says, okay, it is meaningful what you're doing."

Christian Ritscher’s work brings him into contact with some of humanity’s worst outrages. As head of the UN investigative team to promote accountability for the crimes committed by ISIL in Iraq, he seeks justice for victims of the notoriously violent terror group.

The Islamic State, or ISIL, stands accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Iraq’s Yazidi community were among those worst hit.

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.

Photo: ©UNITAD

“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.”

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.

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.

“The lesson for me of all the recent crises is [that] cooperation is an essential element of the new world we're in… we waste our resources by everybody doing their own thing.”

Photo: ©UN Photo/Jaclyn Licht

"There is an increase in the use of torture worldwide. It's partly correlated to the fact that [...] we have more wars going on in this world since 1945. The International Committee of the Red Cross says there are 100 armed conflicts currently going on. And regrettably, with armed conflict comes an uptick in the use of torture and other forms of inhuman treatment."

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 rebuke the argument that it's a natural coalescence because I think disciplined troops do not torture."

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.

Photo: ©United Nations

“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.”

A former judge, Catherine Marchi-Uhel 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. 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 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.

“I believe fundamentally that nations have to work together to solve these big environmental crises, you cannot solve them on your own.”

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.

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 of Awake at Night, Lewis Pugh reflects on his love for the water, on his breathtaking swims, and  onbreaking 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 of Awake at Night, 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 of Awake at Night, 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 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 of Awake at Night, 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.

More than 3,500 children have been killed and over 6,800 injured in Gaza during the current Israel-Palestine crisis, according to the UN Children's Fund. UNICEF official Salim Oweis emphasized in an interview with UN News that beyond the numbers, those are lives, dreams and futures lost because of the ongoing crisis in the Gaza Strip. Oweis told UN News’s Abdelmonem Makki that it was the children who were “facing the worst of times” in the enclave and called again for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.

There is much discussion of the effects Generative AI will have on job creation and destruction, but just as important is the effect it will have on the quality of jobs – decent work – and which countries and sectors will feel the effects most. A new ILO research paper suggests that its impact on the augmentation of jobs is at least as important as the automation of tasks. However, it also implies that, without the right policies, AI could deepen existing inequalities between genders and the richest and poorest. Find out more in this episode of ILO's Future of Work Podcast.

UNRWA was established more than 70 years ago, and its services include education, healthcare, camp infrastructure and social safety net assistance to Palestine refugees across the Middle East.This includes around two million people in Gaza, where UNRWA schools are now housing roughly 170,000 residents who have fled their homes in the wake of the escalating crisis sparked by Hamas attacks against Israel. UN News spoke to Juliette Touma, UNRWA Director of Communications, who described her 13,000 colleagues as “unsung heroes” who "have been on the ground providing services to people in need". 

One in five employees will experience mental illness during their lifetime. Listen to ILO´s “The Future of Work” podcast to discover the four steps that employers can take to minimize workplace mental health stress.

Good mental health is vital to our overall health and well-being. Yet one in eight people globally is living with mental health conditions, which can impact their physical health, their well-being, how they connect with others and their livelihoods. Mental health conditions are also affecting an increasing number of adolescents and young people. 

Amy Pope, Director General of IOM, is advocating for a new narrative around the issue of migrants, arguing that in an ageing world, “ultimately, countries will be competing for migrants”. 

Humanity has always been on the move. Some in search of work or economic opportunity, to join family, or to study. Others move to escape conflict, persecution or large-scale human rights violations. Still others move in response to the adverse effects of climate change, natural disasters or other environmental factors. 

In her very first week on the job, she sat down with UN News’s Dominika Tomaszewska-Mortimer to talk about a comprehensive view of migration and its causes.

Photo Credit: © IOM

An International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) nutrition expert talks about the challenge of obesity; a Technical Specialist on Nutrition discusses how food inflation impacts diets. Lastly, we chat with IFAD’s Director for Food Systems Coordination Nadine Gbossa to discuss the nutritional challenges of Guyana’s indigenous communities.