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. 

The UN chief has a strong message for those who say the absence of some key leaders is a blow to this year’s General Assembly week – rise to the moment and deliver on your promises. In this special edition of the Lid is On, we speak exclusively to Secretary-General António Guterres about the SDGs, climate change and much more.

Audio Credit: Mita Hosali and Matt Wells, UN News

Photo Credit: UN Photo/Mark Garten

Green jobs can help tackle the climate crisis and the labour market challenges faced by young people. So what exactly are green jobs? And what can young people do to create a sustainable future for themselves?

To answer these questions, on The Future of Work Podcast, Maja Markus holds a discussion with two young people from a trade union and an employers' organization, as well as a Junior Professional Officer working at the Green Jobs unit of the International Labour Organization (ILO).

As the world observed the International Day for People of African Descent on 31 August, progress on eradicating racism is mixed and the road to equality and justice remains long.

Renowned historian Verene Shepherd, who chairs the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), sat down with UN News’s Dominika Tomaszewska-Mortimer to talk about how the human rights body works with States towards this goal.

Professor Shepherd also recounted how her own experiences as a woman of African descent strengthened her resolve and fuelled her anti-racist advocacy.

Audio Credit Dominika Tomaszewska-Mortimer, UN News - Geneva
Photo Credit UNTV Geneva

No to hate!
Fight racism!

This episode of the Weekly Tradecast looks at the illegal wildlife trade with David Vivas, a United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) legal officer working on trade and environmental issues.

Every year, huge numbers of animals and plants are bought and sold illicitly as food, medicine, clothing, furniture and even musical instruments.

Wildlife is big business. The illegal trade is estimated to be worth at least $7 billion but it could be much larger.

Trafficking is driving some species – especially rhinos, elephants, tigers, lions and pangolins – towards extinction. Many others are at risk.

Image credit: UNCTAD

Forests are one of the solutions to the climate crisis but are also under pressure from climate change itself. What are the strategies to face this complex reality?

In this episode of the UN Forest Podcast, 2023 Oscar-winning actress and UNDP Goodwill Ambassador Michelle Yeoh is joined by Professor Almut Arneth, Coordinating Lead Author of the IPCC Special Report on land and climate change, to explore the unique relationship between forests and climate change.

An episode by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.

Image Credit: ©UNECE and UNDP

As parts of the world experience record breaking temperatures, learn how heat harms us, who is at risk and what you can do to protect yourself. Dr Joy Shumake-Guillemot explains in Science in 5. Science in 5 is WHO's conversation in science.

Photo Credit: ©WHO Podcast.

Joan Baez needs no introduction. The legendary artist and peace icon has been inspiring generations of activists for decades to stand up against war, poverty and injustice.

While at the UN in Geneva, she sat down with UN News’s Daniel Johnson to talk about her earliest encounter with the UN and which of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) resonates the most with her. She pointed to the climate crisis as today’s most pressing struggle, warning that “if we don’t get it, it’s going to get us”.

The performer famous for her era-defining rendition of the protest song “We Shall Overcome” also spoke about why in the face of conflict and despair, she continues to choose action and “do her part”.