“The evidence is pretty overwhelming that it doesn't even take very long for migration to actually pay out pretty significantly for the communities who host the migrants”

Amy Pope has always championed humane and orderly migration as an opportunity for societies, not a problem. Now the first female Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) she is campaigning for a fundamental shift in attitudes towards newcomers.

“You just give somebody a little space. Everybody has purpose. Everybody has dreams, everybody wants to be seen.”

Human migration is likely to rise over the coming decades, with the IOM predicting that hundreds of millions of people could be displaced due to climate change alone. Amy reflects on how better to prepare communities and why celebrating the contributions of migrants is a win-win for societies around the world.

Amy Pope :: interviewed by Melissa Fleming

"What worries me a lot is whether we are focusing on any given day the crisis of today, and forget about the crisis of yesterday and the day before."

Big or small, Joyce Msuya has always found ways to give back. Now Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator in OCHA, she oversees the global response to the world’s worst crises.

“For me, personally, it's a privilege to serve humanity. I wake up every morning and think about how I can shift the needle in someone's life.”

From Gaza to Ukraine, Haiti to Sudan, the UN estimates 300 million people around the world are in need of life-saving assistance and protection. In this episode, Joyce reflects on keeping hope alive despite waking to fresh crises every day, on the shocking impacts of climate-related extreme weather, and on the long-term benefits of a strict boarding school.

Joyce Msuya :: interviewed by Melissa Fleming

“2.6 billion people don't have access to the internet … if you're not part of the digital revolution, you're not going to be part of the AI revolution – we’ve got to close that gap.”

Doreen Bogdan-Martin’s fascinating career handed her a front row seat for the digital revolution. Now Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), she’s among those leading global efforts to set guardrails on the use of Artificial Intelligence.

“I think we've never seen anything like this before … the plane is in flight and we're building it while we're flying - it's tremendous.”

AI presents huge opportunities for humanity, but also poses great risks. In this episode, Doreen Bogdan-Martin reflects on working to ensure the humane and sustainable use of AI, on connecting the billions around the world who are not yet online, and on juggling a career with four children.

Doreen Bogdan-Martin :: interviewed by Melissa Fleming

"I wish that all the children and young people - you know, protesting on the streets, asking for climate justice, being arrested, being detained - I wish that they could just be children [... I wish for a world where my son ] can be light and free and not be bombarded with responsibilities of issues that he didn't have a hand in creating."

Appointed to a senior UN role aged just 26, Jayathma Wickramanayake’s career trajectory testifies to the power of education. Now senior policy advisor at UN Women, she is working to empower all women and girls to fulfill their potential – whatever their background.

In this episode, Jayathma reflects on the global hunger for learning, her beginnings in conflict-ridden Sri-Lanka, and her hopes for her own baby son.

“don't wait for advice. Don't wait for invitations. Just look around, you will find ways to contribute to change in your own family, in your own community, in your college, in your university and in your country.”

Jayathma Wickramanayake :: interviewed by Melissa Fleming

“Somebody who lived in an IDP camp … [is] suddenly back home, in dignity, self-reliant and thinking, ‘I want to reimagine what life means for me’ … Yes, I'm very proud.”

A former child refugee, Mohamed Yahya knows the life-long pain of yearning for a lost home. That’s why some of his most emotional experiences with the United Nations have involved helping displaced people return to their towns years after they fled a brutal conflict.

Until recently working with internally displaced communities in northern Nigeria, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Pakistan is a life-long champion of community-led development.

In this episode, Mohamed Yahya reflects on the challenge of rebuilding scattered communities, on his experiences of being a refugee twice, and on the lasting allure of home.

“There's always a sense of something missing. Because you're deprived of going back to where you were born.”

Mohamed Yahya :: interviewed by Melissa Fleming

“[...] yet we are here seeing unfolding under our watch, our eyes, one of the fastest evolving looming famines, which has been completely fabricated. It's man-made. And which can easily be reversed through political will and political decision. It is deeply frustrating, but it's outrageous and makes me very angry [...] ”

Philippe Lazzarini holds one of the most challenging positions in the whole of the United Nations. As head of UNRWA, he is leading the backbone of the humanitarian operation in Gaza.

“Ceasefire, ceasefire, ceasefire. If we have a ceasefire and the opening of the crossing, and we can flood assistance to the Gaza Strip, we would be able to prevent this catastrophe.”

Following the devastating terror attacks by Hamas and others on 7 October, Israel’s military operations in Gaza have brought unspeakable death and destruction. 2.2 million Palestinians are in the midst of an epic humanitarian catastrophe.

In this episode, Philippe Lazzarini reflects on the trauma of the past months and the human cost of war.

Philippe Lazzarini :: interviewed by Melissa Fleming

"Volunteers from all areas of society have helped people who have been directly impacted by the war. They're cooking meals, giving clothing, giving money, opening their homes."

Karolina Lindholm Billing was posted to Ukraine less than a year before the full-scale Russian invasion. As the UNHCR Representative in the country, she draws hope from witnessing the power of community volunteer networks in supporting displaced people in their hour of need.

War has forced around one-third of Ukrainians from their homes, in what is currently one of the world’s largest human displacement crises. UNHCR is assisting them with housing, cash, and legal assistance. Karolina reflects on Ukrainian resilience, the drive to rebuild, and why people long to stay in their own homes, even in a war zone.

Karolina Lindholm Billing :: interviewed by Melissa Fleming

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

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.

“[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.”

Cindy Hensley McCain :: interviewed by Melissa Fleming

“Justice gives relief not only to the victims, but to a prosecutor as well. That is what keeps you upright and keeps you going on and says 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. 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.

Christian Ritscher :: interviewed by Melissa Fleming

“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 [...] 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 UN Special Envoy for Global Education, the former Prime Minister of the UK is working towards a powerful vision: giving every child the chance to go to school.

“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.”

Gordon Brown :: interviewed by Melissa Fleming