Global perspective Human stories

The Lid is On

UN Environment

Cutting down plastic and pesticides, to halt climate change in India

It’s easy to get lost in the argument over who needs to do the most to stop global warming, but the fact is, everyone needs to do their bit and “we’re all responsible.”

That’s one of the guiding principles for Satya Tripathi of India, who in this latest Lid Is On podcast from UN News, from the crucial COP24 climate change conference in Poland, says we need to focus on bettering our immediate environment and taking collective responsibility for the planet.

Audio
15'12"
UN News/Nam Cho

Seeing, hearing, feeling the reality of child trafficking

What’s it really like to be a victim of child trafficking?  The founders of non-profit, Street Art for Mankind, that fights child trafficking using art from around the globe, are trying to provide the answer.

The exhibit, called “UN-ji,” made its way to UN headquarters in New York last month, bringing art, sounds, and smells, to help visitors gain insight into the issue and contribute to ending trafficking for some 150 million victims worldwide.

For this latest edition of our UN News Lid is On podcast, Natalie Hutchison went along to find out more.

Audio
9'30"
UNRWA/Marwan Baghdadi

Checkpoints and searches: the daily reality for Palestinian children at Hebron school

Not many school commutes involve having to go through checkpoints and body searches, but that’s the daily reality for some 163 Palestinian youngsters in Hebron, a bustling city in the southern part of the West Bank. 

During a recent visit to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Reem Abaza, of UN News, went inside the closed zone for this edition of our Lid Is On podcast, to speak with students and teachers from Qurtuba School.

Audio
8'22"
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

PODCAST: Getting business on board for a better world for all

In this week’s episode of our flagship podcast, The Lid Is On, Conor Lennon from UN News looks at the United Nations' efforts to make big business part of the solution for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 - not much more than 11 years away.

His guest is Dan Thomas, Head of Communications from UN Global Compact, the world’s biggest corporate sustainability initiative, with a mission to bring companies in line with universal principles on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption.

Audio
17'44"
UN News/Paulina Greer

PODCAST: Disarm, for ‘the future of our planet’

Disarmament is too important to be left to the experts.

That’s the view of Renata Dwan, Director of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), who says young people and civil society have a vital role to play in arms control, at this turbulent time in world history.

For our latest Lid Is On podcast, from UN News, Paulina Greer talks to her about ridding the world of nuclear and other weapons, and she explains why that’s not just some utopian dream these days – it’s a practical necessity.

Audio Duration
16'59"
UN Photo/Mark Garten

PODCAST: Why should young people care about the UN?

How can the United Nations, created in the aftermath of the Second World War, stay relevant to today’s young people?

At this year’s High-Level Week of the General Assembly, the UN Secretary-General launched the Youth2030 Strategy, an ambitious plan to get the UN to step up its support for the empowerment of young people, and harness their talents for the global good.

Audio
17'