Interviews

For the people of Kazakhstan, 29 August is not just a day on the calendar but a reminder of the threat that nuclear weapons pose to humanity.

That’s the message from the country’s UN Ambassador, Magzhan Ilyassov, speaking ahead of the International Day Against Nuclear Tests, observed annually on that date.

It commemorates the 1991 closure of the Semipalatinsk test site in northeastern Kazakhstan, where the Soviet Union exploded hundreds of nuclear devices over a 40-year period.

As head of the police component at the United Nations peacekeeping force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), Satu Koivu says “good competencies and skillset”, regardless of sex, will go far for those with ambitions to pursue police leadership. 
 
With over 30 years of experience in law enforcement and policing around the globe, the Finland native acknowledges choosing a career in the force at 18 years old was not typical for females at the time, and is optimistic other women will continue to find their place in the field.

In the lead up to World Humanitarian Day, marked annually on 19 August, climate justice advocate Mitzi Jonelle is clear that the climate crisis is a humanitarian crisis. 

While most people consider the environment “a scientific problem to be fixed by the scientists”, the Filipino youth activist is determined to put an “empowering human aspect” into the climate crisis battle, involving “everyday people”. 

As preparations gear up for this November’s COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, the leading scientific body responsible for assessing the latest evidence on climate change said on Monday that human activity is “indisputably” to blame.

More than a million people die on the roads each year, and up to 50 million are injured. Jean Todt, the UN Special Envoy for Road Safety, and the president of the FIA, the body which governs world motorsport, is committed to driving that number down.

Whilst the situation has improved dramatically in the developed world, the vast majority of road-related deaths and injuries occur in poorer countries, where there are fewer safety standards and regulations.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed inequalities faced by the world’s indigenous people, such as poor access to healthcare, it has also led to greater understanding of their priorities, which include social cohesion and protecting the planet. 

That’s the opinion of Ghazali Ohorella, an international lawyer and indigenous rights advocate who is an Alifuru from Maluku, which is part of Indonesia.