Interviews

Establishing goodwill between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, through activities that involve children, women and the elderly, ‘blue helmets’ with the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) are working towards a “bi-zonal, bi-communal federated state”, to ensure a “future where the whole of the island can live in a safe and secure environment” says Force Commander, Major-General Cheryl Pearce.

The newly appointed UN Ebola response chief in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has promised to listen more to the fears and concerns of local people in a bid to end “frequent interruptions” hampering the fight against the deadly virus. 

As the beauty director of digital media giant BuzzFeed, Essence Gant makes sure its content is inclusive and sensitive – helping to balance representation and reflect diversity.

Growing up in the southern US state of Georgia, she recalls that she was surrounded by people who were “always validating her as a black woman”.

It was only later, she said in an interview with UN News, that she realized how under-represented people of colour were in the media.

The UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has just made an appeal for $7 million to help treat extremely vulnerable children who are suffering from the worst form of malnutrition.

In an interview with UN News’s Daniel Johnson, UNICEF Spokesperson Christophe Boulierac explains how the agency provides help throughout the war-torn country – and what could happen if it doesn’t get the funding it needs.

With drought in Somalia on the verge of affecting 2.2 million across the country - almost a fifth of the population - UN agencies are calling for urgent funds for critical livelihood support.  

In an interview on Wednesday with UN News, the head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA) in the capital Mogadishu, noted the resilience of the Somali people, “who don’t freely accept charity”.  

What would a world without bees look like? Their absence would mean no more coffee, apples, almonds, tomatoes and cocoa, to name just a few of the crops that rely on pollination for yield and quality.  

That’s one of the drivers behind World Bee Day being marked this year for only the second time, on 20th May. The UN Food and Agriculture Agency (FAO) is raising awareness about the importance of pollinators for ensuring the world’s food security.  

On a mission to feed hungry citizens, a young social entrepreneur in India, is tackling the food waste challenge there, by rescuing food left over from weddings, parties and supermarkets.

Padmanaban Gopalan takes advantage of geolocation technology by allowing restaurants and individuals to log into his “No Waste Food” app, where “they can find the nearest community that can take their food, instead of throwing it in the bin”. 

Thousands of migrants remain trapped by fighting in and around Tripoli, UN agency IOM has warned, more than a month after an assault on the Libyan capital began, led by self-styled Libyan National Army commander, Khalifa Haftar.

In an interview with Daniel Johnson from UN News, Safa Msehli, from the International Organization for Migration in Libya, explains how the agency helps those held in 11 official detention facilities.

Explorer Paul Rose is usually found in the world’s wildest places where he works with scientists to find solutions to climate change.

For the last two weeks though, he’s been in downtown Geneva at a major UN conference, to encourage countries to ban widely used toxic substances and plastic pollutants.

He’s been talking to Daniel Johnson from UN News about what the average person can do to make a difference.

The greatest threat to the traditional way of life across the Pacific region, is climate change, says Simona Marinescu, UN Resident Coordinator for the 28 islands that make up Samoa, Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau.

In an interview with UN News, ahead of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’s visit to the region this weekend, she says it’s vital to make sure that funding continues to help mitigate the worst effects of global warming, while also ensuring sustainable development.

Paulina Greer spoke to Ms. Marinescu, on a recent visit to UN Headquarters in New York.