He was one of the UN’s very first staff members, and 72 years on, Robert Kaminker is still advocating for peace and the power of the organization to ultimately “save the world”.

Although he retired in the early 1980s, his enthusiasm for explaining how the UN works and can help people everywhere lead better lives, never waned.

At 90, he is still hosting a weekly radio show in his native France, called “L’ONU vous concerne”, which translates as “The UN Matters”.

He still returns to UN Headquarters in New York from time to time – a journey he first made by sea, in 1946, on board an aircraft carrier.

Robert came into our Lid Is On podcast studio, to talk to Matt Wells about those early pioneering years as the UN took shape, and to explain why he’s still tirelessly advocating on its behalf.

Music credits:

The International Rag, by Collins and Harlan.

Rainy Nights (accordion), by Dana Boulé

Audio clip, UN Audio-Visual Library: UK Prime Minister Clement Attlee, 1^st Meeting of UN General Assembly - 10 January 1946, London, UK

Feature Photo:  Robert Kaminker at the  Lid Is On podcast studio in UN Headquarters in New York. Photo:  UN News/Matt Wells