This programme features author and parent Janelle Corbin who recently introduced Barbadian children to “My ASL Animal Alphabet Book”. The book teaches American Sign Language using Caribbean animals. 

Also, Asha Alleyne-Renwick, President of the Barbados Down Syndrome Association, explains some of the stereotypes surrounding persons with Down syndrome.

INSIDER'S REPORT - THE MONTH OF THE DISABLED - ONE COMMUNITY UNITED

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)'s Director General addressed the Board of Governors on Friday regarding the situation in Iran. 

The head of the UN-backed atomic watchdog announced that the Iranian authorities had confirmed that the Natanz enrichment site had been “impacted” without affecting existing radiation levels.

The Iranian nuclear safety authorities also reported that the Esfahan and Fordow sites had not been impacted.

CLIP: International Atomic Energy Agency's Director General on the situation in Iran

Peter Thomson, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean, speaks to UN News about the highlights of the UN Ocean Conference and what is coming next.

Audio credit: Fabrice Robinet, UN News in Nice, France 

CLIP: Peter Thomson, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean

Persons with disabilities living in institutions face a heightened risk of being trafficked as their reliance on others for daily support can be manipulated; that’s according to an expert in disability rights speaking at the United Nations.

Eric Rosenthal leads Disability Rights International. He told a side event at COSP, the UN’s largest annual meeting focusing on issues that persons living with disabilities face, that people isolated from their families are easier targets for exploitation.  

The number of trafficking victims of all types has seen a troubling rise since the COVID-19 pandemic, with a 25 per cent increase in global detections between 2019 and 2022.

UN News' Anna O'Donnell sat down with Mr. Rosenthal and began by asking him to explain why people with disabilities are being trafficked. 

Audio credit: Anna O'Donnell, UN News

The vulnerable and forgotten: trafficked persons with disabilities

• Israel-Iran crisis: UN chief urges calm after overnight strikes 
• Victims of DRC violence start to rebuild shattered lives and livelihoods  
• Eastern Chad ‘reaching a breaking point’ as Sudan war refugees continue to arrive 

Daniel Johnson, UN News  
Music composed and produced by Joachim Harris. All rights reserved. 


UN News Today 13 June 2025 - Israel-Iran crisis, DR Congo violence, Sudan war refugees

Small island States are among the most vulnerable communities facing rising sea levels and marine degradation – but this invaluable firsthand experience puts them in a powerful leadership position to shape inclusive, effective ocean policies.

Safiya Sawney, Grenada’s Special Envoy and Ambassador for Climate, has been at this week’s UN Ocean Conference in Nice and told UN News that “a big part of our heritage, of our culture, of our economy is derived from the ocean.”

Describing the small island nations as “large ocean nations,” she outlined to Heyi Zou some of the pressing challenges ahead as global warming continues.

Audio credit: Heyi Zou, UN News
Photo: Coastal erosion is seen on a beach near Grenville in Grenada, a Caribbean island. NOOR/Kadir van Lohuizen

Time to ‘change the tide’ in the Caribbean says regional climate expert

• UN nuclear watchdog stands ready amid Iran-Israel crisis
• UNRWA chief appeals for peace in Gaza and the region
• Humanitarian aid appeal slashed due to ‘brutal funding cuts’

Audio Credit: Dianne Penn, UN News 
And don’t forget you can hear more of our news and interviews by going to our website and audio hub.  
Music composed and produced by Joachim Harris. All rights reserved. 


UN News Today 16 June 2025 - Iran-Israel crisis, Gaza update, aid appeal

What does climate change look like through a child’s eyes? From Nepal’s melting glaciers to the Maldives’ rising seas, the impacts are vastly different.  

With more at stake in the future than older generations, young people around the world are taking notice – be it protecting medicinal plants in remote mountain villages, or speaking on global stages about vanishing islands, they are showing resilience and leadership. 

UN News’ Vibhu Mishra sat down with Alice Akunga and Edward Addai, UNICEF Representatives in Nepal and the Maldives, about how climate change is reshaping childhood – and how children are fighting back. 

 His first question was to Ms. Akunga, who described how climate change is broadly impacting Nepal’s children.

Audio credit: Vibhu Mishra, UN News
Photo: In southern Nepal, a girl holds her baby brother; their family lost their home to floods caused by heavy, unseasonal rains. UNICEF Photo

Climate change, through a childs eyes

Afghanistan and Yemen rank as the worst countries in the world for women, according to a new global gender index published by UN Women on Tuesday. Compared with their male counterparts, Afghan women are 76 per cent less likely to have equality in health, education, financial inclusion and decision making.

“We cannot accept this dangerous precedent,” said Sofia Calltorp, Director of UN Women. This would send the message that women’s and girl’s rights everywhere were expendable, she insisted. “The choices we make now will reveal what we stand for,” Ms. Calltorp added. 

She urged the international community to respond with a long-term vision to address the crisis in Afghanistan as well as the systemic drivers of inequality. These include widely condemned decrees, policies and practices by the de facto autorities, which systematically exclude women from public and political life.

Regarding gender equality, only Yemen fares worse than Afghanistan, where according to Ms. Calltorp, many have “no choice but to take whatever work they find … just to help to put food on the table”.

The world must not tolerate what’s happening to Afghan women and girls: UN Women

ACP-MEAs Close Out -ACP MEAS PRoject Coordinator - Teshia JnBaptiste

ACP-MEAs Close Out -MS Patricia Kameri-Mbote, Director, UNEP Law Division

The Barbados Government Information Service has been established since 1958 as the Barbados Government's public relations and information arm.   This dynamic channel profiles Barbadian people, places and programmes which make up this Caribbean island surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea.  We hope you enjoy and feel free to comment.  We want to hear from you.

INSIDER'S REPORT - THE MONTH OF THE DISABLED - ONE COMMUNITY UNITED

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