UNIFIL Deputy Spokesperson Kandice Ardiel sits down with Salam from the South to provide a comprehensive overview of the latest developments in south Lebanon.

Question Time With UNIFIL Deputy Spokesperson Kandice Ardiel

Countries around the world are being encouraged to develop more ambitious plans to fight climate change as they meet at the global COP29 climate conference; That’s according to the Secretary-General of the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
Celeste Saulo spoke with UN News as the conference got underway in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Monday.
Some 198 States are coming together to assess global efforts in advancing the nearly ten-year-old Paris Agreement and limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
The country-specific plans are called Nationally Determined Contributions.
Nazrin Babayeva asked Ms. Saulo about WMO’s role today in adapting and mitigating climate change on a global scale. 

Audio credit: Nazrin Babayeva
Photo credit: UNFCCC

Countries must be ‘very ambitious’ ahead of COP29

As the Democratic Republic of the Congo enters its third decade of armed conflict, a huge number of unexploded land mines and other ordinance remain, constituting a deadly threat to civilians.

That’s according to Jean-Denis Larsen, the chief of the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) in the central African nation, who told UN News’s Julia Foxen in an interview at UN Headquarters in New York, that the danger leaves less land available for housing and crucial civilian infrastructure.

The key measure of success, he says, is the agency’s ability to hand back safe environments to communities. 

Audio: Julia Foxen, UN News

Mine action amid third decade of conflict in DR Congo

The armed conflict in Myanmar is escalating. Ethnic armed groups have captured key towns and regions, and the country’s military – known as the Tatmadaw – are employing increasingly brutal tactics, including heavy weapons and airstrikes.

Caught in the middle, civilians are bearing the brunt.

Against this background, UN News’ Vibhu Mishra spoke with Nicholas Koumjian, head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), which monitors and collects evidence of crimes in the country.

He said as violence intensifies, new actors and alliances are emerging – and it’s incumbent on the international community to act.

Established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2018, the IIMM is mandated to collect and preserve evidence of the most serious international crimes and violations of international law and prepare files for criminal prosecution.

Audio Credit Vibhu Mishra, UN News

Myanmar: Civilians caught in the middle, as fighting intensifies

UN News Today 12 November 2024 - Gaza, COP29, Ukraine

The number of prisoners in Iran being executed is rising while civic space shrinks, according to the independent human rights expert who monitors the country.

Special Rapporteur Mai Sato was at UN Headquarters last week briefing the General Assembly, where she highlighted lack of transparency by authorities in Tehran and the failure to uphold the right to life, while also raising the alarm over the worsening situation facing women in the country.

In an interview with UN News’s Julia Foxen, the UN Human Rights Council-appointed expert who only took up her role in August this year, explained how she hopes to fulfill her mandate and hold authorities to account.

Audio Credit: Julia Foxen, UN News


Iran: Transparency, women’s rights and the right to life

As the war in Lebanon grinds on, some 1.3 million people have now fled intense Israeli bombardment up and down the country, according to the authorities.

This includes a significant number of Syrian refugees, who’ve already had to flee over a decade of civil war in their own country.

Reaching Syria is by no means easy, because of the very real risk of bombing at border crossing points; and then there’s the question of how safe it is to return to Syria’s towns and cities.

With more on this – and how the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, is helping returnees at Lebanon’s borders in cooperation with the Syrian Government – here’s Rula Amin, Senior Communications Advisor for UNHCR, speaking to UN News’s Nancy Sarkis.

Audio: Nancy Sarkis, UN News
Photo: © UNHCR/Farah Harwida

Lebanon crisis highlights trauma of Syrian refugees forced to flee – again

• COP29 renewable energy transition must not be a ‘stampede of greed’, warns UN chief 
• Lebanon’s displaced are exhausted and face constant danger: UNHCR
• Gaza: Markets are ‘in decay’, warn WFP, OCHA

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

UN News Today 13 November 2024 - COP29, Lebanon, Gaza

Welcome to UNFICYP's monthly podcast Out Loud, in this edition, we interview Michelle Angela Hamelin and Ron Bragdon, two Canadian veterans who served in Cyprus since the Mission was established in 1964.

This year the mission is marking 60 years of presence on the island and several veterans who served in UNFICYP from around the world arrived in November to attend ceremonies, understand the Mission's current operations and to pay tribute to fellow peacekeepers. 

Tune in and listen to them sharing their experiences representing Canada while serving for peace. 

Presenter: Ersin Oztoycan

Canadian veterans visit UNFICYP

The official Soundcloud page of UNIFIL - The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL's Official Website: http://unifil.unmissions.org)

This page contains productions from UNIFIL Radio.