UN News Interviews - 2025

Spain’s head of international financing has told UN News that after deep uncertainty at the beginning of the year when power changed hands in Washington, the financing for development conference taking place in Sevilla has shown than multilateralism is “back on track.”

Inés Carpio told Matt Wells in the southern Spanish city that she was very optimistic coming out of the conference, when a platform for action was a major part of the outcome document, adopted on day one.

She explained how Spain and other countries were coming together to help relieve the developing world of its crushing debt burden and taking other immediate steps to accelerate action towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

Audio and photo credit: Matt Wells, UN News

Spanish international finance chief: ‘We are back on track for multilateralism’

Education is not only a fundamental human right that must be protected and promoted, but also a cornerstone of sustainable development.

Every dollar invested in education yields up to $15 in return. Meanwhile, the cost of inaction is staggering. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) estimates that children being out of school and a lack of relevant skills among today’s generation could cost the global economy $10 trillion over the next decade.

Speaking at the Sustainable Development Conference in Sevilla, Spain, where global experts are discussing financing and reforming the international financial architecture, UNESCO emphasized that education must be recognized as a key driver of economic growth.

That’s according to Stefania Giannini, UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Education, who spoke with UN News’ Matt Wells in Sevilla about the transformative power of education around the world.

Audio credit: Matt Wells, UN News


Education a ‘main driver of economic growth’, UNESCO reminds at Sevilla development conference

The Sevilla Commitment, the outcome document of the Financing for Development Conference, is packed full of commitments to ramp up the funding of sustainable development, in order to bridge the divide between developed countries and the Global South.
With the Agreement adopted on the opening day of this flagship UN event, Matt Wells from UN News asked Li Junhua, the UN Under Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, what remains at stake.
Audio: Matthew Wells
Photo: UN DESA

Financing for Development: Will multilateralism deliver?

The president of the world’s second largest multilateral development bank has lauded progress made during the pivotal UN financing for sustainable development conference in Sevilla, saying the commitment by countries to work together is “positive, encouraging – and we need to do better.”
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) chief Jin Liqun told Matt Wells who’s in Sevilla for UN News that amid “formidable” global challenges, no one country or institution can stay on the path to sustainability on their own.
He said there was no reason to be intimidated by uncertainties roiling the global economy and partnering with institutions and the private sector is “crucially important”.

Audio and photo credit: Matt Wells, UN News in Sevilla

Bankrolling sustainable development: ‘Positive, encouraging – and we need to do better’

The current global health system, which has achieved “tremendous” gains over the past decades, is a bit like a bowl of spaghetti, according to Mandeep Dhaliwal, the Director of Health at the UN Development Programme (UNDP). 

The intertwining noodles of pasta have – in some ways – produced a siloed health system, if you run with the metaphor: separate strands never quite connect.

But public health is not a silo, Ms. Dhaliwal told UN News’s Naima Sawaya, ahead of the High-Level Political Forum being held in New York over the next two weeks, which will discuss the world’s commitment to accessible healthcare and well-being for all.

Audio credit: Naima Sawaya, UN News


Reforming the global health system, one bowl of spaghetti at a time

Collective action can take many forms – cooperatives, for example. But for the millions of youth engaged in agrifood systems, sometimes Instagram or TikTok is more effective.

Of the 1.3 billion people aged 15 to 24, 44 per cent rely on agrifood systems for employment. But their unique challenges are not always represented, and their voices are not always heard. This is why collective action is so important. 

A recent report on youth in agrifood systems went further than just encouraging collective action – it actually consulted youth stakeholders in the editing of the report, as Lauren Phillips, a deputy director at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), told UN News’s Naima Sawaya – as the UN’s top political forum on sustainable development continues. 

Audio credit: Naima Sawaya, UN News
Audio duration: 12'2
Photo caption: Young farmers load tomatoes onto trucks in Nubaria, Egypt.
Photo credit: © FAO/Heba Khamis

Youth seize the day in new food production report

When Aideé Zamorano González had her second child, her boss and colleagues all asked when she would leave her job in Mexico’s automotive industry. Presumably, now that she had two boys to care for, she would stop working.

Ms. Zamorano González didn’t want to quit, but she did leave her job to found Mamá Godín, a social enterprise which evaluates care policies in private sector businesses and advocates for new frameworks to better support mothers in the workplace.

UN News’s Naima Sawaya sat down with Ms. Zamorano González a day after she took part in a panel at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, underway at UN Headquarters in New York.

Audio Credit: Naima Sawaya, UN News
Audio Duration 6'56"
Photo Credit: © Courtesy of Aideé Zamorano González

‘It’s a personal fight’: One woman’s battle to protect care work in Mexico

Natalia Kanem, the head of the UN sexual and reproductive rights agency, UNFPA, is stepping down, after a tumultuous eight-year tenure that has seen her, and her colleagues, uphold the rights of women and girls in the face of a global pandemic, ideological pushback and political instability.

Ahead of her departure, Mita Hosali from UN News sat down with Dr. Kanem and looked back at some of the key achievements of UNFPA during her time in charge and reflect on the kinds of support that young women will need from the agency in years to come.

Audio: UN News/ Mita Hosali
Photo: UN Photo/ Srdjan Slavkovic

Standing up for ‘the dignity of life’: Natalia Kanem steps down as UNFPA boss

After another deadly weekend in Gaza in which at least 67 Palestinians were reportedly killed seeking food, UN aid teams on Monday described “mayhem” and starvation in the enclave as the Israeli military pushed into Deir Al-Balah for the first time.

In an alert, the UN agency for Palestian refugees, UNRWA, relayed desperate testimonies from its colleagues struggling to survive in the war-torn enclave.

“We’re in the death phase,” said one UNRWA's Louise Wateridge. “Everything around people at the moment is death, whether it's bombs or strikes, children wasting away in front of their eyes from malnourishment, from dehydration, and dying.”

Doctors and nurses who continue to work in the UN agency’s clinics and medical centres “are watching children disappear and die in front of their eyes, and there's absolutely nothing that they can do about it”, Ms. Wateridge continued.

CLIP - Death is everywhere in Gaza, says UNRWA officer

Amid reports of a fragile calm in Syria’s Sweida governorate, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) confirmed on Monday that it is helping to provide assistance to those displaced by the violence – and the country’s many returnees. 

The development follows deadly clashes between Bedouin and Druze communities in Sweida that has drawn in Syrian government forces and the Israeli military, highlighting the regional implications of unresolved tensions inside Syria. 

With more on the crisis and the challenges facing Syrians returning home after well over a decade of civil war, here’s WFP’s head of emergency communications, Jonathan Dumont, with UN News’s Daniel Johnson in Geneva. 

Audio credit: Daniel Johnson, UN News
Audio duration: 5'45"
Photo caption: WFP's Jonathan Dumont (right) visits Aleppo, Syria.
Photo credit: © WFP/Jonathan Dumont

Syria: UN aid teams offer vital assistance to Sweida’s displaced and returnees

The World Health Organization (WHO) has repeated its call for the release of an employee detained by the Israeli military following attacks on a WHO guesthouse and its main warehouse in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza, on Monday. 

Substantial amounts of medical supplies and medicines have been lost, while the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate rapidly, said WHO representative in the occupied Palestinian territory, Dr. Rik Peeperkorn. 

Despite the “huge blow” to Gaza’s already crippled health system, the veteran emergency medic insisted that WHO will stay and deliver for the people of Gaza, despite the increasing challenges. 

Here he is now, with UN News’s Daniel Johnson. 

Audio credit: Daniel Johnson, UN News
Audio duration: 9'35"
Photo credit: United Nations (file)

Gaza: UN health agency pledges to stay and deliver despite attacks

Greater political will is needed to change patriarchal norms in the face of the backlash against gender equality, an independent expert appointed by the UN Human Rights Council has said.

Surya Deva, Special Rapporteur on the right to development, participated in a major meeting at the UN in New York to review progress towards achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), many of which are off track as the 2030 deadline approaches.

Gender equality, SDG 5, was among a handful of Goals in the spotlight at the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), which concludes on Wednesday.

UN News’s Mehboob Khan spoke to Mr. Deva, who began by explaining why the SDGs are at risk.

Audio credit: Mehboob Khan, UN News
Audio duration: 7'3"
Photo caption: UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development, Surya Deva
Photo credit: UN News/Pooja Yadav


Gender equality key to achieving global development goals: rights expert

Over one billion people live in slums and informal settlements globally, with that number expected to triple by 2050. And yet, in official data and national censuses, these people are often invisible.  

Denis (deni) Jobin (jobye), a senior evaluation officer at UN children’s agency UNICEF, visited multiple slums across four countries in order to change this, collecting quantitative and qualitative data to illuminate the challenges informal settlements face.  

UN News’s Naima Sawaya sat down with Mr. Jobin following a side-event at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in New York to better understand the conditions of people living in informal settlements.  

Data and slums: ‘Evaluation is the way to speak truth to power’

Around the world, women and girls of African Descent continue to face the double burden of racism and sexism, often navigating systemic barriers that hinder their development and violate their rights, according to the UN reproductive health agency, UNFPA.  

Last year, the UN General Assembly voted to recognise 25 July as the International Day for Women and Girls of African Descent as they continue to face multiple and overlapping forms of discrimination, manifesting in higher rates of poverty, barriers to education, limited access to quality healthcare, and underrepresentation in decision-making.  

UNFPA’s “Leave No One Behind" commitment focuses on dismantling systemic barriers and ensuring equal access to rights, services, and health outcomes for all women and girls.  

UN News’s Emma Trager-Lewis sat down with Patricia DaSilva, UNFPA Senior Programme Adviser and Global Coordinator for “Leave No One Behind” to discuss how the agency is working to uplift women and girls across the African diaspora. 

Audio Credit: Emma Trager-Lewis, UN News
Photo Credit: © UNFPA

Women and Girls of African Descent continue to face the double burden of racism and sexism

UN agencies continue to draw attention to the dire conditions in Gaza, where food security experts warned this week of mounting evidence of famine and widespread starvation due to conflict, displacement and the near-total collapse of essential services.

Ricardo Pires, Communication Manager with the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), is fresh from a mission to the enclave, where a man-made drought is also looming.

He told UN News’ Daniel Johnson that lack of drinking water means children are dehydrated and at risk of disease as families resort to using contaminated water sources.

Audio credit: Daniel Johnson, UN News


Gaza is ‘a complete perfect storm of suffering for children’: UNICEF

Human trafficking is a global threat driven by organised crime and each year, more and more women, children and men are being exploited, including for forced labour and sex. 

That’s according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) which works to provide humanitarian, legal and economic assistance to survivors.  

Through the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons (UNVTF), the UN prioritises working with grassroot organisations carrying out survivor-led initiatives, facilitating on-the-ground assistance and protection to victims of trafficking.  

On the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, UN News’s Emma Trager-Lewis met with Mira Sorvino, Oscar-winning actress and UNODC’s Goodwill Ambassador for the global fight against human trafficking. 

Audio Credit: Emma Trager-Lewis, UN News

‘Nothing about them, without them’: human trafficking survivors need to have a seat at every table

Some 1.3 million people displaced. 5.7 million people not getting enough food. How do you even begin to conceive of the magnitude of Haiti’s crisis, borne from years of political insecurity, gang violence and climate shocks? And how do you begin to feed the country? 

For Pierre Vauthier, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Representative in Haiti, hope lies in smaller, locally-driven solutions which empower communities to take control of their own food production.  

A school feeding programme, for example, which instead of financing imported food, uses funds to expand the capacities of local farmers, not only feeds children but also generates rural self-sufficiency. 

UN News’ Naima Sawaya spoke with Mr. Vauthier to learn more about FAO’s work in Haiti and why he remains hopeful for Haiti’s future.   

Feeding Haiti, a big problem that needs smaller, local solutions

In Sudan, as violent conflict between forces of the Sudanese military and their rival Rapid Support Forces militia rages for its third year, women are facing the brunt of the humanitarian crisis. 

Female-led households struggle to access food, girls and women face high risks of exploitation and abuse when trying to access humanitarian aid, and all the while, A accessible women-run organizations are vastly under-resourced. 

Salvator Nkurunziza, the UN Women representative in Sudan, sat down with UN News’s Abdelmonem Makki to discuss the struggles women face in Sudan and the solutions that should be implemented. 

Audio Credit: Abdelmonem Makki, UN News
Photo Credit: UN News

Female-led households bear the brunt on Sudan’s brutal frontlines

In Gaza, women and girls have been bearing the brunt of the catastrophic humanitarian situation for the past 22 months.   

In addition to the constant threat of sexual violence, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers in the enclave face a daily struggle to get the help they need.  

Despite the continuing devastation – as Israel moves to assert more military control over the enclave – the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and partners are mobilised and working around the clock to provide life-saving services on the ground, as UN News’s Nathalie Minard has been hearing from Laila Baker, Regional Director for Arab States for UNFPA.

Audio Credit: Nathalie Minard, UN News
Photo Credit: © UNFPA

Gaza: Nothing could have prepared me for the level of devastation I witnessed

People in Haiti are living through “hell on earth,” according to William O’Neill, the UN’s designated expert on human rights in Haiti.  

Armed gangs – predominantly in the capital Port-au-Prince – are parasitically extracting financial resources from the population and perpetrating horrific acts of violence, he says – but they’re just one cog in a larger cycle of impunity, corruption and violence. 

Following the release of the most recent report on human rights in Haiti, UN News’ Naima Sawaya spoke to Mr. O’Neill about whether a path forward to peace even exists. She began by asking if he had ever met a gang leader. 

‘Hell on earth’: Desperation in Haiti as human rights violations abound

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UN News Interviews - 2025

United Nations News