UN Interviews

The Māori women and girls of New Zealand who have survived sexual violence face a double trauma when accessing care, according to Māori activists.Worldwide, nearly one in three women will experience gender-based violence, a statistic that is even higher amongst Indigenous women and girls, especially in the Māori community.Due to the stigma surrounding sexual violence, and the lack of cultural awareness in the healthcare system, Māori women and girls rarely report instances of sexual violence.During the 24th session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, currently being held at the UN Headquarters in New York, UN News’s Emma Trager-Lewis sat down with Kerri Nuku, Director of the New Zealand Nurses’s Organisation; and Tracey Morgan, Chair of the College of Primary HealthCare Nurses in New Zealand.Both women are Māori activists participating in the forum and began by introducing themselves in both Māori and English. 

Since arriving in Libya two months ago, UN Special Representative Hannah Tetteh has been engaging with key political figures to address the complex challenges facing the country as it struggles to recover from years of civil strife and multiple crises.While there is general agreement on the need for elections, Ms. Tetteh has told UN News that consensus on moving forward remains elusive – emphasizing the importance of strengthening democracy through a Government which has a genuine mandate from the people.Reem Abaza began by asking Ms. Tetteh for her key takeaways so far as the top UN official in Libya.

The people of Sudan are facing “endemic trauma” as the African country marks two years of a civil war, according to a documentary photographer working for the United Nations.Violence has escalated in recent weeks and now the UN estimates that over 30 million people require humanitarian assistance.Famine is devastating five regions and up to 12 million people have fled their homes.Photographer Giles Clarke is a frequent visitor to Sudan.Daniel Dickinson asked him to describe the situation on the ground during his latest visit.

The recent escalation of violence between Lebanon and Israel has left widespread devastation, and many unexploded weapons in residential and agricultural areas.These hidden threats - remnants of both past and ongoing hostilities - have once again become a significant concern for civilians living in border areas.Stephen Robinson, Mine Action Senior Policy Adviser at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) spoke to UN News’s Nancy Sarkis about the urgent need for mine action in Lebanon.

The situation in South Sudan remains precarious, with the threat of renewed civil war looming large.A growing concern, according to Lieutenant General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), is the dangerous spread of misinformation, disinformation and hate speech, which continue to fuel instability in an already fragile environment.He warned that even a single fake message shared on platforms like WhatsApp can trigger chaos, undermine peace efforts and deepen tensions between communities.General Subramanian spoke to UN News’s Sachin Gaur and started by telling him about the key challenges the UN peacekeeping mission is facing in its efforts to maintain security. 

After a deadly Russian strike on Sumy, Ukraine, on Sunday — which killed at least 34 people, including two children, and injured over 100 — the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has renewed its call for an end to the war.Jinan Ramadan, Chief of UNICEF’s Field Office in Kharkiv, has just returned from a mission to assess the situation in Sumy.Her office, which also coordinates humanitarian aid for the region, visited the local children’s hospital where many young victims are being treated.In an interview with UN News’s Evgeniya Kleshcheva, Ms. Ramadan shared powerful accounts of the suffering she witnessed — from traumatized families to injured children — and highlighted the critical support UNICEF is providing in the wake of the tragedy. 

Myanmar’s earthquake catastrophe is now known to have killed more than 3,600 people and injured more than 5,000.The toll is still rising, says the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, which is on the ground providing vital assistance to the most vulnerable individuals who’ve lost everything. UN News's Daniel Johnson has been speaking to the UN agency’s Chief of Social Policy, Bjorn Gelders. He says that about 6.3 million people need help urgently - before the monsoon rains come – and for a long time afterwards, too. 

As the war in Sudan nears its third devastating year the situation for children has reached a critical point, with an estimated 825,000 children trapped in and around the besieged Darfuri city of Al-Fasher alone, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).The ongoing conflict between rival militaries continues to displace thousands, while the collapse of essential services has left children vulnerable to death, disease, and malnutrition.Speaking to UN News’s Abdelmonem Makki from Port Sudan, Eva Hinds, advocacy and communications chief for UNICEF Sudan, delivered a stark assessment of the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding.

As the war in Sudan enters a third year, the UN and partners continue to use every possible means to distribute lifesaving food, medicines and other supplies to millions across the country. That’s the message from the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami. She told UN News’s Dianne Penn that amid cuts to aid budgets worldwide this year, the international community must not forget about Sudan. Ms. Nkweta-Salami began by outlining the immense needs. 

Nearly two years after the beginning of the Sudanese civil war, displaced populations returning to urban areas are facing the remnants of heavy fighting: unexploded ordnance.The UN demining body (UNMAS) is warning of the risks faced by displaced people returning to areas contaminated by mines and other ordnance, which can explode with the lightest touch.Active in Sudan since 2002, UNMAS has been severely impacted by both the war and a lack of funding.Sidiq Rashid, Head of UNMAS in Sudan told UN News’s Abdelmonem Makki that the country currently faces the largest displacement crisis in the world, and everyone, from the warring parties to aid workers and the international community, needs to work together to integrate mine action into humanitarian, early recovery, and reconstruction work. Abdelmonem started by asking Mr. Rashid to describe the effect that unexploded munitions are having on the civilian population.