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What does it take to be a United Nations worker in some of the world’s most complex and dangerous places? How are UN humanitarians, human rights advocates, prosecutors, development experts, climate leaders and peacekeepers improving our world? Stationed in all reaches of the world and witness to suffering and atrocities, how are they helping people and coping themselves? To find out, Melissa Fleming meets them. Here you will discover extraordinary personal stories from people who devote thei ...
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Women’s rights are human rights, with Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda - ASG and Deputy Exec. Director of UN Women
30:38
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Having grown up in war-torn rural Zimbabwe, Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda overcame extreme hardship to pursue a career at the highest levels of the United Nations. Now UN Assistant Secretary-General, and one of two deputy executive directors of UN Women, she wants little girls everywhere to aspire to the same heights. “Peace is a prerequisite. It's so cr…
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Protecting children in crisis, with Catherine Russell - Executive Director of UNICEF
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Catherine Russell never forgets the children she meets. As Executive Director of UNICEF, she bears witness to the stories of tens of millions of children and young people suffering around the world, and shares causes for optimism and hope wherever she finds it. “Children just want to be children. No matter what, the bleakest situation, the most ter…
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The battle to protect children from online abuse, with Carmen Corbin - UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
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Carmen Corbin dreamt of serving with the United Nations from an early age. Now head of transnational organized crime, illicit trafficking and terrorism prevention programs at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in East Africa, she is dedicated to protecting children from shocking online exploitation. “We won't know who is real and …
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How to save humanity from climate breakdown with Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the UN's World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
37:51
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Celeste Saulo has always been fascinated by the weather. Now Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), she is seeing climate breakdown warp global weather systems beyond recognition, with devastating impacts on countless lives and livelihoods. “We can see how many people are suffering…We can see that people are running out o…
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Love Is the One Thing that Solves Everything - Benjamin Perks - Head of Campaigns and Advocacy - UNICEF
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Having overcome a childhood marked by violence, abuse and neglect, Benjamin Perks has always drawn strength from an innate sense of optimism. Now Head of Campaigns and Advocacy at UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, he helps protect young people in similar situations all over the world. “I think it was very clear that we were in a bad spot,…
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Love in the time of terrorism - Laura Dolci - Secretary of the Universal Periodic Review, Human Rights Council
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UN official Laura Dolci was feeding her baby son when she heard the devastating news that her husband Jean-Sélim Kanaan had been killed in a suicide bomb attack on the UN Headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq. It was August 19, 2003: the darkest day in UN history, and the darkest day in her life. Just days before, she recalled, “he kissed us goodbye, and I…
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Peace is the Most Urgent Medicine - Hans Kluge - World Health Organization Regional Director for Europe
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As a doctor, Dr. Hans Kluge helped save lives in some of the toughest places on Earth. Now the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Europe, he is working to improve the health of hundreds of millions of people - in a region stretching from Vladivostok to Lisbon. “We cannot have health without peace. Peace is the most urgent medicin…
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How Much Does it Cost to Feed the World? - Arif Husain - Chief Economist, World Food Programme WFP
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Arif Husain has spent the past decade raising his voice on behalf of those struggling to get enough to eat. Now Chief Economist at the World Food Programme (WFP), he is calling for the world to put a stop to mass hunger. “We want people to scream at the top of their lungs saying enough is enough […] We as humanity will not tolerate this, regardless…
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Conflict, famine, humanitarian disasters, climate change. Our world and its peoples are facing huge challenges. Wherever and whenever crisis hits, United Nations staff are on the ground saving lives and negotiating at the highest levels to alleviate suffering. This work is only possible due to the personal sacrifices made every day by UN workers ar…
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Why Actor Edward Norton Champions Biodiversity
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Acclaimed actor, filmmaker and three-time Academy Award nominee Edward Norton has long been raising his voice on behalf of the planet and its most vulnerable communities. As a UN Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity, he is championing the protection of biodiversity for the well-being of all. “It’s quite heartbreaking. I started diving, when I was 1…
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I promised I will tell the story - Muhannad Hadi - UN Deputy Special Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory
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Muhannad Hadi knew that humanitarian work was his calling from an early age. Now UN Deputy Special Coordinator and humanitarian coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, he is devoting himself to helping to alleviate the unimaginable suffering in Gaza. “They told me that agony, 24/7. They told me what they go through from the morning unti…
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Keeping hope alive - Juliette Murekeyisoni - UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)
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Growing up as a refugee in Burundi, Juliette Murekeyisoni dedicated herself to helping others from an early age. In her recent role as UNHCR’s deputy representative in South Sudan, she continued to keep hope alive by encouraging refugees to focus on their education and long-term perspectives. “For me, every time I meet them, I tell them: “Don't los…
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Racing to prevent famine in Gaza - Matthew Hollingworth - World Food Programme (WFP)
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Matthew Hollingworth has worked in conflict zones around the world, from Ukraine to South Sudan and Syria. Previously in charge of the World Food Programme’s (WFP) emergency operations in the West Bank and Gaza, Matthew was responsible for delivering life-saving aid to desperate people. “People ask me every single day when I'm in Gaza: “When will t…
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To fight global hunger, farmers know best - Beth Bechdol - Deputy Director-General - UN Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO)
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Growing up on a farm, Beth Bechdol never dreamed of following in her agricultural family’s footsteps. Now Deputy Director-General of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), she has not only returned to her roots, but is now fighting the corner of farmers the world over. “I know what it takes to grow a crop and to provide enough support fo…
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Breaking barriers to progress - Achim Steiner - Head of United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
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Born in Brazil to German parents, Achim Steiner knows first hand the power of cultural exchange to drive international cooperation. Now head of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), he leads global efforts to secure a better future for our planet and its people. “The clearest lesson from 50 years of modern development thinking is don't try…
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Human rights is our strongest tool - Volker Türk - UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
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Volker Türk has the greatest respect for those able to hold onto hope when all appears to be lost. As United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, he has devoted his life and career to helping the world’s most vulnerable people. “What has always struck me was encounters with people who are extremely resilient … who actually see hope, includin…
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Everybody has Purpose - Amy Pope - Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM)
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Amy Pope has always championed humane and orderly migration as an opportunity for societies, not a problem. Now the first female Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) she is campaigning for a fundamental shift in attitudes towards newcomers. “You just give somebody a little space. Everybody has purpose. Everybody ha…
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A Privilege to Serve Humanity - Joyce Msuya - OCHA - Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
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Big or small, Joyce Msuya has always found ways to give back. Now Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, she oversees the global response to the world’s worst crises. “For me, personally, it's a privilege to serve humanity. I wake up ev…
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With AI, We’re Building the Plane Mid-Flight - Doreen Bogdan-Martin - International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Secretary-General
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Doreen Bogdan-Martin’s fascinating career handed her a front row seat for the digital revolution. Now Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), she’s among those leading global efforts to set guardrails on the use of Artificial Intelligence. “I think we've never seen anything like this before … the plane is in flight and…
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Unlocking the Power of Youth - Jayathma Wickramanayake - Sr. policy advisor, UN Women
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Appointed to a senior UN role aged just 26, Jayathma Wickramanayake’s career trajectory testifies to the power of education. Now senior policy advisor at UN Women, she is working to empower all women and girls to fulfill their potential – whatever their background. “I was never told that because I was a girl, I couldn't do X, Y or Z. [My parents] a…
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No Place Like Home - Mohamed Yahya - UN Resident Coordinator, Pakistan
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A former child refugee, Mohamed Yahya knows the life-long pain of yearning for a lost home. That’s why some of his most emotional experiences with the United Nations have involved helping displaced people return to their towns years after they fled a brutal conflict. “A little bit of me was, I must say, envious of them, that they're able to go back…
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The Human Cost of War - Philippe Lazzarini - Head of UNRWA
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Philippe Lazzarini holds one of the most challenging positions in the whole of the United Nations. As head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), he is leading the backbone of the humanitarian operation in Gaza. “Ceasefire, ceasefire, ceasefire. If we have a ceasefire and the opening of the cr…
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Conflict, humanitarian disasters, climate change. Our world and its people are facing huge challenges. Wherever and whenever crisis hits, the United Nations staff are both on the ground saving lives and negotiating at the highest levels to alleviate suffering. This work is only possible due to the personal sacrifices made every day by UN staff arou…
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Rebuilding Lives in Ukraine - Karolina Lindholm Billing - UNHCR Representative in Ukraine
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Karolina Lindholm Billing was posted to Ukraine less than a year before the full-scale Russian invasion. As the UNHCR Representative in the country, she draws hope from witnessing the power of community volunteer networks in supporting displaced people in their hour of need. “Volunteers from all areas of society have helped people who have been dir…
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Help and Hope for the Hungry - Cindy H. McCain - WFP Executive Director
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Cindy McCain has many pressing reasons to lie awake at night. As Head of the World Food Programme, it is her job to make sure the millions of vulnerable people around the world who are relying on United Nations food assistance – from Gaza to Sudan to Afghanistan – don’t starve. “Our job is to give hope and help by giving food to those who really ne…
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