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 remember telling him in my joking way: ‘Be sure you come back.’”

Working through tremendous trauma, Laura Dolci became a fierce advocate for terrorism victims – calling for recognition and support to those affected by what she calls a senseless crime. At the United Nations, she is now a distinguished leader in international human rights. In this episode, Laura reflects on the meaning of the term resilience, on her late husband’s legacy, and on her hopes for their son.

“One of the first things I had to tell [my son] was, ‘Your father was killed.’ … The weight of that word in a family is big. How do you make sure that the next generation can still believe in justice, in mediation, in respect, in resolving tensions and conflicts?”

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 medicine.”

Stepping into his European role just as a global pandemic swept the earth, Dr. Kluge never dreamed that his previous experience in crisis-hit sub-Saharan Africa would prove so useful. In this episode, Dr. Kluge reflects on lessons learned during COVID, the mental health crisis, and on some surprising methods to build trust with remote communities.

“My dream and my vision is that we have a culture of health. It means that, independent of your financial means, your sexual orientation, whether you are documented or an undocumented migrant, that you are empowered to live a healthy life, and this means that we have to have universal health coverage.”

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 of what and where it is happening. It's just not right if you are hurting women, children, innocent people.”

There is no shortage of food in the world, yet the WFP says the number of people going hungry has more than doubled in the past five years. In this episode, Arif Husain reflects on how the deadly trio of conflict, climate change and economics conspire to breed hunger, and offers listeners hope from a surprising source.

“I tell my colleagues … as humanitarians, our jobs are bigger than us… We don't do our job, we lose people. So every time you feel like you don't have to do 100 plus percent, just think about that.”

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 around the world. So, what motivates someone to lead the global fight for human rights, equality, or justice? Join UN chief communicator Melissa Fleming as she gets to know the extraordinary people behind the Organization.

Coming soon from the United Nations, Season 10 of the podcast Awake at Night.

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 14, in the Caribbean. The change to the reef environments in the Caribbean in my adult lifetime is staggering and really upsetting. Reefs are in just terrible shape, terrible shape. Bleached, covered with algae, fish a fraction of what they were. What was vibrant and colorful and rich is just sort of denuded. It looks like a burnt forest or something. It’s just not, it’s not as alive.”

Working closely with communities in East Africa and around the world, Edward Norton is pushing for conservation that also tackles poverty by providing sustainable sources of income for local communities.

In this special episode, the Hollywood star reflects on his activist upbringing, his hopes for his children, and on balancing a successful acting career with a rich, varied and meaningful life.

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 until they drop asleep, out of exhaustion. And I promised that I will tell the story.”

The UN estimates that the ongoing conflict in Gaza has displaced up to 1.9 million people – 90% of the population - many of whom have fled multiple times. In this episode, Muhannad Hadi reflects on the horrendous conditions in Gaza, the importance of having a supportive family, and how his time volunteering in Jordan led to a lifelong humanitarian career.

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 lose hope, you are not going to be a refugee forever. One day you'll go home, and you can use the skills you have learned here. So, any opportunity you have, learn.” 

South Sudan hosts around 330,000 refugees as well as 2 million others internally displaced due to conflict, insecurity and the impact of climate change. In this episode, Juliette Murekeyisoni reflects on improving prospects of those forced to flee, on her own traumatic experiences during the Rwandan genocide, and on a life touched by the kindness of strangers.

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 the bombs stop? When will the fighting stop? When will they stop blowing things up? When can I go home?” We don't have the answers. But we do know that that is what's needed.”

WFP delivers food relief to more than 120 countries across the world suffering the impacts of conflicts, disasters and climate change. In this episode (recorded on 21 June 2024), Matthew Hollingworth reflects on his daily struggle to prevent famine in Gaza, on the apocalyptic scale of the destruction there, and on the morale boost he gets from working with extraordinary colleagues on the ground.

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 for your animals. And if you don't have access to any of that, it's crushing. These are the things that on a regular basis keep me up at night.”

The United Nations works to defeat hunger and achieve food security around the world, providing emergency agricultural aid to help mitigate food crises. In this episode, Beth Bechdol reflects on the perils of donor fatigue, on the devastation wrought on agriculture by war and climate change, and on what the world can learn from the wisdom of farmers.

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 and just pick one aspect and put all your eggs in that basket. Society is complex, development is about choices. And you will either get them right and succeed or you will fall apart.”

Across the world, the UN supports efforts to end poverty, tackle climate change, and break barriers to progress and development. Yet brutal conflicts can reverse decades of progress in a few short months. In this episode, Achim Steiner reflects on the thorniest challenges facing humanity, on his hopes for a fairer, cleaner future, and on the vital lessons he learned in rural Pakistan.

“How, in our age, do we overcome this competition between ecology and economy, which is leading us to so many destructive and ultimately, increasingly catastrophic realities around the world?”