The Lid is On

The post Second World war dream of global peace which brought countries from around the world together at the United Nations continues to resonate as the UN marks 80 years of its existence in New York City.

It was never set in stone that the organization would find its permanent home in New York as it was competing with other locations in the United States to host the world body.

The UN eventually opened in Manhattan in the early 1950s but a number of locations in and around New York were retrofitted to provide temporary facilities.

UN News' Daniel Dickinson tells the story of the UN in New York.

2025 marks the 10th anniversary of one of the most significant resolutions on youth and peace ever adopted by the UN Security Council.

Resolution 2250 led to widespread changes in the ways that the voices of young people are not just heard but also incorporated into peace plans and policies.

In this episode of our flagship podcast, The Lid is On, Conor Lennon speaks to some of the young leaders who were at UN Headquarters this month to celebrate the progress made so far, and reflect on what more needs to be done.

Speakers:

• Aishworya Shrestha, founder of Heart of Nepal
• Adelin Pierre, Haitian youth environmental activist and peacebuilder
• Nila Ibrahimi, founder of HerStory
• Mary Maker, UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador
• Cheryl Pierce, Acting Military Advisor at UN Peacekeeping
• Anes Demirović, Founder of Hadje Together
• Elizabeth Spehar, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding

Peace Circle at UNGA80: Hear Us. Act Now for a Peaceful World - SDG Media Zone, 80th Session of the UN General Assembly | UN Web TV

Actions for a peaceful world | United Nations

Music: Ketsa

Storytelling has the power to inspire action, and when celebrities and influencers use their platforms for climate advocacy, the impact can reach audiences across the globe.

In September at UN Headquarters in New York, actor and UNDP Goodwill Ambassador Nikolaj Coster-Waldau shared his experiences of visiting UN Development Programme (UNDP) initiatives for his Bloomberg TV series, An Optimist’s Guide to the Planet.

Joining him in the the SDG Media Zone was UNDP India Youth Climate Champion Prajakta Koli. Moderator Alyssa Hardy, Style Director at Teen Vogue, asked Mr. Coster-Waldau why, despite the severity of the climate crisis, there is still reason to be hopeful.

Watch the full SDG Media Zone session here.

Space exploration and the use of space technology is becoming an increasingly critical part of the global economy, but how can the world ensure its benefits are felt, not just in the developed world but also in poorer and less technologically advanced developing countries?

The UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) was established for that exact reason and more particularly to accelerate sustainable development globally.

It has just announced its UN Champion for Space, the internationally acclaimed broadcaster and physicist Professor Brian Cox who’s been speaking to UN News’ Lid is On podcast.

Wind and solar energy are now the cheapest sources of energy, bringing cleaner air, stronger communities, and new economic opportunities. In September at UN Headquarters in New York, the SDG Media Zone hosted a discussion highlighting the momentum of the clean energy transition, and how expanding access to wind and solar can improve public health, create jobs, and accelerate economic growth.

The talk featured Jamie Henn of Fossil Free Media, activist and artist Antonique Smith, and Emerson Clark from the Global Wind Energy Council.

The moderator, Melina Waling of the Associated Press, asked Mr Clark for his thoughts on the speech made by US President Donald Trump at General Assembly high-level week, in which he declared that climate change is “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world.”

Watch the full SDG Media Zone session here.

Music: "Rise and Shine," Audiobinger

Too often, coordinated misinformation campaigns are amplified and monetized via digital advertising, hampering efforts to address the climate crisis.

In the lead up to the November COP30 UN Climate Conference in Belém Brazil, the SDG Media Zone turned the spotlight on this pressing challenge, bringing together UN Senior Adviser on Information Integrity, Charlotte Scaddan; Jacob Dubbins, Co-Chair of the Conscious Advertising Network; and Rupen Desai, Chief Marketing Officer at Una Terra. 

Watch the full SDG Media Zone session here.

Music: "Rise and Shine," Audiobinger

At UN Headquarters in New York, Karla Quintana, head of the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in Syria (IIMP), has warned that time is running out to find the hundreds of thousands who disappeared during the country’s long conflict. “Everyone in Syria knows someone who has gone missing,” Ms. Quintana told UN News.In conversation with Ezzat El-Ferri, she underscored that the search must be Syrian-led and internationally supported, driven by the families who have long fought to learn the truth about their loved ones.

Music: ‘Rise and Shine’ by Audiobinger

Secretary-General’s September 2025 report on the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in Syria: https://docs.un.org/en/A/80/359

Like many island economies, Dominica experiences high youth unemployment, and recent events, in particular Hurricane Maria and the COVID-19 pandemic, have combined to make the search for work even harder.

A UN-backed initiative designed to improve the employment options for young Dominicans, Work Online Dominica, has been successful in helping them to overcome the barriers they face on a small, remote island.

Conor Lennon from UN News met aspiring photographer Josiah Johnson, a graduate of the programme, in Dominica’s capital, Roseau, to find out how he, and other young people, have benefited from Work Online Dominica. 

Caribbean island nations are vulnerable to a host of extreme weather events, from hurricanes to floods and droughts, that are becoming more dangerous and intense as a result of the climate emergency.

UN News met with three of the most prominent young climate activists on Trinidad & Tobago, and learned of their frustration with current environmental legislation, and what they are doing to raise awareness of the crisis.

Conor Lennon spoke to Priyanka Lalla, a teenage climate activist and UNICEF Youth Advocate for the eastern Caribbean, Joshua Prentice, a climate and ocean scientist, and Zaafia Alexander the 18-year-old founder of an environmental NGO.

Dominica may have found a solution to cover all of its electricity needs, and even sell electricity abroad, without burning fossil fuels: geothermal energy. This power source is 100 per cent clean, cheap and practically limitless.

Conor Lennon from UN News meets Vince Henderson, Dominica’s Minister for Economic Development and Sustainable Energy, and Fred John, CEO of the Dominica Geothermal Development Company to find out if the country really is on its way to a clean energy future.