In Episode 2 of Seeking Peace, a podcast from the Department of Peace Operations, Melanne Verveer from Georgetown University’s Institute for Women Peace and Security explores women’s roles in peace negotiations and the implementation of peace agreements.

The interviewees in this episode are the UN Assistant Secretary General for Africa, Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, Maïga Aziza from Mali, the first-ever Member of Parliament to represent Timbuktu, and South Sudanese activist Alokiir Malual, about women’s involvement in peace negotiations, and the implementation of peace agreements.

This week, The Lid Is On has partnered with the UN Department of Peace Operations, to bring you five episodes from the latest season of their podcast, Seeking Peace.

In this episode, Melanne Verveer, the Executive Director of the Georgetown University's Institute for Women Peace and Security, and former United States Ambassador for Global Women's Issues, introduces inspiring activists from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the divided island of Cyprus.

On this week’s The Lid Is On, we’re introducing you to UNiting Against Hate, a new series from UN Podcasts.

Katy Dartford talks to those who have encountered hate speech first-hand, as well as activists and experts from around the world about how they are trying to counter it.

In this episode, she has an in-depth conversation with two organizations who monitor hate speech, and discusses with them the relationship between hate speech and disinformation.

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Music: Backcomb, Ketsa

The world has never been more inter-connected, but this has made it easier than ever before to spread disinformation, hate speech, and information that divides, and causes fear and mistrust.

Intercultural dialogue has been described as an antidote to rejection and violence. But can it really make a difference in a world where toxic language and conflict make headlines, generate more clicks and, or so it often seems, wins votes?

On this episode of The Lid Is On, Conor Lennon talks to Karabo Mokgonyana is an award-winning Activist and Lawyer from South Africa, and Gabriela Ramos, the Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences at UNESCO, the UN agency for education, science and culture.

Music: Within the Earth, Ketsa

We though it was all over…it is now, we promise! We gave you the instant reaction to the final COP27 plenary session on what we though was the last podcast on the event, but then we decided to get an expert perspective from Selwin Hart, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advisor on Climate, and friend of the podcast.

Conor got to sit down with Selwin, and find out more about the progress that was made, where efforts need to be focused over the next 12 months, and why, despite the perilous state of the climate crisis, there is still hope for the future.

On this week's episode we're letting a new UN podcast take over! It's called amplifyHER, and it's a tribute to some of the best women artists, from around the world, working today. 

Over the next 10 weeks, inspiring women musicians from diverse cultural backgrounds, talk to us from their homes and studios, about their challenges as women in a male-dominated industry, overcoming barriers, and what drives them to continue creating music.

The first episode features Milli, the fearless teenage superstar from Thailand, and the first artist from the country to perform solo at the world-famous Coachella Music festival, in 2022.

• UN Human Rights Council backs call for probe into Iran crisis
• Nearly 40 million children ‘dangerously susceptible’ to growing measles threat
• Racial discrimination panel calls for Xinjiang rights violation probe

COP27 officially ended on Friday, but no agreement was reached when Conor and Laura recorded their last podcast in Sharm El-Sheikh.

But, despite the gloomy predictions of no deal, the COP27 outcome document was finally agreed, on Sunday morning.

Back home in New York after a 25-hour journey, Conor goes solo, to pull together a final COP episode of The Lid Is On. You can find all the details on the outcome document here.

Music: Within the Earth, Ketsa

It’s officially the last day of COP27, and the UN podcast team have their bags packed, ready to return home.

However, today did not see an outcome document agreed, and negotiating positions are reportedly still far apart on many issues.

Laura and Conor report on the current state of play, and run through some of the main takeaways from this COP, before waving goodbye to Egypt.

Music: Within the Earth, Ketsa

UN Secretary-General António Guterres is back in Sharm El-Sheikh, in an attempt to nudge countries towards resolving their differences on contentious climate issues, and reaching an acceptable outcome to COP27. He boiled down the topics to three main areas: loss and damage, the emissions gap, and climate finance.

Conor and Laura were on hand in Egypt to make sense of the negotiations, and the reaction from activists and representatives of some of the countries most vulnerable to the climate crisis.