UN Interviews

The recent sentencing of militia members in the Central African Republic for the 2017 killing of civilians and UN peacekeepers, has sent a strong message that impunity will not be tolerated.

That’s the assessment of Lieutenant General Balla Keïta of Senegal, outgoing Force Commander at the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the country, known by the French acronym MINUSCA.

During a recent visit to New York, he spoke to Dianne Penn about the verdict, and his 45 years of military and peacekeeping experience.

The recent sentencing of militia members in the Central African Republic for the 2017 killing of civilians and UN peacekeepers, has sent a strong message that impunity will not be tolerated.

That’s the assessment of Lieutenant General Balla Keïta of Senegal, outgoing Force Commander at the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the country, known by the French acronym MINUSCA.

During a recent visit to New York, he spoke to Dianne Penn about the verdict, and his 45 years of military and peacekeeping experience.

Questioning details and attempting to distort actual history – its chronology or statistics – are just a few examples of Holocaust or genocide denial.  Often, that “leaves a window open ... creates oxygen in the room for extremism” and it is a signal of “prejudice, racist and antisemitic beliefs”. 

That’s the view of Sara Brown, Executive Director of Change, at the Centre for Holocaust, Human Rights and Genocide Education, in New Jersey, United States.  She spoke to Ana Carmo of UN News about the importance of education and counter the hate narratives.

Questioning details and attempting to distort actual history – its chronology or statistics – are just a few examples of Holocaust or genocide denial.  Often, that “leaves a window open ... creates oxygen in the room for extremism” and it is a signal of “prejudice, racist and antisemitic beliefs”. 

That’s the view of Sara Brown, Executive Director of Change, at the Centre for Holocaust, Human Rights and Genocide Education, in New Jersey, United States.  She spoke to Ana Carmo of UN News about the importance of education and counter the hate narratives.

A world without landmines is possible - and sooner than you think. 

That’s the message from mine clearance experts helping to make communities safe with the UN Mine Action Service, or UNMAS. 

In an interview with UN News’s Daniel Johnson, they explain that although contaminated land is being cleared in more than two dozen countries, this fulfils only a small part of their future development needs. 

A world without landmines is possible - and sooner than you think. 

That’s the message from mine clearance experts helping to make communities safe with the UN Mine Action Service, or UNMAS. 

In an interview with UN News’s Daniel Johnson, they explain that although contaminated land is being cleared in more than two dozen countries, this fulfils only a small part of their future development needs. 

Locust swarms of a magnitude not seen in decades are devastating crops and placing millions at risk of hunger in the Horn of Africa. 

Keith Cressman, Senior Locust Forecasting Officer with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), told Dianne Penn the agency is seeking $76 million to scale-up aerial spraying against the “voracious” locusts and protect livelihoods in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia. 

Locust swarms of a magnitude not seen in decades are devastating crops and placing millions at risk of hunger in the Horn of Africa. 

Keith Cressman, Senior Locust Forecasting Officer with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), told Dianne Penn the agency is seeking $76 million to scale-up aerial spraying against the “voracious” locusts and protect livelihoods in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia. 

The way children and teenagers behave online has profoundly changed, and if societies ignore the need to rethink child safety issues, then “we are sticking our heads in the sand”. 

That’s according to Neil Walsh, Chief of the Cybercrime and Anti-Money Laundering Section at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).  

Highlighting the role of parents and caregivers in understanding and explaining the risks involved in using the internet, Mr. Walsh told UN News’s Elena Vapnitchnaia that it’s essential to “empower the kids”, enabling them to talk about what they feel and see online.  

The way children and teenagers behave online has profoundly changed, and if societies ignore the need to rethink child safety issues, then “we are sticking our heads in the sand”. 

That’s according to Neil Walsh, Chief of the Cybercrime and Anti-Money Laundering Section at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).  

Highlighting the role of parents and caregivers in understanding and explaining the risks involved in using the internet, Mr. Walsh told UN News’s Elena Vapnitchnaia that it’s essential to “empower the kids”, enabling them to talk about what they feel and see online.