UN Interviews

Politics used to be a battle over competing ideas, but now it’s become a very real fight “between identities”: that’s according to Valentina Grippo, an Italian Member of Parliament and delegate to the UN-affiliated Inter-Parliamentary Union, or IPU, which met at UN Headquarters this week in New York.  

A majority of MPs worldwide are facing threats and abuse from voters, according to a new IPU report which found that 71 per cent of surveyed lawmakers experienced violence from the public – whether offline, online or both. 

Speaking to Edouard de Bray of UN News Ms. Grippo stressed that rising polarisation and online disinformation are fuelling violence against politicians and undermining democratic debate worldwide.

As wars drag on across continents and conflicts grow more complex, children continue to bear the heaviest and most heartbreaking cost.

Marking 30 years since the United Nations first established its mandate to protect children caught in war, Vanessa Frazier, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, is sounding the alarm, and calling for renewed global commitment to prevention, protection, and accountability.

Ms. Frazier warned that grave violations against children are rising sharply, with more than 7,400 cases of child recruitment verified in 2024 alone.

Charlotte Frantz began by asking where child recruitment is happening the most – and what is driving it.

As Holocaust remembrance increasingly moves into digital spaces shaped by artificial intelligence, virtual worlds and interactive media, experts are calling for stronger global coordination to ensure ethical, sustainable and responsible memory work.

Speaking at UN Headquarters around International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Professor Victoria Grace Richardson-Walden stressed that no single institution or sector can address these challenges alone. 

Policymakers, technology companies, museums, educators, researchers and digital creators must work together, she said, to avoid fragmented efforts that waste resources and risk losing vital historical material as technologies rapidly evolve.

UN News’s Ana Carmo started by asking her why global collaboration is key for shaping the future of Holocaust memory in digital spaces. 

The head of the police component of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), Mamouma Ouédraogo – appointed late last year – was at UN Headquarters in the past few days, taking part in the Police Week.

The gathering reunites senior police officers from peacekeeping operations and staffers from the UN’s special political missions. 

In an interview with UN News’s Jérôme Bernard, she outlined the support provided by MONUSCO’s police component to the Congolese national police and explained the measures being taken to address human rights violations, particularly sexual violence.

Ukraine is facing one of its most severe winters since the war began, with attacks on critical infrastructure leaving hundreds of thousands of families without heating or electricity as temperatures fall below minus 20 degrees Celsius.

Speaking to UN News, UNICEF’s Chief of Field Operations in Ukraine, Kenan Madi, warned that children continue to bear the brunt of the crisis, particularly in major urban centres such as Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa, where central heating systems have been heavily damaged.

UNICEF has responded by scaling up emergency winter assistance, including cash support to vulnerable families, expanding child protection services, and helping schools and utilities maintain essential heating and water services.

UN News’s Evgeniya Kleshcheva began by asking Mr. Madi to detail the situation facing families and humanitarian workers on the ground.

Catherine Mootian was just twelve years old when she underwent female genital mutilation (FGM), a moment that changed her life forever.

Growing up in Kenya’s Maasai community, she was told the cut marked her transition into womanhood. But years later, that painful experience became the driving force behind her mission to protect other girls from the same fate.

Today, Ms. Mootian is the founder and executive director of AfyAfrika – leading the fight to end FGM and to help survivors heal.

UN News’ Assumpta Massoi began by asking Ms. Mootian about her childhood ordeal, and how it has shaped her over the years

The UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, MONUSCO, says it is ready to support a ceasefire between the Congolese authorities and the M23 armed group, following an announcement by Qatar that it will deploy a first monitoring team under the Doha peace initiative.

M23, also known as the March 23 Movement, is an armed group operating in eastern DRC that has seized key towns, including Goma in January and Bukavu in February, fuelling renewed violence and displacement.

MONUSCO says the initial deployment will be limited to Uvira, in South Kivu, and will not mark a permanent return to the province, which the Mission left last year. 

UN News’s Cristina Silveiro asked the mission’s spokesperson Ndeye Khady Lo whether the development should be seen as a positive signal for peace.

As the UN system continues to grapple with financial constraints, international police officers serving at peacekeeping missions are responding to the challenge.

The UN Police Division is making plans to deploy smaller specialised teams in some field settings, where necessary, who will still “achieve more” despite their reduced numbers. 

That’s according to UN Police Adviser Faisal Shahkar, who with UN Police Week now underway in New York, outlined other steps including training national authorities to ensure self-sufficiency.

Mr. Shahkar spoke to UN News’s Dianne Penn about the challenges they face, with safety and security topping the list.  

Kenya’s national action plan to eliminate cervical cancer by 2030 offers renewed hope for girls and women in rural communities, where access to prevention and care has often been limited. 

Aligned with World Health Organization (WHO)’s targets, the plan focuses on free vaccines to prevent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection – which can lead to various cancers including cervical cancer – providing early screening and timely treatment.

Joseph Mogga with WHO’s office in Nairobi, spoke to UN News’s Assumpta Massoi and explained how by bringing services closer to where women live, Kenya is signalling a strong, positive commitment to ensure that no girl or woman is left behind – especially when it comes to cervical cancer prevention.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says that improving the nutritional quality of food served in schools can help children develop healthier eating habits for life.

Last week, the UN health agency released its first-ever global, evidence-based guidelines outlining policies and practical interventions to help schools provide healthier food and drink options.

Katrin Engelhardt, a scientist at WHO who led the development of the new guidelines, spoke to UN News’s Ileana Exaras about what they recommend – and why creating healthier school food environments is an urgent priority today.