UN Interviews

Natalia Kanem, the head of the UN sexual and reproductive rights agency, UNFPA, is stepping down, after a tumultuous eight-year tenure that has seen her, and her colleagues, uphold the rights of women and girls in the face of a global pandemic, ideological pushback and political instability.

Ahead of her departure, Mita Hosali from UN News sat down with Dr. Kanem and looked back at some of the key achievements of UNFPA during her time in charge and reflect on the kinds of support that young women will need from the agency in years to come.

When Aideé Zamorano González had her second child, her boss and colleagues all asked when she would leave her job in Mexico’s automotive industry. Presumably, now that she had two boys to care for, she would stop working.

Ms. Zamorano González didn’t want to quit, but she did leave her job to found Mamá Godín, a social enterprise which evaluates care policies in private sector businesses and advocates for new frameworks to better support mothers in the workplace.

UN News’s Naima Sawaya sat down with Ms. Zamorano González a day after she took part in a panel at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, underway at UN Headquarters in New York.

Collective action can take many forms – cooperatives, for example. But for the millions of youth engaged in agrifood systems, sometimes Instagram or TikTok is more effective.

Of the 1.3 billion people aged 15 to 24, 44 per cent rely on agrifood systems for employment. But their unique challenges are not always represented, and their voices are not always heard. This is why collective action is so important. 

A recent report on youth in agrifood systems went further than just encouraging collective action – it actually consulted youth stakeholders in the editing of the report, as Lauren Phillips, a deputy director at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), told UN News’s Naima Sawaya – as the UN’s top political forum on sustainable development continues. 

The current global health system, which has achieved “tremendous” gains over the past decades, is a bit like a bowl of spaghetti, according to Mandeep Dhaliwal, the Director of Health at the UN Development Programme (UNDP).

The intertwining noodles of pasta have – in some ways – produced a siloed health system, if you run with the metaphor: separate strands never quite connect.

But public health is not a silo, Ms. Dhaliwal told UN News’s Naima Sawaya, ahead of the High-Level Political Forum being held in New York over the next two weeks, which will discuss the world’s commitment to accessible healthcare and well-being for all.

When young South Sudanese have guns, which they do, and are raiding other people’s cattle and produce for their livelihood, which they are, how do you get them to lay down their guns? The answer is an alternative form of income, another livelihood.  

And the path to income is cooperatives according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Cooperatives, economic organizations in which work and risk are shared by members, are forming in more and more corners of South Sudan.  

They are an acknowledgement that it is easier to surmount livelihood challenges, specifically food insecurity and climate crises, together as a community as opposed to alone as individuals.  

But they may be more than just a path towards economic empowerment, they may also bring peace and security to the world’s youngest nation.  

Ahead of the International Day of Cooperatives, which is marked annually on 5 July, UN News’ Naima Sawaya sat down with FAO’s Louis Bagare, who’s based in South Sudan, and began by asking him to explain what role cooperatives play there.  

The president of the world’s second largest multilateral development bank has lauded progress made during the pivotal UN financing for sustainable development conference in Sevilla, saying the commitment by countries to work together is “positive, encouraging – and we need to do better.”

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) chief Jin Liqun told Matt Wells who’s in Sevilla for UN News that amid “formidable” global challenges, no one country or institution can stay on the path to sustainability on their own.

He said there was no reason to be intimidated by uncertainties roiling the global economy and partnering with institutions and the private sector is “crucially important”.

Click here for UN News' Special Coverage of FFD4 Conference

Education is not only a fundamental human right that must be protected and promoted, but also a cornerstone of sustainable development.

Every dollar invested in education yields up to $15 in return. Meanwhile, the cost of inaction is staggering. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) estimates that children being out of school and a lack of relevant skills among today’s generation could cost the global economy $10 trillion over the next decade.

Speaking at the Sustainable Development Conference in Sevilla, Spain, where global experts are discussing financing and reforming the international financial architecture, UNESCO emphasized that education must be recognized as a key driver of economic growth.

That’s according to Stefania Giannini, UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Education, who spoke with UN News’ Matt Wells in Sevilla about the transformative power of education around the world.

Click here for UN News' Special Coverage of FFD4 Conference

Spain’s head of international financing has told UN News that after deep uncertainty at the beginning of the year when power changed hands in the United States, the financing for development conference taking place in Sevilla has shown than multilateralism is “back on track.”

Inés Carpio told Matt Wells in the southern Spanish city that she was very optimistic coming out of the conference, when a platform for action was a major part of the outcome document, adopted on day one.

She explained how Spain and other countries were coming together to help relieve the developing world of its crushing debt burden and taking other immediate steps to accelerate action towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

Click here for UN News' Special Coverage of FFD4 Conference

Investing in the future of communities that are most likely to migrate to other countries is more effective than spending money on reinforcing border security according to Amy Pope, Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Ms. Pope was speaking on the sidelines of the UN’s Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development.  

Taking place this week in Sevilla, the Conference is a crucial opportunity to push for financial reforms and boost investment in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), 17 global goals adopted by all UN Member States to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure healthy lives for all by 2030, including Goal 10.7 on the orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people.

UN News’ Matt Wells spoke to Ms. Pope and began by asking her how sustainable development is linked to migration issues. 

Click here for UN News' Special Coverage of FFD4 Conference

Every day, buses arrive at the Afghanistan-Iran border, carrying exhausted and desperate Afghan refugee families with all their belongings. Many are returning to a country they barely know, forced to leave Iran after decades of living there.

Following a recent visit to the Islam Qala border area, Arafat Jamal, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) Representative in Afghanistan, told UN News that the number of returnees has surged amid rising tensions following the recent Israel-Iran war.

Together with its partners, the UN agency is working to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of returnees, providing food, water, shelter, protection, financial support, and access to health care, legal aid and reintegration services.

However, severe funding cuts have had a “brutal impact” on these efforts. “The level of cash assistance has dropped dramatically, from $2,000 per family to just $156, making it far more difficult for people to rebuild their lives,” Mr. Jamal told UN News’ Sachin Gaur.