UN Interviews

The UN human rights office, OHCHR, warned on Thursday that children are not being spared from escalating Israeli military operations in the West Bank.

In the last few days, Israeli security forces have surrounded Jenin camp – targeting militants – using drones, Apache helicopters, fighter jets, and aerial bombing tactics, according to OHCHR’s top official in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Ajith Sunghay.

Children both from the West Bank and Gaza want to return to school – and are extremely affected by “the pains of the occupation and war”.

In an interview with UN News, Mr. Sunghay, told Daniel Johnson that children in Gaza have already gone through “massive trauma” and that it will take years for them “to go back to some sense of normalcy”. 

The screening at the UN of the stunning new film, Cabrini, portraying the hardships faced by vulnerable migrants moving to New York City at the turn of the last century, provides a timely reminder that there’s still much that needs to be done to help vulnerable people on the move everywhere today.

That’s the message from the star of the film, Cristiana Dell’Anna, who plays the real-life Italian missionary Mother Francesca Cabrini, famous for working in New York’s slums providing shelter, education and hope to street children who faced discrimination and rank racism in their new adopted home.

Here’s Ms. Dell’Anna now, speaking to UN News’s Daniel Johnson in Geneva.

The conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reached alarming new levels following the M23 armed group’s seizure of Minova in South Kivu - a critical hub along the supply route to regional capital Goma.

Since the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) withdrew from South Kivu in June 2024, UN peacekeepers have focused on defending key positions in North Kivu, including Goma and Sake, where clashes between the M23, the Congolese Armed Forces and other armed groups persist.

Recent fighting in Bweremana claimed at least 10 lives and triggered mass displacement toward Kalehe, Goma and Rusayo, with now over 250,000 people displaced.

Speaking to UN News’ Cristina Silveiro, MONUSCO spokesperson Ndeye Khady Lo highlighted the severe challenges humanitarian workers face in delivering aid without logistical and security support.

In a matter of days, UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees may be forced to end its crucial, life-saving operations in Gaza and The West Bank.

Legislation passed by the Israeli Government, due to come into effect at the end of the month, would make it impossible for UNRWA to continue operating in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Juliette Touma, the UNRWA Director of Communications, told Conor Lennon from UN News that despite the threat hanging over the agency, her colleagues on the ground remain dedicated to providing essential services in both Gaza and the West Bank.

After eight years gathering evidence of serious crimes committed by members of the Assad regime, the International Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM), a body set up by the General Assembly in 2016, was finally able to set foot in Damascus in December 2024, just days after the fall of the dictator, Bashar al Assad.

Robert Petit, the head of the IIIM, told Conor Lennon from UN News that there is renewed hope that his team will be allowed to deploy on the ground in Syria and, eventually, that perpetrators will face justice.

Syrians are “experiencing the taste of freedom” for the first time in decades, according to the top official in the Middle East region from the UN human rights office, OHCHR.

Mohammad Al Nasour visited the country this week for the first time in years after being repeatedly denied access by the fallen Assad regime.

The Middle East and North Africa section chief spoke to UN News’s Ezzat El-Ferri from Damascus on Wednesday and highlighted the contribution OHCHR can make to democratic change in a country where people are “determined to have a future that includes fundamental freedoms”.

As deadly wildfires continue to burn in Los Angeles, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is highlighting the need for more action on prevention globally.

This is particularly critical as the climate crisis and changes in land use increase the intensity, frequency and duration of wildfires, which occur on practically every continent.

To find out more, UN News’s Dianne Penn has been speaking to Amy Duchelle, FAO Senior Forestry Officer and Team Leader on Forests and Climate. 

In Syria, unexploded ordinance is the deadliest threat faced by children today – a legacy of the country’s 14-year war – the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.

Speaking from Damascus, the UN agency’s Communication Manager for Emergencies, Ricardo Pires, said more than 300,000 mines are still spread across the country, according to estimates. 

“The threat is very real for children,” he told UN News’s Daniel Johnson. Some parts of country are “fully contaminated with these deadly devices,” while kids are simply unaware of the dangers – which can “end in tragedy.”

Here’s Mr. Pires now, explaining why it is so important for the international community to take urgent action to prevent more deaths and life-changing injuries. 

At a time when online hate speech and misinformation are on the rise, one of the missions of the UN education and culture agency UNESCO, has been to propose pathways for more effective social media platform governance.

It’s crucial for tech companies to gear policies towards a comprehensive system with one main goal – “the protection and promotion of all human rights for everyone”.

That’s the view of Guilherme Canela, Chief of Freedom of Expression and Safety for Journalists at UNESCO, who will be in San Francisco next week for discussions with executives of tech companies and social media platforms.

Ahead of that he spoke to UN News’s Felipe de Carvalho and highlighted the importance of fact-checking to safeguard freedom of expression. 

Celebrations continue in Syria a month after the fall of the Assad regime, but at the same time, citizens also have high hopes for their homeland.

That’s the message from the UN Deputy Special Envoy for Syria, Najat Rochdi, speaking on Friday from the capital, Damascus.

In this exclusive interview with UN News’s Reem Abaza, she discusses the Syrian people’s desire for a more inclusive future, the main challenges facing the country, and the UN’s ongoing support amid ‘a completely new reality’.