UN Interviews

The head of the UN labour agency warns that a recovery in the international labour market is still a long way off, with a lot of uncertainty for workers and businesses, hoping for the economy to bounce back.

Guy Ryder, the Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), spoke to UN News at the launch of the agency’s World Employment and Social Outlook Trends (WESO) 2022 report, which offers gloomy projections of increased unemployment, and widening inequality between developed and developing countries.

Conor Lennon from UN News asked Mr. Ryder why the estimate is so dramatically different from the previous report, released in June of last year.

A powerful and haunting exhibition featuring the Hibakusha – the Japanese survivors of the nuclear bombs that devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki more than three-quarters of a century ago – has just been staged at UN Headquarters in New York.

It’s not the first exhibit dedicated to the issue of nuclear disarmament that Japanese art director Erico Platt has created for the UN, and although she is far too young to be a hibakusha, she is proud to amplify their voices against the horrors of nuclear weapons.

Ms. Platt explained to Liz Scaffidi, how her studies in Japan linked her to the right people, who, in turn, helped highlight again the urgency of banning nuclear weapons in what she describes as a “strong, powerful” and also beautiful exhibition, that’s the best she’s done…

Amid daily mass protests in Sudan and the reported lethal shooting of three demonstrators in Khartoum on Thursday, the UN rights office, OHCHR has urged the country’s military rulers to respect people’s fundamental freedoms. 

Tensions have been running high since generals seized power in a coup last October, and there have been daily protests since the resignation of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok last weekend, as OHCHR’s Seif Magango tells UN News’s Daniel Johnson. 

In the three decades leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic, world tourism grew steadily year on year. But in 2020, the industry suffered an unprecedent hit, accounting for a staggering 70% of the fall in global gross domestic product (GDP).

The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has been constantly assessing the impact of the pandemic, and working hard to help kickstart the industry on behalf of millions around the world who rely on it.

Zoritsa Urosevic, UNWTO’s Executive Director spoke in depth to UN News’s Bessie Du, and highlighted the need to rethink the whole sector, boost rural tourism, and improve safety for travellers.

Globally, enough food is produced to feed the world’s seven billion people, and yet 811 million still go to bed hungry each night.  

Award-winning chef and TV personality Andrew Zimmern was recently named a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), expanding his global advocacy to fight hunger and food waste around the world.  

In an interview with UN News, Mr. Zimmern speaks about the implications posed by a growing food crisis, and how, as a “land of plenty”, the United States has a responsibility to help solve the hunger problem.  

UN News’s Bessie Du starts by asking him what it means to be a Goodwill Ambassador for WFP.  

Finding a national consensus to move forward following October’s military takeover of Sudan’s government, and subsequent reappointment of the civilian Prime Minister, is going to be a challenge, but discussions to restore trust are underway.

That’s according to the top UN official in the country, Volker Perthes, who also heads the UN assistance mission in Sudan, UNITAMS. 

In an interview with UN News’s Abdelmonem Makki, Mr. Perthes also spoke about the de-escalation of tension in the restive Darfur region, and about the overall future of Sudan, where he believes that a return to full democratic government, is still possible.

Survivors of genocide and other atrocities committed by ISIL fighters in Iraq should rest assured that the international community supports them. 

That’s the message from Christian Ritscher, head of UNITAD, the special UN team investigating these crimes. 

While it might appear action is slow coming, he said there is no statute of limitations and crimes can be prosecuted “as long as at least one perpetrator is alive.” 

Mr. Ritscher was in New York recently and spoke to UN News’s Abdelmonem Makki, prior to presenting the latest UNITAD report to the Security Council. 

Artificial Intelligence systems are being used in an increasingly large range of toys, games and educational tools targeting children, but there are few safeguards in place to protect them.

The UN children’s agency, UNICEF, has developed guidance to help policymakers protect children, following consultations with private companies, experts, and young people.

Jasmina Byrne, Policy Chief at the UNICEF Global Insights team, and Steven Vosloo, a UNICEF data, research and policy specialist, both worked on the guidance. They explained to Conor Lennon from UN News that they were motivated by the huge growth of AI in everyone’s lives.

Despite the ongoing war in Yemen, and the devastating humanitarian consequences, there is still hope for recovery within a generation, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said in a report published on Tuesday. 

The report outlines how ending the conflict, combined with inclusive policies, including greater investment in women, could lift Yemen out of poverty and put it back on the path to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

Auke Lootsma, UNDP Resident Representative in Yemen, was in New York and spoke to Dianne Penn ahead of the launch.