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Racing to prevent famine in Gaza - Matthew Hollingworth - World Food Programme (WFP)

Awake At Night

Release Date: 07/19/2024

How to lead forces for peace, with Cheryl Pearce - The UN's Acting Military Adviser for Peacekeeping Operations show art How to lead forces for peace, with Cheryl Pearce - The UN's Acting Military Adviser for Peacekeeping Operations

Awake At Night

 After enlisting at 18, Cheryl Pearce battled rigid gender barriers to rise through the military ranks. Now the UN’s Acting Military Adviser for Peacekeeping Operations, the Australian-born Lieutenant General is the highest ranking woman in uniform within the United Nations. “Peace for me, is seeing communities having food security, having water security, education, knowing, you know, as a mum myself, knowing that my children can grow up to feel like that. They can have a life and a future and fulfill their dreams and goals.”  Lieutenant General Pearce knows what it takes to...

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Awake At Night

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 Former German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock is a new face at the United Nations. Sworn in as President of the General Assembly in September, she brings experience and energy at a time of challenges and new beginnings – including the selection of the next Secretary-General. “We need this place where countries, big and small, rich and poor, are coming together and have an equal say and an equal vote.”  Shaped by her nation’s turbulent past and successful reunification Annalena Baerbock entered politics at a young age. In this episode, she reflects on the importance of...

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A lifetime championing refugees, with Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees show art A lifetime championing refugees, with Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees

Awake At Night

Filippo Grandi has devoted more than three decades to easing the suffering of refugees: “My pride after all these years is that the center of this effort of my lifetime has been on people, and especially on the people that suffer most in the world, including refugees.” Now, shortly before his term comes to an end, and as more than 117 million people worldwide remain forcibly displaced, the long-serving UN High Commissioner for Refugees is welcoming a rare moment of hope for one of the world’s largest refugee populations. “Home means your house, your family, your friends, your work,...

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Every day at noon, Stéphane Dujarric steps on stage to field questions about the United Nations from international journalists. As spokesman for the Secretary-General, he must be ready to talk on all aspects of the organization’s work at a time of unprecedented financial and political strain. “There is no way we can move forward in this world without multilateralism, without an organization like this one. It's like a plant, right? It needs to be watered. We can't let it wither away.” An alumnus of the United Nations International School, Stéphane Dujarric was immersed in the...

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Ukraine: 'Heaven and Hell', with Matthias Schmale - UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine show art Ukraine: 'Heaven and Hell', with Matthias Schmale - UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine

Awake At Night

A life-long humanitarian, Matthias Schmale has borne witness to a number of seismic moments in world history. Currently United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, he is overseeing efforts to help Ukrainians prepare for a fourth winter at war. “The longer this lasts, the more the resilience will go down, the more the psychological damage will take hold [...] There are nights where I lie in bed thinking, why can't this nightmare for civilians end?” Ukrainians have endured four years of hellish conflict that continues to devastate civilian lives and infrastructure,...

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How does one out of five sisters from rural Nigeria grow up to be UN Deputy Secretary-General? Blessed with tenacity, determination and grit, Amina Mohammed has always been driven to improve the lives of her fellow human beings and our planet. Rising to the top of the United Nations, her vision has helped shape the world’s blueprint for a brighter future. “One step at a time, this whole life is about a journey. Make each step count. It is about taking people with you. Don't do this alone. It's too heavy. You need people to cry with you, laugh with you.” Amina Mohammed is known for making...

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Awake At Night

Whenever a new cancer patient entered her office in the U.S., Dr. May Abdel-Wahab knew she could help by palliating their pain and working towards a cure. Now, as Director of the Division of Human Health at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), she delivers hope to patients in places where treatment has until now been unavailable. “So much can be done to treat cancer, but too many people in the developing world have no access to care. It's unthinkable. It's unfair.” With global cancer cases expected to mount in the next two decades, the IAEA is equipping low- and middle income...

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Awake At Night

Every day, Peter Hawkins wakes up filled with determination to make a difference. As the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Representative in Yemen, he puts that boundless energy into helping young people survive one of the world’s most intractable humanitarian crises. “Despite serving in some of the most challenging and difficult places, I've been lucky,” he says. “I've loved my life. I have no regrets. Every day I wake up, I feel there's something I can do. There's things I enjoy. So nothing keeps me awake, everything keeps me going during the day.” After a decade of...

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Awake At Night

Vivian van de Perre’s calling is to help nations transition from conflict to peace. Now the deputy head of peacekeeping in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), she leads a life-saving operation in the rebel-held city of Goma. “It's tragic and it's unimaginable, but at the same time, people live their lives and they do the best they can, and they remain generous and warm, despite the circumstances that they live in. You go to these places and you see the worst and you see the best, and it's all in one package, and it is just something that really, really touches you. It's not like a...

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Matthew Hollingworth has worked in conflict zones around the world, from Ukraine to South Sudan and Syria. Previously in charge of the World Food Programme’s (WFP) emergency operations in the West Bank and Gaza, Matthew was responsible for delivering life-saving aid to desperate people.

“People ask me every single day when I'm in Gaza: “When will the bombs stop? When will the fighting stop? When will they stop blowing things up? When can I go home?” We don't have the answers. But we do know that that is what's needed.”

WFP delivers food relief to more than 120 countries across the world suffering the impacts of conflicts, disasters and climate change. In this episode (recorded on 21 June 2024), Matthew Hollingworth reflects on his daily struggle to prevent famine in Gaza, on the apocalyptic scale of the destruction there, and on the morale boost he gets from working with extraordinary colleagues on the ground.