What next for Syria’s refugees, with Gonzalo Vargas Llosa - UNHCR Representative to Syria
Release Date: 08/01/2025
Youth, power and possibility, with Felipe Paullier - UN Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs
Awake At Night
A medical doctor by training, Dr. Felipe Paullier is a passionate advocate for young people. Two years ago, aged just 32, his life took a new turn when he became the first-ever Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, the youngest senior appointment in the history of the United Nations. “Leaving young people at the sidelines of how we find solutions is not the way. It's really bringing them [in], because on many of the things, the solutions will come from them.” The UN Youth Office believes that positive change is rooted in empowering young people to meaningfully...
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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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Fighting hunger in a world of plenty, with Jean-Martin Bauer - Director, Food Security and Nutrition Analysis, World Food Programme (WFP)
Awake At Night
Jean-Martin Bauer was just a teenager when a visit to his uncle’s Haitian rice farm planted the seed of his life-long passion for food security. Now Director of Food Security and Nutrition Analysis at the World Food Programme (WFP) he works to feed hungry people worldwide. “Even now, even during these dark times … there are opportunities to sow seeds for a better future.” The world faces a global hunger crisis, with a record 319 million people currently not getting enough to eat. The author of a recent book on hunger in the Twenty-First Century, Jean-Martin Bauer reflects...
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Serving the UN is the honor of a lifetime, with Annalena Baerbock, President UN General Assembly 80th Session
Awake At Night
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
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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A trapeze without a net: the life of the UN Spokesperson, with Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General
Awake At Night
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
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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On life’s journey, make each step count, with Amina J. Mohammed - UN Deputy Secretary-General
Awake At Night
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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A ray of hope for cancer patients, with Dr. May Abdel-Wahab - Director of the Division of Human Health at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
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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Nothing keeps me awake, everything keeps me going, with Peter Hawkins - UNICEF Representative in Yemen
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...
info_outlineRather than follow in the footsteps of his late father, a Nobel-prize winning writer, Gonzalo Vargas Llosa opted instead to serve humanity. Now the UN High Commissioner for Refugees’ Representative to Syria, he just witnessed a historic end to 14 years of conflict and crisis.
“There were these long, long lines of cars of Syrian refugees coming back from Lebanon. So many of them stopped the car the moment that they entered Syria, they got out of the car, they kissed the ground … saying we are so happy to be back in this new Syria.”
The fall of the Assad regime has brought fresh hope for millions of displaced Syrians. Yet with a lack of housing, services and jobs still preventing most from returning, the UN is calling for action to support returnees. In this episode, Gonzalo Vargas Llosa looks back on a career full of seismic turning points, and reflects on the painful sacrifices of a life spent in service.
https://www.un.org/en/awake-at-night/s11-gonzalo-vargas-llosa-what-next-for-syria-refugees