How to lead forces for peace, with Cheryl Pearce - The UN's Acting Military Adviser for Peacekeeping Operations
Release Date: 01/20/2026
It is a gift to serve humanity, with António Guterres - United Nations Secretary-General
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António Guterres’ drive to serve those less fortunate saw him rise from a volunteer in the slums of Lisbon to the highest spheres of politics, eventually taking on the world’s most important diplomatic role. Now in his final months in office, the ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations shares what keeps him awake at night. “First of all, [it’s] the enormous suffering because of all the conflicts and injustices that we have. Second, thinking about the future, the two existential threats that we are facing. One is climate change, and the other is artificial intelligence running...
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Planting hope in remote communities, with Alvaro Lario - President of the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
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Growing up in rural Spain, Alvaro Lario’s parents managed a small fruit farm that sold melons in local villages. Now he is President of the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and is helping small scale farmers to thrive all around the world. “All of these people are extremely entrepreneurial. They're extremely creative. They have a lot of willingness and energy. Many times it's just the lack of opportunity or the lack of means, and I think that's what makes this job or this role very rewarding.” The UN supports rural communities around the world as they gain...
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There’s no problem that can’t be solved, with Garry Conille - UN Resident Coordinator in Kenya
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Garry Conille knows that resilience, hope and determination can be powerful foundations for change. Now UN Resident Coordinator in Kenya, he hopes to contribute his wide-ranging experience to help accelerate the country’s development. Meanwhile, he hasn’t let go of his brimming optimism towards his troubled home of Haiti, where he served as prime minister. “It's been years of challenges and stress and distress, yet when you walk in the streets of Haiti, you will see these young children with their hair just tightly done, and these uniforms tightly pressed, walking for hours to go to...
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‘The UN is my life, my family,’ with Corinne Momal-Vanian - Outgoing Executive Director of the Kofi Annan Foundation
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Outgoing Executive Director of the Kofi Annan Foundation Corinne Momal-Vanian previously spent three decades serving with the United Nations. For her, the UN’s founding values have always been a north star, not just for her career, but also for her family and her whole life. “It's really putting the human dignity at the center. That every human being deserves to live a fulfilling life and life in dignity, that's also at the heart of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and those are truly universal aspirations.” From working against apartheid to stabilising post-genocide Cambodia,...
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Devising an end to hunger, with Máximo Torero Cullen - Chief Economist at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
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Máximo Torero Cullen is one of the world’s leading voices on global hunger and food security. Currently serving as Chief Economist at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), he uses his economic expertise to work towards the goal of a world where nobody goes to bed hungry. “I have been through many problems in life, which I have learned a lot as an economist. I was in the hyperinflation in Peru. I was in wars in Peru and terrorism... I have been in massive earthquake situations. So I have seen a lot, but I never expected how complex this sector would become.” FAO partners with...
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Surviving war to fight for peace, with Ozonnia Ojielo - United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ethiopia
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As a child, Ozonnia Ojielo survived a brutal civil war in his native Nigeria in which starvation was used as a weapon. After training as a lawyer, an encounter with fellow survivors gave him new purpose and propelled him to his current role as the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ethiopia. “She started crying. All the other guests started crying. I started crying as well. There I was, a very successful lawyer making a lot of money. But I said to myself, this is much more valuable. Trying to change people's lives, or at least be there as a voice for them.” From Rwanda...
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Open the strait, with Arsenio Dominguez - Secretary-General of the United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO)
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Oil price surges have put international shipping in the spotlight in recent months. But what about the people behind the headlines? What happens to them when the news cycle moves on? “[Seafarers] feel forgotten because when they turn on the media, all the headlines are about how petrol is going up, how this is affecting the global economy, how things goes three, four times the price that normally they will pay for it, and nobody talks about the seafarer. We need more countries to recognize them as key workers.” With up to 90 percent of all goods globally transported by sea, the United...
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Use AI responsibly for a better world, with Tshilidzi Marwala - Rector, United Nations University (UNU)
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Growing up in rural South Africa, Tshilidzi Marwala first learned about engineering from his grandmother’s handmade clay pots. Now rector of the United Nations University, the Under-Secretary-General is a vocal advocate of using artificial intelligence (AI) for good. “I would not trust AI. You are not supposed to trust AI. You are supposed to use it, always doubt it, always verify what it tells you, cross validate, so that you can be able to use it responsibly.” Education has been a driving force throughout Tshilidzi Marwala’s life, alongside the seismic transitions he has...
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Why I’m still an obstinate optimist, with Allegra Baiocchi - UN Resident Coordinator in Mexico
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Born to Italian parents in Venezuela, Allegra Baiocchi has been on the move ever since and has lived in more than 25 countries around the world. Now UN Resident Coordinator in Mexico, she believes in the power of the United Nations to improve the well-being of all people, wherever they are. “I am truly an optimist. I do think we can turn this around, but it does need a lot of people taking action, and so I stay awake at night trying to figure out how to get people to act.” Formerly the UN’s chief humanitarian coordinator for western and central Africa, Allegra Baiocchi faced down...
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Launching a new life from a refugee camp, with Mary Maker - UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador
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War is Mary Maker’s earliest memory. Born in South Sudan and named Nyiriak — meaning "war" — she spent her youth living and working in one of the world’s largest refugee camps. Now a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, she is raising her voice on behalf of those she left behind, helping refugee students land scholarships to top universities. “I want to be seen. I want to be heard. I want to be acknowledged. I want to be at the table, making decisions and feeling like a part of something. Are you able to see us? Are you? Are you able to go beyond the news and...
info_outlineAfter 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 serve in some of the most difficult places on earth, from East Timor to Afghanistan. In this episode, she reflects on the sources of her mental and physical resilience, on making a robust case for peacekeeping in an age of disinformation, and shares why her family wants her to show her chaotic side once in a while.
Photos, transcript and more: https://www.un.org/en/awake-at-night/s12-cheryl-pearce-how-to-lead-forces-for-peace