Nelson Mandela, the first president of South Africa after apartheid, has a claim to being the most highly respected African leader in modern history. As well as celebrating Mandela’s legacy as a fighter for human rights, equality and social justice, the Day also promotes the fight against poverty. In this special (brief!) episode, Conor speaks to Richard Stengel, a former managing director of Time magazine, who served in the Obama White House as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy...

The UN Charter says that Member States must guarantee the rights of all people, regardless of history, culture or social norms. However, around the world, people continue to face discrimination, criminalization and violence purely because of their sexual orientation and identity. Earlier this year, Secretary-General António Guterres promised that the UN “firmly stands with the LGBTIQ+ community and will continue working until human rights and dignity are a reality for all people”. But what...

What kind of future do we all want? And how will we get it? It’s a big question, and the UN is convening a major event this year to try to find some answers. On today’s show, Conor Lennon is joined by Mayra Lopes from the UN News Portuguese Unit, and Benno Schwinghammer, UN Correspondent for Deutsche Presse-Agentur, to discuss the UN’s role in building a fairer future for people and the planet, and the progress that is being made towards achieving the Global Goals for sustainable development,...

Cannabis legalization has led to increased use and a drop in drug-related convictions, but there have been negative health consequences. On this week’s show, we dig into some of the findings in the UN World Drug Report, and also discuss the release of the UN’s recommendations on tackling fake news. With Benno Schwinghammer from Deutsche Presse-Agentur, and Angela Me from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. UN Global Principles for Information Integrity:...

2024 is a bumper year for elections, affecting around two billion voters. However, elections don’t necessarily equate to democracy, and the extent to which they actually affect the way a country is run, and by whom, can vary dramatically, depending on where they’re held. On this week’s show, Conor Lennon and Sachin Gaur from UN News are joined by Yoshita Singh from Press Trust of India, to talk about democracy, misinformation, and yoga (the International Day of Yoga is on June 26)! Guests...

In 2023, for the first time ever, nuclear power was mentioned as one of the low carbon energy options the world needs to turn to, if we are to lower carbon emissions and limit global temperature rises. Conor Lennon speaks to Rafael Mariano Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a UN body, about the evolving image of nuclear power, safety concerns, and its role in a net zero future. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory,...

On this week’s episode Conor Lennon and Anton Uspenskiy from UN News discuss the UN Secretary-General’s hard-hitting climate speech, in which he called for a ban on fossil fuel advertising and promotion; the UN’s continued support for millions of desperate people in Afghanistan; how AI is being used for the benefit of all; and whether we’re on the brink of being able to talk to whales. This week’s guests are Jorge Moreira da Silva, head of the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), Fred...

‘Keep it in the ground!' is the rallying cry, when it comes to fossil fuels. However, in Dominica there is a clean, renewable, subterranean resource that the government is very keen to get out of the ground: heat. Conor Lennon and Myra Lopes find out how the small country is vying to join the select group of countries powered 100% by renewables. And Matt Wells reports from Antigua, which is hosting the Small Islands Developing States conference, where the focus is on surviving the destructive...

On this week’s show, Conor is joined by UN News colleague Heyi Zou and China Global TV reporter Dezhi Xu, for an animated discussion about the lowering of UN flags, China’s role in the transition to a net-zero economy and, in the week of the International Day of Tea, the merits of a good cuppa, World Economic Situation and Prospects report ICC story on UN News International Day of Tea If there are any subjects you want us to talk about, or any questions you have about the work of the UN,...

Welcome to UN Weekly, a podcast from UN News. We will bring together journalists, experts, senior officials and influencers, for an engaging and entertaining guide to the fascinating, little-known and often misunderstood world of the United Nations.  Subscribe to UN Weekly on your favourite podcast platform, including YouTube, where you can watch the full video version! 

On the first episode of UN Weekly, Conor Lennon and Myra Lopes focus on the effect of the climate crisis on small island developing States (SIDS), which are struggling to cope with hurricanes, flooding and wildfires. Island nations are also drowning in plastic, which is washing up on beaches, clogging rivers and, for the most part, is not recyclable and takes hundreds of years to break down. The team are joined by Deandre Williamson from Bahamas Broadcasting, and May Yaacoub from the UN...