Shows
UN InterviewsHospitals overwhelmed, Myanmar’s health system on the brink: WHOOne week after a devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar, hospitals remain overwhelmed, medical supplies are running low and emergency teams are struggling to meet growing healthcare needs.The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that the crisis has pushed an already fragile health system to breaking point, with over 5,000 injured Burmese requiring urgent trauma care amid the looming threat of disease outbreaks like cholera.The most urgent needs include trauma and surgical care, essential medicines for chronic illnesses and disease outbreak prevention, as Elena Vuolo, WHO Deputy Representative in the country, explained to UN News’ Vibhu Mi...2025-04-0420 min
UN Interviews‘Without funding we can’t meet the needs of the people of Myanmar’: WFPFollowing last Friday’s massive earthquake in Myanmar, UN humanitarians are on the ground to support survivors and affected communities.The World Food Programme (WFP) started its first distributions in the capital, Nay Pyi Taw, within 48 hours of the quake. It is also on the ground at the epicentre in Sagiang – and in Myanmar’s second city of Mandalay - assisting thousands of families in desperate need.But the UN needs much more funding from the international community to address the enormous needs, as WFP’s Country Director Michael Dunford tells UN News’s Vibhu Mishra.2025-04-0109 min
UN Interviews‘We have to break the cycle’: Combating child marriage in NepalChild marriage remains a significant challenge in Nepal, impacting the lives of tens of thousands of young girls. While its prevalence has dropped from a staggering 60 per cent in 2006 to about 35 per cent in 2022, one in three girls is still married off before turning 18.Economic hardship, lack of access to education, cultural norms and gender inequality continue to drive the practice, with devastating consequences for young girls. Boys are also affected, with one in 10 forced into early marriage.UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has been working alongside the Government and partners in Nepal to combat th...2025-03-2110 min
UN InterviewsHuman Rights Council President striving for consensus amid global challengesThe President of the UN Human Rights Council has a critical mission: fostering consensus among Member States on pivotal human rights issues while navigating geopolitical tensions that often threaten the Council’s work.Independent and impartial, the President also helps bridge divides, promote cooperation, streamline priorities, and above all, guide Council meetings efficiently and in line with its rules and procedures.Against this background, UN News’ Vibhu Mishra spoke with Omar Zniber, the current Council President, about what his work entails and how he is keeping vital human rights issues in the spotlight.The...2024-11-2211 min
UN InterviewsIndependent rights expert urges stronger, coordinated actions against Myanmar juntaMembers of the international community must unite and take stronger, coordinated action against the military junta in Myanmar, which overthrew the elected government in February 2021.This is the view of the Tom Andrews, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, who was appointed by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council to monitor and report on the situation in the country.While individual countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, and the European Union (EU) bloc have imposed sanctions which have had some impact, Mr. Andrews told UN News’ Vibhu Mishra that these actions re...2024-11-2012 min
UN InterviewsMyanmar: Civilians caught in the middle, as fighting intensifiesThe armed conflict in Myanmar is escalating. Ethnic armed groups have captured key towns and regions, and the country’s military – known as the Tatmadaw – are employing increasingly brutal tactics, including heavy weapons and airstrikes.Caught in the middle, civilians are bearing the brunt.Against this background, UN News’ Vibhu Mishra spoke with Nicholas Koumjian, head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), which monitors and collects evidence of crimes in the country.He said as violence intensifies, new actors and alliances are emerging – and it’s incumbent on the international community to act.2024-11-1110 min
UN Interviews‘Do not forget Afghanistan’: Independent rights expertIn a time of global crisis, it’s essential not to forget the steady erosion of rights across Afghanistan.That’s the view of Richard Bennett, the UN’s independent human rights expert – or Special Rapporteur – who monitors the country. He was in New York to present his report to the General Assembly.Mr. Bennet told UN News’s Vibhu Mishra that members of the international community who’ve pledged support must stay the course “because nowhere else in the world are women treated as appallingly as they are [there] these days”. Special Rapporteurs are app...2024-10-3116 min
Podcast 5Responsibility to Protect - R2PWith atrocity crimes on the rise around the world, countries have an increasing responsibility to protect their citizens, according to the UN Special Adviser on the issue. Ivan Šimonovic reports to the UN Secretary-General on what's known as the Responsibility to Protect - R2P for short - which the General Assembly adopted in 2005, outlining the need for each Member State to shield its people from genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The General Assembly highlighted that the international community has the responsibility also to intervene through peaceful means, to protect populations from such atrocity crimes. Vibhu Mishra asked M...2017-03-3003 min