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, your school, and it is fantastic when, like in Syria […] people can go back to their homes. This is what most refugees want.”
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, not only helps those who flee war and persecution, but also those who choose to go home when peace returns. Appearing on Awake at Night for a second time, Filippo Grandi reflects on the dangers of divisive politics, the human cost of painful budget and staff cuts, and shares his hopes and dreams for life after the UN.
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The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. It provides a global, impartial and not-for-profit platform for meaningful connection between stakeholders to establish trust, and build initiatives for cooperation and progress.
Find out more below:
World Economic Forum Website ► http://www.weforum.org/
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Source: United Kingdom UK House of Lords (video statements)
👥 Did you know the Lords is made up of a diverse group of members from a range of backgrounds such as medicine, the arts, education, and more. This means members get to improve laws and challenge the government in areas they know best.
Find out more about how the the House of Lords works with Baroness Gohir, a leading voice for women’s rights and charity CEO, as she explains the role and work of the Lords:
📃 Beyond the ceremony of State Opening, a key role of the Lords is checking legislation. Members spend a lot of time scrutinising the fine details of bills, suggesting changes and making sure new proposed laws will work in practise.
🔍 The House of Lords holds the government to account, checking and challenging its actions through questions, bills, debates, and committee work.
The euro family is growing. Bulgaria is gearing up to adopt the euro. But what hopes and fears come with the transition? And were there similar feelings in other countries?
To explore these questions, our podcast team spoke with content creators Mihaela, Elena and Stefan (also known as Chefo) to hear their perspectives on the transition.
Meanwhile, in the podcast studio, our host Stefania Secola explored the topic with ECB researcher Ferdinand Dreher, who shed light on why public sentiment towards the euro tends to improve once people start using it in their everyday lives.
The views expressed are those of the speakers and not necessarily those of the European Central Bank.
Recorded on 11 and 16 December. Published on 22 December 2025.
In this episode:
00:53 Looking back at Germany’s adoption of the euro
Ferdinand shares his personal memories of Germany’s transition to the euro.
04:46 What are the biggest concerns around Bulgaria’s euro adoption?
Concerns arise with every major change. We asked three Bulgarian content creators – Mihaela, Elena and Stefan (also known as Chefo) – about their biggest concerns regarding euro adoption.
08:00 What does the research show?
What do surveys reveal about people’s concerns? What are the biggest concerns, and what are the initial inconveniences of the transition?
13:07 What are the biggest hopes around Bulgaria’s euro adoption?
Alongside fears, there are also hopes. Mihaela, Elena and Stefan share their perspectives on the positive aspects of euro adoption.
15:55 How do people’s feelings evolve after adoption?
Surveys show a significant shift in sentiment from the last survey before adoption to the first survey after adoption. What drives this change? Does clear communication play a key role?
20:13 What about Eurosceptics?
Does Euroscepticism persist after adoption?
21:30 What about concerns around national identity?
Do people feel that their national identity is under threat? Euro coins have a European side and a national side – does this help? Can European and national identities coexist?
23:53 Concerns are normal, but benefits will come
What is the message for countries who may adopt the euro in the future?
25:26 Our guest’s hot tip
Ferdinand shares his hot tip with listeners.
Blog post by Ferdinand Dreher and Nils Hernborg “Love at second sight: support for the euro before and after adoption”
https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/blog/date/2025/html/ecb.blog20251104~cf577c8f68.en.html
Design of the euro coins – Bulgaria
https://www.ecb.europa.eu/euro/coins/html/bg.en.html
Bulgaria on the doorstep of the euro area
https://www.ecb.europa.eu/euro/changeover/bulgaria/html/index.en.html
0:14 – 5 trending terms you might hear from Davos in 2026: From the triple bubble to inclusive AI and the quantum economy, here’s a short explainer of phrases you might hear from Davos this year.
1:37 – Sylvia Earle has spent a lifetime studying the ocean. Here’s what she’s learned: There has never been a better time to make a difference, says celebrated oceanographer Sylvia Earle.Over her long career, she has seen first-hand the destruction humanity has wrought on the natural world, including the #ocean – but she remains optimistic.
5:22 – 3 ‘night mayors’ on why night-time economies make cities stronger: More than 80 cities worldwide have now appointed ‘night mayors’ to oversee and grow their night-time economies, and to advocate for the businesses, workers and consumers who keep it running. We spoke to 3 of them: Corean Reynolds, Director of Nightlife Economy for the City of Boston; Raheem Manning, Senior Director, Nighttime Economy for the City of Philadelphia; and Michael Rodrigues, 24-Hour Economy Commissioner for New South Wales.
9:16 – AI and robotics are piecing Pompeii’s lost treasures back together: Imagine trying to solve several different jigsaw puzzles all at once – without being able to see the pictures on the boxes. That’s the task that has faced archaeologists working to reassemble the shattered frescoes rescued from the ruins of Pompeii. Today, however, cutting-edge digital technology is transforming this painstaking and often frustrating task.
The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. It provides a global, impartial and not-for-profit platform for meaningful connection between stakeholders to establish trust, and build initiatives for cooperation and progress.
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World Economic Forum Website ► http://www.weforum.org/
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The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. It provides a global, impartial and not-for-profit platform for meaningful connection between stakeholders to establish trust, and build initiatives for cooperation and progress.
Find out more below:
World Economic Forum Website ► http://www.weforum.org/
YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/wef
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Facebook ► https://www.facebook.com/worldeconomicforum/
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Four months after unveiling a UN-backed political roadmap for Libya, progress remains stalled by institutional deadlock and mistrust, UN Libya envoy Hanna Serwaa Tetteh told the Security Council.
Briefing the Council in New York, Tetteh said efforts to advance electoral preparations had failed to meet agreed timelines, despite repeated engagement with Libya’s rival political bodies. She recalled that committees from the House of Representatives and the High Council of State had agreed in October to reconstitute the High National Elections Commission within two weeks, but “despite multiple efforts and engagements with these institutions, this did not happen.”
Tetteh said a subsequent agreement signed on 28 November, under UN auspices, established a mechanism to select new HNEC board members, with a deadline of 11 December to finalize the process. That deadline also passed without action.
“It is my assessment that the delays are a manifestation of the lack of trust between the two institutions, their own internal divisions, and the inability to overcome their differences and agree on the way forward to resolve the current impasse,” Tetteh said, adding that she recognized “the serious efforts by some members to advance these two processes.”
Despite the setbacks, Tetteh highlighted the launch of a new UN-facilitated dialogue process held inside Libya earlier this month, describing it as a key component of the roadmap.
“On 14 and 15 December, UNSMIL launched the inaugural meeting of the Structured Dialogue which is one of the three core components of the Roadmap,” she said. “This is the first process of this magnitude to be held on Libyan soil.”
She said participants included representatives from sovereign institutions, civil society, political parties, academia and cultural and linguistic groups, alongside other state institutions.
