Category: United Nations

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Whenever a new cancer patient entered her office in the U.S., Dr. May Abdel-Wahab knew she could probably save their life. 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 countries with training and radiotherapy to help more people survive the disease. In this episode, Dr. May Abdel-Wahab reflects on the outlook for cancer outcomes around the world, the challenges of anchoring new treatment centres, and shares how her upbringing taught her to see the world as one human family.

“Every person that walks through the door is a new person, a new friend […] if they leave the exam room with a smile and feeling hope, then you’ve done a good job.”

[00:00] Introduction
[01:13] Peaceful uses of nuclear science
[02:37] Confronting inequality in cancer care
[08:06] Health is a human right
[09:50] What keeps Dr. May awake at night
[12:41] Harnessing AI for cancer treatment
[13:58] Using nuclear science to tackle malnutrition
[16:39] From chemotherapy under a tree to modern centres
[19:03] Transitioning from patient care to global cancer work
[23:38] Early inspirations and familial influences
[25:27] Choosing radiation oncology
[27:21] Finding hope in every case
[28:37] The importance of human connection in medicine
[29:55] Coping with loss and limitations
[32:42] Hope for unity and progress
[34:04] Closing remarks

Listen to more Awake at Night episodes: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwoDFQJEq_0b6hu1e8oxsch9W0D7vkNqt

#podcast #unitednations #awakeatnight #IAEA #Oncology #Health

About Awake at Night
Hosted by Melissa Fleming, UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, the podcast ‘Awake at Night’ is an in-depth interview series focusing on remarkable United Nations staff members

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzeeRMSsUJ8

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Press conference by Carmen Burbano, WFP’s Director of School Meals and Social Protection and Professor Donald Bundy, co-editorial lead for The State of School Feeding Worldwide report, Director of the Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition, Professor of Epidemiology and Development at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and Senior Adviser to the UN World Food Programme on school meals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmfaHFFA-ws

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

Highlights:
– Occupied Palestinian Territory
– Gaza
– Ukraine
– Haiti
– Afghanistan
– Sudan
– Democratic Republic of the Congo
– Burkina Faso and Nigeria
– Nepal
– Health
– Financial Contribution

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
Turning to the situation in Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that the Israeli military reportedly hit more buildings in Gaza City today. Families gathered in the open after being warned that one of those buildings would be hit. While the Israeli military had instructed them to move south to Khan Younis, OCHA says many of them were unsure where to go next.
Since yesterday, the entire city has been under a blanket displacement order. Issuing displacement orders does not absolve parties to a conflict of their responsibilities to protect civilians in the conduct of their hostilities.
Today and yesterday, our colleagues tracking the movement of people in Gaza recorded more than 10,000 displacements from northern to southern areas, mostly in the direction of Khan Younis. People are using any means possible, including donkey carts.
As some families flee, many others are unable to do so because of health and safety concerns or high transportation costs.
Today, several primary healthcare centres and outpatient therapeutic feeding programs in Gaza City had to suspend services amid ongoing strikes. And the UN Population Fund warns that some 55,000 women are having to navigate pregnancy and childbirth amid perilous and traumatic conditions. Midwives continue to provide care, often under fire and with only the light of a mobile phone.
OCHA reiterates that under international humanitarian law, civilians and civilian infrastructure must always be protected and should never be a target.  Civilian sites must also never be used to shield military operations.

GAZA
The Humanitarian Country Team in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which brings together UN agencies and more than 200 NGOs, today said that we are witnessing a dangerous escalation in Gaza city, where Israeli forces have stepped up their operations and ordered everyone to move south.
The team says that nearly one million people are now left with no safe or viable options – neither the north nor the south offers safety.
Leaving northern Gaza means paying prohibitive costs for transport and safe passage, navigating roads that are barely passable, finding a place to sleep either in the open air or in overcrowded displacement sites, and continued struggles to secure food, water, medical care, and shelter.
The Humanitarian Country Team adds that amid ongoing Israeli impediments, the current levels of humanitarian support are wholly insufficient.
Humanitarian access must be expanded and sustained to include direct routes to both the north and the south.

UKRAINE
The Secretary-General is following with great concern the reports that Russian military drones entered Poland overnight, in violation of Poland’s airspace, resulting in damage to residential areas in the country.
The incident, which reportedly took place during another large-scale Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine, again underlines the regional impact and real risk of expansion of this devastating conflict. There is an urgent need for a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire and for a just, comprehensive, and sustainable peace in Ukraine – one that fully upholds Ukraine’s sovereignty, its independence and its territorial integrity, in line with the Charter of the United Nations, international law and relevant UN resolutions. 

Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/ossg/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=10%20September%202025

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD8QZQhCVsw

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Remarks by Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, at the 1st plenary meeting of the 80th session of the General Assembly.

—–
Secretary-General António Guterres congratulated on Baerbock’s election — which holds added significance as she became only the fifth woman in history to be elected to this important role.

Addressing the General Assembly, Guterres said, “The United Nations provides the place. The Charter provides the tools. And the Pact for the Future, adopted last September, provided a shot in the arm for the multilateral system and the values that have defined this organization from day one.”

“The Pact reminds us that, eight decades on, we can and must continue rising above division and working together. To make our world a better, more peaceful and prosperous place for all,” he added.

The Secretary-General called on all Member States to “summon the same resolve and spirit of determination that brought delegates to San Francisco in 1945.”

“Let’s live up to their vision — and most importantly, to the expectations and hopes of today’s people around the world,” he concluded.

The debate of the 80th session will open on Tuesday, 23 September, continue through Saturday, 27 September, and conclude on Monday, 29 September 2025.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIgKhjE7Awc

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Briefing by Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, on the future of Peace Operations.

—-
Also addressing the Council today, Rosemary A. DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, said, “There is one fundamental fact that no review, no matter how extensive or ambitious, can change: the failure or weak implementation of mandates is often related to the lack of political support for such operations – in the countries where they are deployed, among regional countries and in the Council, itself. We will therefore need to engage with a laser like focus on bringing the emphasis back to the political questions at the heart of each conflict and finding multilateral responses to them.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHOaQwxjFTQ

Source: United Nations (video statements)

UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations said, “Peacekeeping is not a luxury; it is a lifeline for millions who count on it for a future without fear.”

Addressing the Security Council today (09 Sep), Jean-Pierre Lacroix, said, “Peacekeeping is not a luxury; it is a lifeline for millions who count on it for a future without fear. Over 60,000 peacekeepers representing 115 Member States bravely carry out its vital work in 11 missions, making peacekeeping the UN’s largest and most visible activity in the field.”

He also said, “Rather than retreat we must use the expertise and valuable lessons from nearly eight decades of peacekeeping to use this valuable tool to respond to the legitimate expectations that “the peoples” hold towards the fulfillment of the Charter.”

He continued, “We continue to do our utmost to uphold the highest standards of conduct and discipline. We continue pre-deployment training on conduct and discipline for all uniformed personnel as well as in mission training. We provide avenues for victims to come forward, investigate allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse and when allegations are substantiated, we take the requisite action.”

He added, “From November 2024 to April 2025, we repatriated 17 uniformed personnel on disciplinary grounds. And together with concerned Member States, we have also actively sought solutions to address the too many pending paternity and child support claims – so that children fathered by peacekeepers and their mothers can have closure and assistance.”

He stressed, “To advance durable political solutions that enable peacekeeping to withdraw without a relapse into conflict requires the strong, unified and ongoing support of this Council – through the adoption of clear, prioritized mandates, active political engagement and statements of support. This must be matched by the payment of assessed contributions in full and on time.”

Also addressing the Council today, Rosemary A. DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, said, “There is one fundamental fact that no review, no matter how extensive or ambitious, can change: the failure or weak implementation of mandates is often related to the lack of political support for such operations – in the countries where they are deployed, among regional countries and in the Council, itself. We will therefore need to engage with a laser like focus on bringing the emphasis back to the political questions at the heart of each conflict and finding multilateral responses to them.”

Earlier this morning, Ambassador Sangjin Kim, Charge d’affaires, a.i., Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations, addressed the press, joined by representatives of Denmark, France, Greece, Guyana, Panama, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and the United Kingdom on Climate, Peace and Security in the context of UN Peace Operations.

He said, “For decades, UN peace operations have proven to be testaments of multilateralism in action –saving lives, preventing the spread of conflicts, and sustaining peace. At the same time, however, there is an increasing need for these operations to adapt and respond to complex challenges, notably climate change.”

He added, “Its devastating impacts such as droughts, floods, and land degradation have shown to exacerbate, prolong, or even trigger conflicts, affecting civilian populations as well as UN personnel and activities.”

He stated, “UN peace operations need to be climate-sensitive throughout the entire peace continuum.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZgYs8Pc5Z8

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Press Conference: Launch of the UN Secretary-General’s report – The Security We Need: Rebalancing Military Spending for a Sustainable and Peaceful Future.

———————————————

“The world is spending far more on waging war than on building peace,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said as he presented a new report showing global military expenditure hit a record $2.7 trillion in 2024, soaring by more than nine per cent from 2023 and signaling a dangerous move away from the principles of the UN Charter.

That is “the equivalent of $334 for every person on Earth,” Guterres told reporters at UN headquarters. “That is nearly thirteen times the amount of official development assistance from the world’s wealthiest nations – and 750 times the regular budget of the United Nations.”

The report, ‘The Security We Need: Rebalancing Military Spending for a Sustainable and Peaceful Future,’ warns that soaring defense budgets are diverting resources from education, healthcare, and climate resilience at a time when only one in five Sustainable Development Goal targets is on track.

“Our shared promise of sustainable development is in jeopardy,” Guterres said. “The financing gap is growing – and so is the cost of inaction.”

He said the report carries three urgent messages: that the current trajectory is unsustainable, that a better path is possible, and that practical steps are needed to rebalance priorities. “Budgets are choices,” Guterres noted. “Redirecting even a fraction of today’s military spending could close vital gaps – putting children in school, strengthening primary health care, expanding clean energy and resilient infrastructure, and protecting the most vulnerable.”

“The evidence is clear,” he added. “Excessive military spending does not guarantee peace. It often undermines it – fueling arms races, deepening mistrust, and diverting resources from the very foundations of stability.”

Izumi Nakamitsu, the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, said reversing the trend requires recommitting to multilateralism and diplomacy and warned of rising risks. “All nuclear weapon states have been investing huge amounts of money to modernize their nuclear arsenals, and soon, or we might already be in quantitative nuclear arms race starting,” she said. “There is also the rhetoric, or, in our view, misperception that nuclear weapons actually give the ultimate security, which is also causing yet another additional proliferation driver.”

UNDP Acting Administrator Haoliang Xu said the gains of recent decades are at risk. “The human growth that we have achieved over the last few decades will possibly decline. So, what happens from here, is up to us,” he said, urging a shift towards a people-centered and multi-dimensional approach to security.

The Secretary-General’s report projects global military spending could rise to $6.6 trillion by 2035 if current trends continue, further widening the $4 trillion annual financing gap needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6fF59MO5MU

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Remarks by Ms. Annalena Baerbock, President of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, at the 1st plenary meeting of the 80th session of the General Assembly.

—
Opening the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly today (9 Sep), the President of the Session Annalena Baerbock reiterated, “The world needs the United Nations,” calling on nations to uphold UN Charter. “We are, indeed, better together,” she said.

Addressing the General Assembly, Baerbock emphasized that the world body “remains the only organization capable of bringing together every country in the world. The only one capable of acting on a truly global scale. The only one with worldwide political legitimacy and moral authority.”

The President of the General Assembly described the 80th Session as a “no ordinary session.”

“Our job today – 80 years later – is to keep it alive, to strengthen it, and to make it fit for the 21st century,” she said.

Baerbock continued, “This is the year to adapt, to evolve, and to build the United Nations we need for the next 80 years – for the lifetimes of our children. It is a moment to show eight billion people why this Organization still matters. Why they are right to look to the blue flag of the United Nations as a source of hope.”

The President of the General Assembly reaffirmed her commitment to serving each of the 193 Member States of this Organization “equally.”

“I will be impartial, a bridge builder, guided by only one thing – our United Nations Charter. It will be my North Star. I will always act with the belief that we are truly better together,” she stressed.

The theme of the High-Level Week is: Better Together: Eighty Years and More for Peace, Development, and Human Rights.

Baerbock encouraged all to embrace the theme, not only at this year’s General Debate, but also throughout the work of the upcoming session.

“Let us not re-learn the hard lessons,” she said, “Let us instead come together, especially in the moments we would like to give up, to respond to those desperate calls from around our world. To bring relief to the hungry children of Gaza. To give Afghan girls their future back. To deliver peace to the people of Ukraine. To provide safety to Sudanese women and girls. To save small island states from the climate catastrophe. And to deliver on the promise of ending poverty in all its forms.”

The President of the General Assembly concluded, “This 80th session is our chance. Our chance to make it, not break it. To live up to the promises of the Charter. For today, for tomorrow, and for the next 80 years. Showing that we are, indeed, better together.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNQJQa2w0Ks

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Informal comments to the media by Ambassador Sangjin Kim, Charge d’affaires and Deputy Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations on Climate, Peace and Security in the context of UN Peace Operations. The Ambassador is joined by Denmark, France, Greece, Guyana, Panama, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and the United Kingdom.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuFGo_hM1zc

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Remarks by António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, at the 96th plenary meeting of the 79th session of the General Assembly.

—-
At the closing of the GA’s 79th session, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, “the founders of this organization in 1945 recognized a fundamental fact. The strength of the United Nations depended on the commitment of countries to look beyond solely national interests — and to consider instead what we could achieve by standing as one. This truth is just as important today as it was eighty years ago. And just as effective.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Evlr8P7rOgA