UN Weekly

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 does that mean in practical terms, and how is the UN helping this community?With Beatriz Barral from UN News, Michael Van Gelderen from the UN High Commission for Human Rights and Chris Mallouris from UNAIDS.Editor: Yanran Bao, Executive Producer - Mita HosaliThe UN and LGBTIQ+ people: https://www.un.org/en/lgbtiq-peopleUNAIDS response to the Namibia High Court Decision: https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/presscentre/pressreleaseandstatementarchive/2024/june/20240621_namibiaUNAIDS response to the end of conversion therapy in Mexico: https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/presscentre/pressreleaseandstatementarchive/2024/june/240612_mexico_conversion_therapy_banThe World Population Prospects Report: https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/07/1151971The High-Level Political Forum programme: https://hlpf.un.org/2024/programme

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: https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/un-global-principles-for-information-integrity-en.pdfUNODC World Drug Report: https://www.unodc.org/unodc/data-and-analysis/world-drug-report-2024.htmlInterview with World Drug Report author Angela Me: https://news.un.org/en/interview/2024/06/1151426International Day of the Seafarer: https://www.imo.org/en/About/Events/Pages/Day-of-the-Seafarer-2024.aspx

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, including East Jerusalem, and Israel: https://bit.ly/4b2a8joIAEA at COP28: Highlights | IAEA: https://bit.ly/3Vni0G9Full interview with Rafael Grossi: https://news.un.org/en/audio/2024/06/1150801IAEA spent fuel conference: https://www.iaea.org/events/sfm24Atoms for food: https://bit.ly/3VjLZ1JDisability rights convention (COSP17): https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/06/1150786International Year of Camelids: https://www.fao.org/camelids-2024/en

‘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 consequences of the climate crisis. Today's guest is Stéphanie Fillion, UN Correspondent for The Asahi Shimbun.What exactly are SIDS? https://www.un.org/ohrlls/content/list-sidsDominica and geothermal energy: https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/04/1149136SIDS4 Conference: https://news.un.org/en/search/sids4

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 office for SIDS and least developed countries, to look at global UN-led efforts to get to grips with the problem, and how a once-in-a-decade event in Antigua can help them to fight back the plastic tide.Full Trinidad pollution videoPolluting rivers, beaches and the ocean: How can Trinidad solve its plastics problem? | UN NewsSIDS4 conference pageStudio production by Alan Adair, Jiayi Wang and Carlos Macias. Editing by Andrea Ocampo, Executive Producer is Mita Hosali. UN Weekly is a UN News production.Email us: unweekly@un.org