There will be “no damage whatsoever” to the environment from the discharge of seawater used to cool the broken reactors at Fukushima nuclear plant, the head of the UN atomic energy agency, Rafael Grossi, has insisted. 

Although people’s concerns are totally justified, it is also worth bearing in mind that the filtering process used to strip the water of radioactive elements is used at nuclear power stations all around the world – as Mr. Grossi tells UN News’s Daniel Johnson. 

This post was originally published on Radio Free.

Fighting is ongoing in Ethiopia’s Tigray, where the level of cruelty against women and children is “incomprehensible” and likely vastly under-reported.

That’s the disturbing assessment of the UN Children’s Fund UNICEF, which is deeply concerned for the more than million people displaced by six months of violence.

Just back from the conflict zone, here’s the latest from UNICEF spokesperson James Elder, who’s been talking to UN News’s Daniel Johnson.

This post was originally published on Radio Free.

The Saami people have lived in northern Europe long before borders divided the region up into the Member States we know today.
In Finland, generations of Saami children have attended State-run boarding schools, including this year’s now two-time chair of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Anne Nuorgam, whose experiences as a young girl not only left an indelible mark but also informed her life’s choices.

This post was originally published on Radio Free.

The more peace becomes enduring, the less protection civilians need: that’s been one of the key measures by which the UN mission chief in South Sudan – who left the UN’s top job in the country last Thursday – David Shearer, has judged his four-plus years in charge of the 20,000-strong peacekeeping force, UNMISS.

UN News’s Matt Wells, began by asking him to describe the state of the world’s youngest country, when he first arrived in the capital Juba.

This post was originally published on Radio Free.

 An intimate encounter with the “kissing bug” might sound cute, but Chagas disease – to give it its official name – is a nightmare for the millions who are infected every year, says UNITAID. 

This post was originally published on Radio Free.

In this week’s UN Catch-Up, we’re checking in with the World Health Organization for the latest key COVID-19 developments, including an equitable vaccine distribution milestone.
Also – we hear from the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and an alert about increasingly vulnerable Afghan refugees who need lifesaving medical care.
And before our 15 minutes’ studio time is up, we’ll be finding out how the latest gadgets and robots can help more of us – thanks to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) – and we’ll have closing comments from regular guest, Solange Behoteguy-Cortes…Thanks for listening.

This post was originally published on Radio Free.

By 2030, two billion people are expected to rely on so-called “assistive” technology aids in their daily lives to eat, see, hear and even get dressed, according to UN patent experts at WIPO, the World Intellectual Property Organization.

It will also be possible to flag when anyone suffering from severe depression or other degenerative brain conditions might need help from a relative or carer, as Irene Kitsara from WIPO tells UN News’s Daniel Johnson.

This post was originally published on Radio Free.

In this week’s UN Catch-Up from Geneva, we’ll find out why we should all be concerned about the container ship that’s been making waves in the Suez Canal.  

Also – the Sahel attack on civilians that’s prompted a protection call from the UN refugee agency…the latest on the Myanmar crisis and help for child victims of the insurgency in northern Mozambique.  

With Daniel Johnson and Solange Behoteguy-Cortes from UN Geneva. 

This post was originally published on Radio Free.

Horrific events have been unfolding in northern Mozambique in recent days, where thousands of people have fled gunmen who’ve attacked the town of Palma, located in Cabo Delgado province, reportedly killing dozens. 

According to UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF),  youngsters have been separated from their parents, and every single one desperately needs help. 

UNICEF’s head of communications in Mozambique, Daniel Timme, spoke to UN News’s Daniel Johnson from an aid hub in the provincial capital, Pemba.

This post was originally published on Radio Free.

The gigantic cargo ship that ran aground and blocked the Suez Canal last week is afloat once again after a herculean salvage operation, but the damage to global trade will take months to fix.

That’s the assessment of maritime expert Jan Hoffman at UN trade and development agency UNCTAD, who also explains why the cost of sending freight around the world has increased dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here he is, talking to UN News’s Daniel Johnson. 

This post was originally published on Radio Free.

Nearly 700,000 people have fled “a cocktail of crisis” in the Cabo Delgado province in northern Mozambique, where a three-year brutal insurgency has intensified amid grinding poverty, natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Monica Grayley spoke to Aboubacar Koulibaly, leader of an expert team from the UN Development Programme (UNDP) that is currently in Mozambique to increase support to people battered by the complex, multilayered crisis.

This post was originally published on Radio Free.