UNIDO: Building international bridges for development

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) may not have the same profile as some of the better know agencies within the system, but it is punching above its weight in terms of its impact on the economies of the developing world.At UNIDO’s Global Industry Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, UN News’s Khaled Mohamed spoke to Manuel Mattiat, the agency’s Chief of Cabinet, about the crucial role his organization plays in helping industrialized countries to invest in emerging economies, raising living standards for all.

Reducing inequality in Nepal remains a major challenge, as the co untry continues to struggle to meet its Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets.Among those tackling this issue is Aishworya Shrestha, a young Nepali social worker recently named a UN Young Leader for the SDGs.Ms. Shrestha leads community-driven mental health and empowerment programmes in some of Nepal’s most remote areas and works to engage young people around the world in advancing the SDGs.The 17 Sustainable Development Goals, adopted by all UN Member States in 2015 aim to create a fairer, healthier, and more sustainable world.Each year, 17 Young Leaders are selected globally to help inspire action and accelerate progress toward these shared goals.UN News’s Charlotte Frantz spoke with Ms. Shrestha about what this recognition means to her and how she plans to leverage the role to create meaningful change.

During his visit to Barcarena in the Amazon basin – a UN-recognized Resilience Hub – the UN’s disaster risk reduction chief, Kamal Kishore, has been seeing climate resilience first hand; not just through infrastructure, but through imagination, education, and community-driven action.The top official is at COP30 in Belém and told UN News that from flood and heat-resilient schools – to empowered children shaping their own future – Barcarena demonstrates how local leadership can inspire global transformation.Speaking to Felipe de Carvalho who’s also on the ground there, he praised the local school as “a guiding light” for climate adaptation, one he hopes to see replicated “at least 100,000” times worldwide. 

On Sunday, a foot patrol of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was targeted by an Israeli army Merkava tank positioned inside Lebanese territory. Israel said it had been a case of “misidentification”.UN News’s Nancy Sarkis spoke to UNIFIL spokesperson Kandice Ardiel, who said the incident is part of a “deeply worrying escalation” along the Blue Line of separation.Ms. Ardiel pointed to warning fire near civilians and new Israeli-built concrete walls that straddle the Blue Line, stressing that “any attack on peacekeepers is unacceptable.”

Last year, 37,000 stolen cultural objects – including artifacts, artworks, coins, and instruments – were seized by international police agency, Interpol, and law enforcement.The illicit trade in cultural property is one of the world’s oldest and most profitable forms of criminal activity – and it is increasingly being facilitated online. UN News’s Cristina Silveiro has been speaking to Krista Pikkat, Director for Culture and emergencies for UN agency UNESCO, about the fight against illicit trafficking in stolen heritage worldwide. 

As COP30 brings leaders and negotiators together from around the world, the spotlight is not only on policy but also on the real-life experiences of those most affected by climate change.From Ethiopia, Mekebib Tadesse, representing the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) delegation, brings a firsthand perspective on the human and humanitarian dimensions of the crisis.In an interview with Felipe Carvalho – who's in Belem for UN News – Mekebib shared insights on how climate change is upending his home country.

Climate change is no longer a distant threat; it is already reshaping lives and communities around the world.Extreme weather – from unprecedented tornadoes to rising seas and creeping desertification – is forcing millions on the run, often within their own countries.At COP30 in Belém this week, Ugochi Daniels, Deputy Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), stressed the importance of local, people-centred solutions.“Early warning systems, predictable funding, and locally led adaptation are critical,” she told UN News’s Felipe de Carvalho. 

At a time when false narratives about climate change are spreading faster than ever online, the UN education and culture agency, UNESCO, is calling for stronger global cooperation to safeguard information integrity.Speaking to UN News’s Felipe de Carvalho in Brazil’s coastal city of Belém which is hosting COP30, Guilherme Canela, UNESCO’s Head of Digital Policies who takes a lead on promoting accurate information regarding climate change, says misinformation has become one of the most significant global risks – alongside climate change itself.He stressed that protecting reliable, science-based information is essential for effective climate action.

Filipinos are picking up the pieces after super typhoon Fung-Wong ripped through the country.Eight people including three children are reported to have died because of the typhoon, but it could have been much worse: over a million people were evacuated from homes in 13 of the country’s 18 regions, in one of the Philippines’ largest ever pre-emptive operations.Arnaud Peral, the UN Resident Coordinator in The Philippines, told UN News’s Conor Lennon the way authorities prepared for the impact is testament to the coordination between the government, the United Nations and the international NGOs on the ground.

People being held in prisons in Haiti are dying of starvation in subhuman conditions according to the UN’s Designated Expert on the human rights situation in the Caribbean island nation, William O'Neill.Haiti is facing an increasingly perilous security crisis as gangs compete to control the capital, Port-au-Prince, and surrounding areas, impacting an already dysfunctional justice system.Prisons are severely overcrowded, and some detainees can wait for years to be tried for minor offences, including the theft of chickens or shoes.Daniel Dickinson began by asking Mr. O’Neill to describe the conditions he has witnessed in Haitian prisons.