From silence to strength: Catherine Mootian’s fight to end FGM in Kenya

Catherine Mootian was just twelve years old when she underwent female genital mutilation (FGM), a moment that changed her life forever.Growing up in Kenya’s Maasai community, she was told the cut marked her transition into womanhood. But years later, that painful experience became the driving force behind her mission to protect other girls from the same fate.Today, Ms. Mootian is the founder and executive director of AfyAfrika – leading the fight to end FGM and to help survivors heal.UN News’ Assumpta Massoi began by asking Ms. Mootian about her childhood ordeal, and how it has shaped her over the years

The UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, MONUSCO, says it is ready to support a ceasefire between the Congolese authorities and the M23 armed group, following an announcement by Qatar that it will deploy a first monitoring team under the Doha peace initiative.M23, also known as the March 23 Movement, is an armed group operating in eastern DRC that has seized key towns, including Goma in January and Bukavu in February, fuelling renewed violence and displacement.MONUSCO says the initial deployment will be limited to Uvira, in South Kivu, and will not mark a permanent return to the province, which the Mission left last year. UN News’s Cristina Silveiro asked the mission’s spokesperson Ndeye Khady Lo whether the development should be seen as a positive signal for peace.

As the UN system continues to grapple with financial constraints, international police officers serving at peacekeeping missions are responding to the challenge.The UN Police Division is making plans to deploy smaller specialised teams in some field settings, where necessary, who will still “achieve more” despite their reduced numbers. That’s according to UN Police Adviser Faisal Shahkar, who with UN Police Week now underway in New York, outlined other steps including training national authorities to ensure self-sufficiency.Mr. Shahkar spoke to UN News’s Dianne Penn about the challenges they face, with safety and security topping the list.  

Kenya’s national action plan to eliminate cervical cancer by 2030 offers renewed hope for girls and women in rural communities, where access to prevention and care has often been limited. Aligned with World Health Organization (WHO)’s targets, the plan focuses on free vaccines to prevent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection – which can lead to various cancers including cervical cancer – providing early screening and timely treatment.Joseph Mogga with WHO’s office in Nairobi, spoke to UN News’s Assumpta Massoi and explained how by bringing services closer to where women live, Kenya is signalling a strong, positive commitment to ensure that no girl or woman is left behind – especially when it comes to cervical cancer prevention.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says that improving the nutritional quality of food served in schools can help children develop healthier eating habits for life.Last week, the UN health agency released its first-ever global, evidence-based guidelines outlining policies and practical interventions to help schools provide healthier food and drink options.Katrin Engelhardt, a scientist at WHO who led the development of the new guidelines, spoke to UN News’s Ileana Exaras about what they recommend – and why creating healthier school food environments is an urgent priority today.

With young people under 30 making up more than half the global population - and over 272 million children and youth still out of school – their participation in education reform is becoming increasingly vital. Yet stark inequalities remain – in the poorest countries, 36 per cent of children and youth are out of school compared to just 3 per cent in the richest.Ahead of the UN International Day for Education, UN News’s Charlotte Frantz spoke to UNESCO’s Marco Pasqualini about how this year’s theme focused on the power of youth in co-creating education, translates into real-world action.

The Acting Head of the UN peacekeeping force in the disputed territory of Abyei (UNISFA), Major General Robert Yaw Affram, has underscored the fragile security situation in the disputed Abyei region bordering Sudan and South Sudan, describing it as “volatile” and lacking State institutions, while stressing the stabilising role played by UN peacekeepers.Speaking to UN News’s Khaled Mohamed, Major General Affram – who’s also been serving as Force Commander – recalled the 13 December drone strike that killed six peacekeepers in the Sudanese city of Kadugli, highlighting the huge dangers faced by UN ‘blue helmets’.Despite these challenges, UNISFA continues to increase ground patrols and air surveillance, while engaging regularly with locals to help prevent intercommunal violence.

A new UN report on global climate finance highlights a stark mismatch: trillions of dollars support activities that harm nature, while only a small share goes to initiatives that protect and restore it. The study argues that investing in nature makes strong economic sense, given the mounting risks of a rapidly warming planet.In Brazil, one promising example is the rise of UN Environment Programme-backed “agrihoods” – neighbourhoods designed to work with natural ecosystems rather than against them.Marcia Maika leads the initiative, and she’s been telling Conor Lennon from UN News that business attitudes are changing.

During his three-and-a-half-year tenure leading the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), Force Commander Lieutenant General Mohan Subramanian has overseen efforts that have helped save an estimated 162,000 lives.The mission tackles a wide range of issues – from armed insurgency and the impacts of climate change, to economic insecurity and other pressing humanitarian concerns.While challenges remain and reforms are needed, M. Subramanian emphasises that without UNMISS, the situation in South Sudan would be far bleaker. In an exit interview with UN News, Sachin Gaur began by asking him how the UN mission contributed to the lives of local communities in the world’s youngest country.

On Holocaust Remembrance Day, the UN in New York marked a historic first, with the presentation of testimony from a Ukrainian Roma researcher and advocate during the annual commemoration.Nataliia Tomenko is a youth advocate and expert on Romani history, and Deputy Director of Ukraine’s Youth Agency for the Advocacy of Roma Culture.She presented a video account by her grandmother, Halyna Tomenko, a Holocaust survivor whose story reflects the persecution endured by Roma families across Eastern Europe. Too frail to travel from Ukraine, her testimony was shared on her behalf.Speaking to UN News’s Evgeniya Kleshcheva, Ms. Tomenko reflects on her grandmother’s extraordinary story and on how young people can turn remembrance into action.