Season 11

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.” Related content and photos: https://www.un.org/en/awake-at-night/s11-may-abdel-wahab-a-ray-of-hope-for-cancer-patients

Every day, Peter Hawkins wakes up filled with determination to make a difference. As the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Representative in Yemen, he puts that boundless energy into helping young people survive one of the world’s most intractable humanitarian crises. “Despite serving in some of the most challenging and difficult places, I've been lucky,” he says. “I've loved my life. I have no regrets. Every day I wake up, I feel there's something I can do. There's things I enjoy. So nothing keeps me awake, everything keeps me going during the day.” After a decade of conflict and collapse, a new generation of Yemenis are yearning for a better tomorrow: “So the children sit there in these classrooms with no walls, no floors, no desks, and learn, and they're proud about what they learn. And they come to me and say, ‘Look, don't worry, we will continue to learn. But if you can give us desks, if you can fill up the walls and you can give us a floor and a blackboard, it will be even better.’” In this episode, Peter Hawkins reflects on the striking resilience of the people he serves, and shares how his upbringing in Ethiopia and service in Iraq taught him to never give up working for change. For him, the biggest challenge today is not so much about raising awareness, but about action. “It is so important to understand how one side of the world is so lucky and the other side of the world is still desperately poor, and how we bring those two together.” https://www.un.org/en/awake-at-night/s11-peter-hawkins-nothing-keeps-me-awake-everything-keeps-me-going

Vivian van de Perre’s calling is to help nations transition from conflict to peace. Now the deputy head of peacekeeping in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), she leads a life-saving operation in the rebel-held city of Goma. “It's tragic and it's unimaginable, but at the same time, people live their lives and they do the best they can, and they remain generous and warm, despite the circumstances that they live in. You go to these places and you see the worst and you see the best, and it's all in one package, and it is just something that really, really touches you. It's not like a regular job.” A recent peace accord has raised hopes of an end to the violence that has plagued eastern DRC for the past three decades. In this episode, recorded before the peace agreement, Vivian van de Perre reflects on the impact of funding cuts on active war zones, on peacekeeping as a delicate balancing act, and shares why she falls for every place she serves. “[Losing colleagues is] heartbreaking, and you can't think about it all day long, because it will be so demoralizing you have to keep going. Nobody expects to not come back.” https://www.un.org/en/awake-at-night/s11-vivian-van-de-perre-working-for-peace-in-the-dr-congo

Yacoub El Hillo spent more than thirty years serving refugees and displaced people in some of the world’s worst conflict zones. But when cataclysmic war erupted in his hometown of Khartoum, Sudan, the Regional Director for Africa at the United Nations Development Coordination Office (DCO) had to help his own family flee the violence. “I don't think there's any home in Khartoum that was spared … the assumption is that everything is gone.” Having served in more than 16 duty stations, from Liberia to Syria, Somalia and Afghanistan, Yacoub El Hillo has rarely seen any conflict as devastating as the one currently decimating Sudan. In this episode, he reflects on the scale of the human suffering there, looks back on a rich and varied career with the UN, and shares why all nations deserve a chance to strive for a brighter future. “[Serving refugees] is not a job, it's a mission, and there's always fire in the belly that keeps you wanting to do more, but also never giving up. This is the UNHCR I joined." https://www.un.org/en/awake-at-night/s11-yacoub-el-hillo-when-war-comes-home  

With her background in human rights law, Georgette Gagnon was once said to represent the conscience of war. Currently serving as the Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan, she has been devastated by the sweeping loss of rights for women and girls there. “You used to see across the country hundreds of girls going to school... Now, of course, you don't see that, and it's heartbreaking. It's such a huge loss for the entire society,” she says.  Afghanistan has one of the highest numbers of people in need of humanitarian support, and drastic cuts to humanitarian assistance affect access to critical care for millions. In this episode, Georgette Gagnon shares her hopes and fears for a country close to her heart, and reflects on a career serving in some of the world’s toughest places, from Syria to Sudan and Libya.   “If you're working on human rights, that's your job. Having a conscience is about serving humanity. You know, what am I doing every day for human beings, particularly those who are in, you know, a much more challenging situation, we need to support their courage, their resilience, their need to survive...and their rights.”

As a young white activist in South Africa, Nicholas Haysom risked detention to oppose the apartheid regime, later working alongside Nelson Mandela. Now Special Representative of the Secretary-General for South Sudan and Head of the United Nations Mission there, he is still striving tirelessly in pursuit of peace and human rights. “The lesson of [Nelson] Mandela is not just being a nice person, it's perseverance in your ideals. It'll change the world.” After a long and varied career, Nicholas (Fink) Haysom is supporting recovery and resilience in South Sudan, the UN’s newest member state. In this episode, he reflects on helping the world’s youngest nation build a better future, on why thorny negotiations are always necessary to move on from any civil war, and on why lasting peace should never be taken for granted. https://www.un.org/en/awake-at-night/s11-nicholas-haysom-do-not-take-democracy-for-granted

Rather than follow in the footsteps of his late father, a Nobel-prize winning writer, Gonzalo Vargas Llosa opted instead to serve humanity. Now the UN High Commissioner for Refugees’ Representative to Syria, he just witnessed a historic end to 14 years of conflict and crisis. “There were these long, long lines of cars of Syrian refugees coming back from Lebanon. So many of them stopped the car the moment that they entered Syria, they got out of the car, they kissed the ground … saying we are so happy to be back in this new Syria.” The fall of the Assad regime has brought fresh hope for millions of displaced Syrians. Yet with a lack of housing, services and jobs still preventing most from returning, the UN is calling for action to support returnees. In this episode, Gonzalo Vargas Llosa looks back on a career full of seismic turning points, and reflects on the painful sacrifices of a life spent in service. https://www.un.org/en/awake-at-night/s11-gonzalo-vargas-llosa-what-next-for-syria-refugees

Our troubled world can be a source of great joy, and great suffering. United Nations staff witness both, day in day out, as they serve humanity in some of the toughest places on earth. They do so at considerable risk, and with shrinking resources. Yet despite all the challenges, dedicated UN staff around the world continue to find the strength to keep making a difference to millions of lives. Join UN chief communicator Melissa Fleming as she gets to know the extraordinary people dedicating their lives to service. Coming soon from the United Nations, Season 11 of Awake at Night.

Having grown up in war-torn rural Zimbabwe, Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda overcame extreme hardship to pursue a career at the highest levels of the United Nations. Now UN Assistant Secretary-General, and one of two deputy executive directors of UN Women, she wants little girls everywhere to aspire to the same heights. “Peace is a prerequisite. It's so critical for development… for unleashing the potential of the little girls. Peace is so important for enabling mothers, widows to give the best they can.” UN Women works to uphold women’s human rights and ensure that every woman and girl lives up to her full potential. In this episode, Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda reflects on a childhood touched by war, poverty and disease, on a lifelong love of learning, and on how a recent accident gave her a new perspective on inequality. "Never let your circumstances determine your future. They are just a stepping stone to who you truly are."

Catherine Russell never forgets the children she meets. As Executive Director of UNICEF, she bears witness to the stories of tens of millions of children and young people suffering around the world, and shares causes for optimism and hope wherever she finds it.   “Children just want to be children. No matter what, the bleakest situation, the most terrible things, they still want to play right? They want to find some joy. They want to just be kids, and I think that's what we have to all work to protect.” 2024 was one of the worst years on record for children in conflict, a devastating statistic that the United Nations is refusing to accept as a deadly new normal. In this episode*, Catherine Russell reflects on the impacts of childhood trauma, the limits of human resilience, and looks back on a childhood spent trick-or-treating for UNICEF. * Episode recorded end of 2024