Podcasts by Awake At Night
What does it take to be a United Nations worker in some of the world’s most complex and dangerous places? How are UN humanitarians, human rights advocates, prosecutors, development experts, climate leaders and peacekeepers improving our world?
Stationed in all reaches of the world and witness to suffering and atrocities, how are they helping people and coping themselves?
To find out, Melissa Fleming meets them.
Here you will discover extraordinary personal stories from people who devote their lives to helping others.
Further podcasts by United Nations, Melissa Fleming
Podcast on the topic Kommentare
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A Painstaking Quest for Justice - Catherine Marchi-Uhel - Head of IIM from 2023-12-08T09:00
A former judge, Catherine Marchi-Uhel has spent a lifetime pursuing justice. Now, leading the quest for accountability for atrocities and war crimes committed in the Syrian civil war, she finds ...
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Saving Seas, One Swim at a Time - Lewis Pugh - Ocean Advocate for the UN Environment Programme from 2023-11-28T21:07:43
Lewis Pugh was never afraid to take the plunge. Now ocean advocate for the United Nations Environment Programme, the record-breaking cold-water swimmer has completed long distance swim...
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Sorrow and relief on the shores of Greece - Erasmia Roumana - Protection associate, UNHCR from 2023-11-24T13:52:05
Erasmia Roumana’s job requires extraordinary strength. Working in Greece as a protection associate with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, she interviews refugees who have survived devastating shipwr...
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Invigorated by Africa - Stephen Jackson - UN Resident Coordinator in Kenya from 2023-11-17T13:59:02
Stephen Jackson fell hard for Africa three decades ago, and never looked back. Now the UN Resident Coordinator in Kenya, he channels his passion into his work, bringing together UN agencies to s...
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Feeding the Forgotten - Reena Ghelani - UN ASG Famine Prevention and Response Coordinator from 2023-11-10T14:08
Reena Ghelani knows all too well the jarring silence of a crowded malnutrition ward. Now United Nations Assistant Secretary-General, Famine Prevention and Response Coordinator, she spends every ...
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Season 8 - There to help from 2023-10-06T11:31
What does it take to be a United Nations worker in some of the world’s most complex and dangerous places? How are UN humanitarians, human rights advocates, prosecutors, de...
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My Heart Was Crying - Sara Beysolow Nyanti - Former Resident&Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan from 2023-07-07T06:00
Growing up in Liberia, Sara Beysolow Nyanti is no stranger to the lasting pain of a country ravaged by recurring violence. As Former Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator ...
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The Last Best Hope Humanity Has - Ramiz Alakbarov - former UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in Afghanistan from 2023-06-30T01:02
“It's not just food and assistance, you need to give these children a life, a life of full opportunities… So, I think we're so far from where we need to go, to make the di...
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The Africa the World Needs - Cristina Duarte - UN Under-Secretary-General&Special Adviser on Africa from 2023-06-16T06:37
Cristina Duarte always brings great passion to any task she takes on. Now Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Africa, she works tirelessly to help the continent...
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The Light in Their Eyes - Najat Maalla M'jid - UN Special Representative on Violence against Children from 2023-06-09T04:22
A pediatrician by training, Najat Maalla M'jid has always been dedicated to rescuing children from suffering. Now United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-Ge...
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Bringing Health to the World - Dr. David Nabarro - Special Envoy of the WHO Director-General on COVID-19 from 2023-06-02T15:04
Dr. David Nabarro has dedicated his life to global health. After a long career that’s taken him from the horrors of war torn Iraq, to the devastating aftermath of the Indi...
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The Missiles Don’t Stop Us - Denise Brown - UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine from 2023-05-26T07:00
Denise Brown knows what it takes to work under the shadow of war. As UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, she and her team must brave considerable risks as...
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Haunted by Syria’s Suffering - Sajjad Malik - Syria UNHCR - bitesize special from 2023-01-20T07:00
Sajjad Malik witnessed terrible suffering during the Syrian crisis. As UNHCR’s former representative in the country, he oversaw one of the UN Refugee Agency’s toughest and most dangerous operati...
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But Where Are You Really From? - Amanda Khozi Mukwashi - UN Resident Coordinator in Lesotho from 2023-01-13T07:03
With her writing, Amanda Khozi Mukwashi wants to change the conversation on race, gender, and identity. Now Listen
Expanding your heart - Ulrika Richardson - UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Haiti from 2023-01-06T10:00
Ulrika Richardson has dedicated her life to the UN. As resident and humanitarian coordinator in Haiti, her belief in the organization’s idealistic values drives her to brave significant dangers ...
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Giving Voice to Victims in Ukraine - Matilda Bogner - Head of UN Human Rights mission in Ukraine from 2022-12-16T12:31
Matilda Bogner’s job is to bear witness to unspeakable crimes. As head of the United Nations Human Rights mission in Ukrai...
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Fighting Disinformation to Survive - Irene Khan - UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression from 2022-12-09T14:30
Growing up at a time of war in Bangladesh, Irene Khan learned first-hand how access to trustworthy information can save liv...
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My Story Gives Other Child Soldiers Hope -Alfred Orono - Chief of Child Protection at the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) from 2022-12-02T16:02
Alfred Orono’s childhood came to an abrupt end when he was recruited as a soldier in Uganda, when he was just 11 years old. Listen
Harnessing constructive outrage - Staffan de Mistura - UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Western Sahara from 2022-11-25T16:41
Staffan de Mistura has dedicated his life to making a difference. Now the Secretar...
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The Power of One Small Act - Chris Mburu - UN Resident Coordinator in the Republic of Congo from 2022-11-18T07:51
Chris Mburu’s life was transformed by a small act of kindness. Now the UN Resident ...
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Leading in Tragic Times - Deborah Lyons - UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan from 2022-08-26T04:17:48
Deborah Lyons knows how to keep a cool head in a crisis. In August 2021, when the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan, Deborah, in her former role as Head of the United Nations Assistance Miss...
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Life After Islamic State - Bitesize special - Adiba Qasim - Yazidi refugee and humanitarian from 2022-08-19T05:41:05
Adiba Qasim has shown extraordinary courage and resilience. She narrowly escaped when her village was stormed by Islamic S...
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Knowing the Pain of the Displaced - Ugochi Daniels - IOM from 2022-08-05T10:00:04
Ugochi Daniels was just six years old when her family fled the civil war in Nigeria. Now Listen
It Wasn't My Day To Die - Bitesize Special - Giles Duley from 2022-07-29T04:51:41
Giles Duley used to live the rock’n’roll life of a fashion photographer, but now travels the world’s war zones documenting the lives of those caught up in conflic...
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A Life-long Quest for Justice - Serge Brammertz from 2022-07-22T10:04:23
Serge Brammertz is one of the world's leading international prosecutors. As ...
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Believe in the Power of Change - Rebeca Grynspan from 2022-07-01T06:00:27
Despite monitoring multiple global crises, Rebeca Grynspan has never lost her faith in the power of change. As Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference ...
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Not Here to Judge You - Bitesize Special - Monique Sokhan from 2022-06-24T06:00:07
Monique Sokhan survived the Cambodian genocide, having fled the Khmer Rouge terror when she was just a small child. Now, working as Senior Protection Coordinator,...
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The heartbreaking struggle to help Ukraine - Osnat Lubrani from 2022-06-17T04:55:13
Osnat Lubrani knows first-hand the horrors of war. As UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, she has witnessed the dramatic changes since the Russian invasion and rapid...
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Climate Action in the Shadow of War - Vladislav Kaim from 2022-06-10T18:10:19
Vladislav Kaim is dedicated to protecting the environment. A member of the UN Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change, he promotes green jobs, the energy transition, and generous climate finance - u...
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Risking Your Life For Peace - Unaisi Vuniwaqa from 2022-06-03T06:00:07
What does it take to stay calm in the crossfire?
Unaisi Vuniwaqa has witnessed terrible suffering. As the Assistant Secretary-General for Safety and Security, she has worked as a UN peace...
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Even children of war find hope - Bo Viktor Nylund from 2022-05-27T06:00:12
What would it take to make that happen? Bo Viktor Nylund has always been drawn to complex, difficult places. As the Representative of UNICEF in Syria, he is a passionate advocate for the rights ...
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Sitting face to face with the Taliban - Mary-Ellen McGroarty from 2022-05-20T06:00:05
What is it like living and working in Afghanistan as a woman leader of a UN Agency? Mary-Ellen McGroarty witnessed the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan in August 2021. As Head of the World Food Pro...
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New Season Coming Soon from 2022-05-13T15:45:46
When war and catastrophe hit, the United Nations is there. Hear from more of the extraordinary people working at the frontlines of the world's most pressing crises in the new season of Awake at Nig...
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I Refuse to Give Up from 2021-12-17T17:00:12
How did a boy raised in a small village in Barbados become one of the top United Nations officials tackling climate change?
In this episode of Awake at Night, Selwin Har...
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Rays of Hope from 2021-12-10T13:25:51
“How obscene it would be for a country…that still has poverty, that still has all these problems, to spend billions in nuclear weapons. What for?”
IAEA Director General Rafael Ma...
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So Much More that We Can Do to Save Lives Right Now from 2021-11-05T20:23:59
What is a day like in the life of the epidemiologist heading the global response to COVID-19?
For the past 21 months, WHO COVID-19 Technical Lead Maria Van Kerkhove has been working arou...
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They want me to tell their story from 2021-10-22T16:34:08
“I've seen horrible things. I've seen massacres. Human suffering. These are not easy sights to see. The best way I found to deal with that ...
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Every trafficking story is a story that can shake you to your core from 2021-10-01T16:22:55
"Every trafficking story is a story that can shake you to your core. We're talking about children sometimes, about babies… We're talking about women at very vulnerable ages. We're also talking a...
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Keep going for the children of Afghanistan from 2021-09-17T16:32:27
“We took around seven children back to the UNICEF compound here in Kabul… there was a little boy called Mudares who was just three and he came in and he kept saying, ‘Where's my m...
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Build Trust and Build a Future from 2021-09-10T15:17:58
“We know that whenever you have these sort of atrocity crimes that happened here [Bosnia and Herzegovina], they're often preceded by hate. They're often preceded by individuals an...
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A Barrier-free Life from 2021-09-03T16:27:32
“When I could no longer pursue the dream of being an artist because my hands became too weak to hold a pencil, I needed to dream, a new dream, and I realized that that is, in itself, a gift ...
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Need to be heard from 2021-08-27T21:23:19
“The women and the girls of Afghanistan have earned the right to be heard, to take their place in society openly, as they have done behind the scenes for decades, if not centuries."
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Space Diplomat from 2021-08-13T18:50:49
“Going to space will become like taking a plane today; working in space, living in space, having a one-week holiday in space.”
Simonetta Di Pippo is the Director of the UN Office for Oute...
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Empower Your Women! from 2021-06-25T16:26:18
“If anything works for women, in any country, it is most likely to work for most people. If you want to address the majority of the people who really need you, target women.”
A voic...
Prisoner of Hope from 2021-06-18T19:04:32
"I understand the people I speak to in my current job, because I've been in their shoes: I've been arbitrarily detained. I've experienced enforced disappearance.”
Michelle Bachelet ...
United, we prevail. Divided, we fail. from 2021-06-11T10:18:47
“Not just tolerance. I don't like the word tolerance. Tolerance means I am superior than you are. I don't want to be tolerated. I don't want to be a second-class citizen. I want respect. Mutual ...
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Are we doing enough for the children? from 2021-05-14T17:42:58
“What we're seeing is the desperation out there in the hospitals. We're seeing desperation in the communities. We're seeing even among our team being affected directly by it. At the same time, y...
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It Breaks Your Heart to Hear About the Brutality from 2021-04-30T17:36:42
“I returned from Bangladesh...and sent all of my dresses for dry cleaning. I have not worn these dresses again. I can't wear them. There's too much pain...because I came out and I was...
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Clearing Mines for 30 Years from 2021-04-23T14:10:05
“[There are] two iconic images of the 20th century: Diana walking through the minefield in body armour and then with a little girl who lost a leg to a mine. I was proud to...highlight the incred...
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Good People Have Always a Smile on Their Face from 2021-04-09T18:22:12
“As long as they are treated in hospital, you see them communicating. And as soon as they get out of the hospital, they are pointing a gun at each other.”
We Are the World from 2021-03-26T16:56:38
“I remember sitting on the porch… with the local principal and I said, ‘You need food and you need medicines. Why exam papers?’ And he said, ‘Look, that's for now. But the exam papers...
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Light in the Darkness from 2021-03-19T16:06:28
“It was a Close Protection Officer...who heard me. Had I not decided to knock exactly at that point in time, they would have repaired the backhoe [and] started to dig. They would’ve d...
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There is Hope from 2021-03-12T14:00
"When it comes to a pandemic, it really needs global collaboration and solidarity because the pathogens and viruses do not respect borders."
Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, ...
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Are you the Scorpion? from 2021-03-05T17:52:56
“Genocide is a human creation so there has to be a human solution to it. What the world hasn't learned is what to do about the response….The early warning is there [...] but response ...
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Finding the Thing You Love from 2021-02-26T06:59:34
“We all need to be convinced that we don't have a plan B. We only have one plan. And that one plan is to correct how we do business around our food systems and what our environment can handle. O...
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I Believe in Humanity from 2021-02-19T05:55:40
This week’s guest is Jean-Nicolas Beuze, the Representative of the UN Refugee Agency in Yemen - a country where two-thirds of the population relies on our humanitarian assistance for their daily...
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You can put things right from 2021-02-05T15:08:55
This week's guest is Inger Andersen, the Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme, UNEP, which she describes as ‘the environmental conscience’ of the world. She calls for bold action a...
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I get very calm in chaos from 2020-12-11T15:59:10
My guest this episode is Richard Ragan, the Country Director of the World Food Programme in Bangladesh. Richard says a sense of adventure drew him to working for the UN, and his career has taken...
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You Have to Take Action from 2020-12-04T17:47:19
This week’s guest is Yasmine Sherif, Director of Education Cannot Wait, which delivers education in humanitarian crises through funding investments for UN agencies and civil society organization...
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All you have to do is your best from 2020-11-20T15:51:20
This week's guest is Martin Griffiths, the Secretary General's Special Envoy for Yemen, a country that’s been devastated by civil war. Martin’s job is to try to keep open routes to negotiation b...
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They Want to Go Back Home from 2020-11-13T12:00
This week's guest is Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Filippo is recovering from Covid-19, and says it's given him a sense of the fragility of life, especially ...
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Once There’s Life, There’s Hope from 2020-10-16T17:01:18
Funmi Balogun is the head of Humanitarian Action at UN Women, supporting some of the world’s most vulnerable women and girls - people who are displaced or refugees. She works to make ...
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The Power of Women to Make Change from 2020-10-09T15:49:45
Dr. Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), is working to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young perso...
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Possible to Escape from 2020-09-25T14:44:59
Mark Lowcock leads global humanitarian relief efforts for the UN. Mark's optimism has sustained him throughout his 30-year career delivering aid to people suffering f...
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These Battles are Worth Fighting from 2020-09-18T14:45:09
“... There is a better understanding that the health of people and the health of economies are tightly linked. So we can do much more now, make more progress on health, because this r...
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We Are Scientific Fighters from 2020-08-21T16:44:05
Marie-Roseline Bélizaire is a doctor and epidemiologist with the World Health Organization (WHO). She was on the frontlines of Ebola and is now turning her expertise to help fight the...
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I Know How it Feels to Grow Up in Poverty from 2020-08-14T12:01:28
Zainab Hawa Bangura is the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) and worries for the health and safety of her staff and the populations they serve in the face COVID-19....
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We Need to Save More Lives from 2020-08-07T13:19:46
Mike Ryan, Executive Director of The Health Emergencies Programme for the World Health Organization (WHO), is leading the team responding to the international containment and treatment of COVID-...
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There’s a Lot We Can Do from 2020-07-28T21:23:06
Matshidiso Moeti is the first female Regional Director for Africa for the World Health Organization (WHO). Now she’s the face of the COVID-19 fight in Africa, but she says facing the ...
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How do we get better after this? from 2020-07-16T15:28:02
In this episode, host Melissa Fleming speaks with Neil Walsh, Chief of Cybercrime and Anti-Money Laundering for the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. He describes the horrific surge of criminals exp...
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Never Ever Give Up from 2020-07-09T20:47:20
In this opening episode for Season 3 of Awake at Night, host Melissa Fleming speaks with David Beasley, Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), about his own experie...
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Season Three from 2020-07-07T20:31:43
How are health workers, humanitarians and peacekeepers racing to protect the world’s most vulnerable populations from the impact of the COVID-19 virus? In Season 3 of Awake at Night, host Meliss...
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Home Is the People Around You from 2019-08-18T08:00
Adiba Qasim is from the Yazidi minority in northern Iraq. In August 2014, her village was stormed by Islamic State militants who killed and enslaved thousands of ...
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The Path of Compassion from 2019-06-27T22:21:16
For the season 2 finale of UNHCR’s podcast series, the actor and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Cate Blanchett talks about what keeps her Awake at Night. Describing her experience of working...
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We Are Coming To Kill You from 2019-06-20T22:01
Boris Cheshirkov worked for UNHCR as a spokesperson in his native Bulgaria during Europe’s refugee crisis – when thousands of refugees were arriving at the border. It was an extremely tense time...
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Born to help others from 2019-06-13T22:01
Shahrzad Tadjbakhsh is an effective and tireless advocate of human rights. A lawyer, she holds a senior position at UNHCR headquarters in Geneva, working on refugee protection. But she has never...
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Magic and Beauty from 2019-06-06T22:01
Even in the middle of a war zone, Bruno Geddo manages to light up the room and make people smile, maybe even laugh. He is somebody who deeply appreciates different cultures in the world and sees...
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So Glad to be Alive from 2019-05-23T22:01
Fabrizio Hochschild has reached one of the highest positions in the United Nations. But he’s managed this achievement while learning to deal with the trauma he suffer...
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Season Two from 2019-05-16T10:23:51
Would you go to a war zone to help people you've never met? Hear the incredible stories of people who did just that. A Silver Award winner at the British Podcast Awards 2019 - Season Two of Aw...
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When Going Home Is No Longer An Option. from 2018-11-18T22:55
BONUS EPISODE. Best-selling author and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Khaled Hosseini describes his own experience of being a child refugee, and explains how his work with refugees has helped him ove...
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BONUS Khaled Hosseini from 2018-11-06T15:34:51
Coming soon to Awake At Night. An interview with the bestselling author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini. A child refugee from Afghanistan, Khaled describes how h...
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I will always hold fast from 2018-10-14T21:57
Alessandra Morelli's incredible life has taken her from the convent to the front lines. A former novice nun, she made a dramatic life change when she decided to work with refugees who had fled w...
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A nun, a lawyer and a cowboy from 2018-10-07T22:00
In over 20 years at the UN Refugee Agency, Felipe Camargo has worked in many of the world's most dangerous places. One of the places he has returned to multiple times...
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A nun, a lawyer and a cowboy from 2018-10-07T22:00
In over 20 years at the UN Refugee Agency, Felipe Camargo has worked in many of the world's most dangerous places. One of the places he has returned to multiple times...
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It Has To Stop Somewhere from 2018-09-23T21:55
Sajjad Malik is UNHCR's Representative in Syria - in charge of one of UNHCR's toughest and most dangerous humanitarian operations. Since taking up the post over two years ago, Sajjad has witness...
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It Has To Stop Somewhere from 2018-09-23T21:55
Sajjad Malik is UNHCR's Representative in Syria - in charge of one of UNHCR's toughest and most dangerous humanitarian operations. Since taking up the post over two years ago, Sajjad has witness...
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I Still Can’t Believe That Is Happening In My Country from 2018-09-16T22:00
Fatima Mohammed was assigned to work in her hometown in northern Nigeria, a place full of happy childhood memories. But then she landed in Maiduguri and found check-points and constant fear at t...
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Darkness Does Weird Things To You from 2018-09-09T07:29:16
Vincent Cochetel has worked for the UNHCR for over 30 years. He spent the first part of his career listening to other people's horror stories, but then his own life b...
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Awake At Night from 2018-08-17T13:34:59
Extraordinary personal stories from people who have chosen to put themselves in harm's way, to help refugees. From UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.
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