The Lid is On

Storytelling has the power to inspire action, and when celebrities and influencers use their platforms for climate advocacy, the impact can reach audiences across the globe.

In September at UN Headquarters in New York, actor and UNDP Goodwill Ambassador Nikolaj Coster-Waldau shared his experiences of visiting UN Development Programme (UNDP) initiatives for his Bloomberg TV series, An Optimist’s Guide to the Planet.

Space exploration and the use of space technology is becoming an increasingly critical part of the global economy, but how can the world ensure its benefits are felt, not just in the developed world but also in poorer and less technologically advanced developing countries?

The UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) was established for that exact reason and more particularly to accelerate sustainable development globally.

Wind and solar energy are now the cheapest sources of energy, bringing cleaner air, stronger communities, and new economic opportunities. In September at UN Headquarters in New York, the SDG Media Zone hosted a discussion highlighting the momentum of the clean energy transition, and how expanding access to wind and solar can improve public health, create jobs, and accelerate economic growth.

Too often, coordinated misinformation campaigns are amplified and monetized via digital advertising, hampering efforts to address the climate crisis.

At UN Headquarters in New York, Karla Quintana, head of the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in Syria (IIMP), has warned that time is running out to find the hundreds of thousands who disappeared during the country’s long conflict. “Everyone in Syria knows someone who has gone missing,” Ms. Quintana told UN News.
In conversation with Ezzat El-Ferri, she underscored that the search must be Syrian-led and internationally supported, driven by the families who have long fought to learn the truth about their loved ones.

Music: ‘Rise and Shine’ by Audiobinger

There was a wealth of stories to follow at high-level week of the UN General Assembly, from the conference on the Israel-Palestine two-State solution, to the ambitious pledges made at the Climate Summit, and the launch of two bodies aimed at finally creating truly inclusive international AI governance.

But one theme that shone through was the importance of multilateralism and the work of the United Nations.

Conor Lennon and Laura Quinones from UN News break it all down in this special episode of The Lid Is On.

Music: Joachim Harris, all rights reserved

In this episode of The Lid Is On, experts discuss the urgent need to restore the Ocean, which is facing a host of threats that could drive millions of marine life species into extinction and even endanger humanity.

The protection of marine biodiversity will be under discussion at the UN Ocean Conference in June, where advocates will join politicians and members of the private sector to share solutions, including legal protections for the high seas, which lie outside national waters.

The shipping industry moves 90% of world trade—and produces nearly 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

In this episode of 'The Lid is On', Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), explains how a new UN agreement sets the sector on a path to net zero by 2050, introduces a global carbon pricing plan, and addresses concerns from the world’s most vulnerable economies.

Music by Joachim Harris, all rights reserved, Ketsa. 
 

A Thai woman has been talking about how she was tricked into handing over more than $300,000 to a criminal gang that entrapped her in an elaborate scam that began as a supposed case of identity fraud and which led her to believe that she and her family could be facing prison.

In this episode of The Lid Is On, Conor Lennon from UN News speaks to Luz Maria de la Mora, the Director of the International Trade Division at UNCTAD, about the uncertainty that unilateral tariffs are having on the global trade outlook, and why the consequence could be particularly serious for developing economies.

Music by Joachim Harris, all rights reserved