UN Human Rights Podcast

Minfulness and Diplomacy: A conversation with Jon Kabat-Zinn

In this special episode, we take a look at mindfulness and how it can be useful in the world of diplomacy and humanitarian work. During the International Mental Health Week, the UN Human Rights Office Wellbeing Unit’s Mindfulness Initiative hosted an insightful event on "Mindfulness in UN Work and Diplomacy." The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk and Jon Kabat-Zinn, creator of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, discussed how mindfulness can enhance resilience, well-being, and effectiveness for UN staff and diplomats, benefiting both their work and the communities they serve.

Humanity Unites: Pride Month

In this episode of Humanity Unites, we commemorate PRIDE month with conversations about monitoring and protection of LGBTQ+ rights with UN Independent Expert on sexual orientation and gender identity Graeme Reid. We also learn more about the fight for transgender rights and recognition before the law with activists Daniel Benitez Posada from Fundacion Grupo de Accion y Apoyo a Personas Trans (GAAT) in Colombia and Wannapong “Nhuum” Yodmuang from the Asia Pacific Transgender Network based in Thailand.

Humanity Unites: Reporting on the environment

Journalists covering the environment play a fundamental role in informing and educating the public about the climate emergency and in holding governments and companies accountable for environmental damage. In our new episode of the UN Human Rights Podcast,  we listen to three journalists from different parts of the world talk about the challenges and dangers of reporting about the environment: British investigative journalist Clare Rewcastle Brown, who has faced legal harassment for exposing environmental and corruption issues in Malaysia; Djatougbe Aziaka from Togo; and Victoria Gill, an award-winning science correspondent for BBC.

Humanity Unites: World Press Freedom Day

A free and independent media is vital for a healthy democracy and to build peaceful and prosperous societies. Yet media freedom today is in poor health, as conflict, a rise in authoritarianism, disinformation, and new digital technologies are posing threats to independent journalism and journalists. In our new episode of the UN Human Rights Podcast, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk and Jodie Ginsberg, chief executive officer of the Committee to Protect Journalists, talk about the state of media freedom and the safety of journalists around the world.
 
 

Humanity Unites: Breaking Racial Stereotypes

Representation matters. When it comes to people of African descent, representation is fundamental because it shapes racial stereotypes and can help fight racism and promote inclusion. In our new episode of the UN Human Rights Podcast, we explore how popular culture and the arts can challenge perceptions and reframe narratives about race and identity, with Cuban rapper Robe L Ninho, Afro-Colombian journalist and author Edna Liliana Valencia, dancer and choreographer Anisha Thai, and Dominique Day, a human rights lawyer and member of the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent.

HUMANITY UNITES: Women as peacebuilders

Across the world, women and girls are leading the fight for peace and equality. Yet despite their essential role in peacebuilding, women human rights defenders still face challenges when it comes to getting a seat at the tables of power. This episode of the UN Human Rights Podcast explores how women are trying to bring peace to conflicts around the world, with grassroots activist Riya William Yuyada, Laila Alodaat, Deputy Secretary General at the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, and Nicole Ameline, former chair of the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women.

VOICES OF DIGNITY: Sustainable Development Goals and Human Rights with Prof Sandra Liebenberg

In 2015, 193 countries – all of the then members of the United Nations --adopted the Sustainable Development Goals. The SDGs, as they are known, are a set of 17 goals, which call for urgent action for all countries to work together to build peace and prosperity for people and the planet.
Professor Sandra Liebenberg from  Stellenbosch University in South Africa, understands the SDGs and there integral link with human rights. A former member of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, she is currently a professor of human rights law. In this episode, she explains how these global goals are underpinned by human rights. 

VOICES OF DIGNITY: Sports champion human rights with Mary Harvey

Sports and human rights are natural allies. Concepts of good sportsmanship, fair play, inclusion, teamwork -- all show the links between the two. In this episode of the UN Human Rights Podcast, Mary Harvey, Chief Executive of the Centre for Sports and Human Rights, discusses how sports are a vehicle to ensure that rights are promoted and respected.