Peacekeeping during the Pandemic: Conversations with UN Leadership

The power of partnerships: An interview with Bintou Keita, Special Representative in the Democratic Republic of Congo

In the final episode of the podcast series on the impact of COVID-19 on United Nations peacekeeping operations, interviewer Rania Dagash speaks with Bintou Keita, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who started her assignment in early 2021 at the helm of the peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO. They discuss the challenges of mis-and disinformation, the value of partnerships to support communities, and how SRSG Keita managed to fulfill her duties despite movement challenges.

No peace without communications: An interview with Guang Cong, Deputy Special Representative in South Sudan

In this episode of the podcast series on the impact of COVID-19 on UN peacekeeping operations, interviewer Rania Dagash and Guang Cong, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General in South Sudan, discuss how the mission facilitated virtual peace talks between grassroots parties, to ensure conversations could continue, despite the many challenges of the pandemic.

“Fighting a common enemy”: An interview with Colin Stewart, former Special Representative in Western Sahara

In this episode of the podcast series on the impact of COVID-19 on UN peacekeeping operations, interviewer Naomi Miyashita meets Colin Stewart, the former Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, who provides an insight into the challenges of responding to a pandemic across the ceasefire line.

More that unites than divides: An interview with Barrie Lynne Freeman, Deputy Special Representative in Kosovo

In this episode of the podcast series on the impact of COVID-19 on UN peacekeeping operations, interviewer David Haeri sits down with Barrie Lynne Freeman, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General DSRSG in Kosovo, to learn about how the UN played a critical role in supporting local communities during the pandemic, and witnessed unseen solidarity between different groups as they faced a new common threat.

“We had to make it work”: An interview with Denise Brown, Deputy Special Representative in the Central African Republic

In the first episode of the podcast series on the impact of COVID-19 on UN peacekeeping operations, interviewer Rania Dagash takes listeners on a journey to the Central African Republic to hear from Denise Brown, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, who reflects on her experiences as a senior official, a humanitarian and as a mother during the pandemic.