UNCovering Hope

Hope at the Last Mile – On Human Agency and What It Takes to Reach People Where It Matters Most

What does hope mean when you spend your life working at the fault lines of global inequality?  Diene Keita was born in Guinea, raised in Italy, and has spent over three decades working across some of the world's most fragile contexts – from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Haiti, Mauritania, and beyond. Today, she leads the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), focusing on issues that shape people's lives in fundamental ways: health, dignity, and the ability to decide what happens to your own body and your future.  In this episode of UNCovering Hope, Diene reflects on human agency, and on the realities that determine whether a woman survives childbirth, whether a girl can stay in school, and whether a young person has a real chance to shape what comes next.  From finding unexpected ways of reaching young people – including through capoeira – to what she has witnessed in remote regions, we talk about what it takes for support to reach people in crisis settings, and what has to come together, locally and globally, for that to happen in time.  We also discuss the role of youth associations and community leadership, how the United Nations is adapting to keep reaching people where it matters most, and why the way we speak about issues shapes whether they are understood, trusted, and acted on.  Listen in to a conversation about what hope means to Diene in today's global landscape – and the vision that keeps her going.  Read more about Diene Keita and UNFPA: https://www.unfpa.org/about/diene-keita [https://www.unfpa.org/about/diene-keita]  Recorded on: 23 February 2026 UNCovering Hope – UN City Copenhagen Podcast Podcast host: Veronika Wilhelm, UN City Copenhagen

Hope in Practice When Progress Is Hard – From Promises to Delivery

Ambition, optimism, or the next big commitment? In practice, real hope is what happens when people keep building, repairing, showing up – especially when systems fail.  Jorge Moreira da Silva was 17 when he helped organise a grassroots campaign against pollution near his school in Portugal. Today, he leads the global operations of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), working in some of the world’s most fragile and conflict-affected places.  In this episode of UNCovering Hope, Jorge reflects on what it takes to keep building, repairing, and showing up when systems fail, progress is slow, expectations are high, and conditions are dangerous.  We talk about COPs (UN annual climate change conferences) as moments of accountability and about what the work of UNOPS actually looks like – from managing risk, reducing costs, increasing transparency to rebuilding essential infrastructure in places where few other organisations can.  We also discuss what’s needed from governments to unlock private investment in fragile contexts that urgently need it; where solidarity is not only a moral imperative but a matter of global security; the ceaseless courage of UN personnel in conflict-affected places like Gaza and Afghanistan; and the questions many youth movements are asking – and should keep asking – about accountability and delivery.  From global climate negotiations to rebuilding hospitals, schools, energy and water systems in fragile and conflict-affected contexts, listen in to a conversation about accountability, promises and delivery, and what it means to keep working inside that gap.  Read more about Jorge Moreira da Silva and UNOPS: https://www.unops.org/about/our-story/leadership/executive-director [https://www.unops.org/about/our-story/leadership/executive-director]  Recorded on: 11 December 2025 UNCovering Hope – UN City Copenhagen Podcast Podcast host: Veronika Wilhelm, UN City Copenhagen