Why I’m still an obstinate optimist, w/ Allegra Baiocchi | UN Resident Coordinator | Awake at Night

Produced by United Nations

Born to Italian parents in Venezuela, Allegra Baiocchi has been on the move ever since and has lived in more than 25 countries around the world. Now UN Resident Coordinator in Mexico, she believes in the power of the United Nations to improve the well-being of all people, wherever they are. “I am truly an optimist. I do think we can turn this around, but it does need a lot of people taking action, and so I stay awake at night trying to figure out how to get people to act.” Formerly the UN’s chief humanitarian coordinator for western and central Africa, Allegra Baiocchi faced down overlapping deadly crises, from Ebola and war, to drought, famine and displacement. In this episode, she reflects on the highs and lows of her long and varied career, and shares how she brought up children who are as much citizens of the globe as she is. [00:00] Introduction [00:26] What it means to be a global citizen [04:43] Discovering the United Nations [07:53] Journey into humanitarian work [11:10] Lessons from Sergio Vieira de Mello [13:04] Facing the Ebola outbreak [17:08] The challenge of coordinating humanitarian response [18:53] The senseless cost of war [21:48] Coordination on the ground towards achieving the SDGs [24:52] Gender equality and protecting women in the digital age [30:24] A new chapter in Mexico [33:34] What keeps Allegra awake at night [35:35] Raising the next generation of global citizens [38:12] Closing remarks Listen to more Awake at Night episodes https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwoDFQJEq_0b6hu1e8oxsch9W0D7vkNqt #podcast #UnitedNations #AwakeAtNight #Mexico #DCO About Awake at Night Hosted by Melissa Fleming, UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, the podcast ‘Awake at Night’ is an in-depth interview series focusing on remarkable United Nations staff members who dedicate their career to helping people in parts of the world where they have the hardest lives – from war zones and displacement camps to areas hit by disasters and the devastation of climate change.


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