Born in Brazil to German parents, Achim Steiner knows firsthand the power of cultural exchange to drive international cooperation. Now head of the United Nations Development Programmme (UNDP), he leads global efforts to secure a better future for our planet and its people.
“The clearest lesson from 50 years of modern development thinking is don't try and just pick one aspect and put all your eggs in that basket. Society is complex, development is about choices. And you will either get them right and succeed or you will fall apart,” Steiner says.
Across the world, the UN supports efforts to end poverty, tackle climate change, and break barriers to progress and development. Yet brutal conflicts can reverse decades of progress in a few short months.
In this week’s episode of the UN podcast Awake at Night, Steiner reflects on the thorniest challenges facing humanity, on his hopes for a fairer, cleaner future, and on the vital lessons he learned in rural Pakistan.
“My hope is that we are in an age where people know so much, they now need to believe in one another's ability to change what happens next … Great leaders will stand on the shoulders of the many and perhaps give us the inspiration or the emotional excitement, but change starts with people,” he shares.
Listen to this episode by tuning in on your favourite podcast platform or visiting the Awake at Night website.
About Awake at Night:
Hosted by Melissa Fleming, 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.
