Recorded in part in Stockholm, Sweden during the Global Challenges Foundation Partner Days, this episode of UN Necessary takes the podcast on the road for a candid, wide-ranging conversation about what is—and isn’t—necessary for the United Nations at a pivotal moment for global governance and multilateral reform.

Hosts Nudhara Yusuf and Daniel Perell draw on rapid-fire conversations with diplomats, policy experts, and civil society leaders to reflect on debates shaping the UN’s future. Though recorded months earlier, these discussions offer timely insight into issues now central to the post–Summit of the Future landscape, including bureaucracy and institutional reform, inclusion and representation, competition versus cooperation, and the UN’s evolving role as a convening and norm-setting institution.

Set against ongoing processes such as the Pact for the Future follow-up and the UN80 initiative, the episode looks beyond recent milestones to ask a forward-looking question: How can the UN adapt its existing “body parts” to meet the demands of the decades ahead?

The episode closes on a more personal note, as Dan reflects on spending three months in rural Kenya with his family—an experience that challenges conventional ideas of prosperity and development.

In this episode of UN Necessary, recorded in New York, hosts Nudhara Yusuf and Daniel Perell speak with Ambassador Brian Wallace, Jamaica’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and former co-facilitator of the UN Declaration on Future Generations.

As the world grapples with escalating global challenges—from climate change and inequality to geopolitical instability— Ambassador Wallace offers a compelling perspective on the importance of multilateralism, the urgency of long-term thinking, and Jamaica’s leadership during the 2024 Summit of the Future.

He reflects on the complexities of negotiating future-focused commitments in a short-term political landscape and calls for a transformation in global governance that transcends electoral cycles.

Tune in to hear why the United Nations remains vital, what it means to plan for generations yet unborn, and how a shift in mindset could catalyze deeper international cooperation in a fragmented world.

In this episode of UN Necessary, recorded on 22 January 2025 in New York, hosts Nudhara Yusuf and Daniel Perell sit down with Stephen Heintz, President and CEO of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and Dr. Richard Ponzio, Director of the Global Governance, Justice, and Security Program where he also co-directs the Global Governance Innovation Network.

As the world grapples with rising geopolitical tensions, democratic backsliding, and the challenge of global governance reform, our guests reflect on the outcomes of the UN's Summit of the Future and the broader trajectory of multilateralism. Heintz and Ponzio discuss the Pact for the Future, the need for a new logic in international cooperation, and the role of civil society in pushing institutional change.

From the sidelines of the COP28 climate conference in Dubai, UAE, in November 2023, UN Necessary’s Daniel Perell spoke with former president of Costa Rica Carlos Andrés Alvarado Quesada on his administration’s efforts to push against societal inertia to lead Costa Rica on the path to decarbonization. Drawing inspiration from his grandparents’ generation, which abolished Costa Rica’s military, and the responsibility he feels to his family and future generations, Alvarado shares the motivations behind his bold climate policies. He discusses how tapping into human willpower and embracing the responsibility of shaping a sustainable future is key to overcoming the challenges posed by climate change.

Dan and his fellow UN Necessary host, Nudhara Yusuf, also reflect on how a conversation from almost a year ago remains relevant today—during the United Nations General Assembly opening and the recent Summit of the Future. Mr. Alvarado’s reflections range from the complexity of effecting change, highlighting the importance of empathy, collaboration, and inclusivity when tackling global crises. And his powerful analogy of humanity’s collective responsibility—likening it to pointillism, where each action contributes to a broader picture of hope and sustainability—offers a thought-provoking look at leadership, legacy, and the role we all play in creating a better world for the future.

In the last UN Necessary episode ahead of the Summit of the Future, Nudhara Yusuf and Daniel Perell speak with Uruguayan doctor and activist Felipe Paullier, the UN’s first Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, to explore his vision for empowering young voices in multilateral spaces. Felipe shares his personal motivations and the complexities of leading a new office—while trying to bridge the gap between institutional governance and the world’s youth. His reflections touch on the need for cultural transformation and reform within the UN, highlighting the importance of authentic exchange, and valuing local engagement over HQ-centric approaches.

Felipe’s deep belief in the power of institutions, despite their imperfections, shines through as he discusses how the United Nations can evolve to meet 21st-century challenges. His comments are a must-listen for anyone interested in global governance, youth empowerment, and the future of multilateralism.

In this episode of UN Necessary, recorded in March and July, hosts Nudhara Yusuf and Daniel Perell dive into the complexities of global governance and United Nations reform with Natalie Samarasinghe, outgoing global director of advocacy at the Open Society Foundations, who was previously executive director of the UN Association-UK.

Recorded amidst the bustling atmosphere of the March 2024 Global Women Leaders Voices Dialogue, in Madrid, UN Necessary’s latest conversation covers the need for a new theory of change in international relations, challenges in empowering local communities through global institutions, and an appeal to remember the UN’s role in setting universal norms while rethinking its humanitarian efforts. Join us as we explore the evolving landscape of multilateralism, the critical reforms needed in the face of global challenges, and why, despite the inertia and danger of the present moment, Natalie remains optimistic about the future.

UN Necessary’s hosts, Nudhara Yusuf and Daniel Perell, share reflections on the United Nations Civil Society Conference, which was held between May 9-10 in Nairobi, Kenya, and how it might pave the way for civil society to play a meaningful September 2024 Summit of the Future. The episode was recorded before the conference was held.

Dan and Nudhara then talk with David Passarelli, from the United Nations University Center for Policy Research, who recently helped prepare a key report to Secretary-General António Guterres ahead of the Summit of the Future. In this latest episode of UN Necessary, David shares insights from his work with the High-Level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism, emphasizing the need for reform in global finance, digital governance, and environmental policy, and the need to let science not politics drive policy. And the experiences that have given him hope.

Before he was Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres was prime minister of Portugal; and before she was President of the Foundation for European Progressive Studies, Maria João Rodrigues was Minister for Employment and Education Training in Mr. Guterres’s government, as well as an advisor, and later serving as a Member of European Parliament. In the latest episode of UN Necessary, Ms. Rodrigues regales Nudhara and Dan with tales of pushing former US president Bill Clinton to rethink global governance as just one example of her experiences working for an inclusive multilateral cooperation.

The Summit of the Future process—and efforts at UN reform—can learn from the experience of the European Union, Ms. Rodrigues says. Governments need to coordinate across peace and security, the global climate crisis, social issues, technology and finance, mobilizing all stakeholders, if the world is to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Right now the multilateral system is too weak to deal and could splinter—unless it becomes more fair.

Ishaan Shah, a 20-something student at King’s College, University of London, became seized with the problem of modern slavery while still a teenager. Now a youth activist whose work cuts across the United Nations system, he joins Nudhara Yusuf and Daniel Perell to talk about the need for young voices to be included in international forums not just for appearances but for “the plot”; in other words, to make a difference.

The Summit of the Future is an opportunity to reinvigorate multilateralism and the United Nations, Ishaan says, so long as UN member states can find ways to act on the decisions made by humanity in its grandest halls. UN Necessary’s second episode is part of a series of discussions with key diplomatic and civil society figures ahead of the 2024 Summit of the Future.

Nudhara and Dan are joined by Maria Fernanda Espinosa, president of the 73rd United Nations General Assembly and Executive Director of GWL Voices, about the international community’s responsibility to include diverse voices at the upcoming 2024 Summit of the Future. These are not limited to experts, activists or officials from the global south, as well as the north. 

In the UN Necessary podcast’s launch episode, we hear how Ms. Fernanda Espinosa, a woman who was previously Ecuador’s minister of foreign affairs, ambassador to the UN, and many other roles, continues to draw on lessons learned from indigenous communities in rural Ecuador.