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 Recorded on: 11 December 2025UNCovering Hope – UN City Copenhagen PodcastPodcast host: Veronika Wilhelm, UN City Copenhagen