At a debate held at the Geneva Graduate Institute on Tuesday, Chile’s Michelle Bachelet, Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan, and Ecuador’s María Fernanda Espinosa laid out their vision for the UN. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/61

As three candidates to become the next UN leader took to the stage in Geneva on Tuesday to set out their priorities for the world’s top multilateral body, they also nodded to the city’s diplomatic role. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/GA

The UN chief has tapped Tressa Rae Finerty as UN deputy high commissioner for refugees, passing over a controversial White House nominee.

OPINION. Geneva has stood the test of time as a key diplomatic venue. However, that role is fading due to the absence of direction from the top, writes Daniel Safran-Hon, a former political affairs officer in the office of the UN secretary general.

OPINION. As stalled negotiations – from plastics to health to nuclear risk – pile up, the next UN secretary general can restore faith in multilateralism by creating a unit to support negotiations, write negotiation experts Jérôme Bellion-Jourdan and Hayley Walker.

OPINION. As countries gear up for another round of climate talks, they must address the gap between climate commitments and the operational systems needed for local change, writes Jean-François Laurent, UNOPS acting director in Geneva. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/W9

The UN tech agency is finally set to renew its outdated headquarters, but funding gaps and logistical hurdles still loom. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/TG

The UN’s new visitor centre in Geneva opens to the public on 8 June, promising a unique immersion into the challenges of international cooperation – and a shot of optimism for an international Geneva that has been reeling for the past two years. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/Vc

OPINION. As candidates vie to become the next UN secretary general, member states must hold them to account on gender equality – a core UN value under coordinated attack, write gender champions Martin Chungong and Tatiana Molcean. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/Jb

The United Nations’ weather agency predicts an 80 per cent chance of an El Niño climate phenomenon emerging before September. What impact can we expect it to have on our lives on top of climate change-related events? ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/e5

In eastern Congo, the international playbook ignores the reality on the ground: conflict is not just the backdrop to the epidemic – it’s the driver. To stop Ebola, treat malaria, pay healthcare workers and ensure hospitals are not bombed, writes war zone clinician Annie Sparrow.

Low pay, job insecurity and opaque management systems run by algorithms have long topped the list of grievances for workers tied to digital platforms. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/Rf

As WHO member states step up efforts to reshape global health for a world of tighter budgets and mounting crises, Geneva Solutions spoke with Spain’s health secretary about how Madrid hopes to steer the debate.

World Health Assembly condemns Iran's strikes on Gulf nations and Hormuz blockade as concerns grow over food, energy and medical supply disruptions.

As US budget cuts leave millions without aid, an academic commission is making the case for affected communities and local actors to be placed at the centre of humanitarian response. We spoke with its co-chair Karl Blanchet, director of the Centre for Humanitarian Studies in Geneva.

Two possible vaccine candidates against the Bundibugyo virus species are being developed, but neither has gone through clinical trials yet, experts at the health organisation said. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/mk

Air pollution, heat waves and infectious diseases: climate change is a health crisis that requires action now to save millions of lives, warn scientists and former health ministers.

The Middle East conflict cast a long shadow over the World Health Assembly on Tuesday in Geneva as the politics of war seeped into its deliberations. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/XG

As the World Health Assembly this week marks the WHO exits of the United States and Argentina, a deadly outbreak at sea raises questions about whether international health cooperation can hold despite political fractures.

Amid warnings that UN funding may run out by mid-summer, a member state finance committee has the option to change an outdated rule that has made the organisation’s budget crisis a lot worse.

New restrictions on US foreign assistance go far beyond anything seen before, and may leave Geneva's multilateral institutions scrambling to comply, Hannah Reinl of International Gender Champions writes. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/N3

OPINION. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’s successor will need a strong strategy and their political wits about them to address member state defections, shaky financial prospects and an expanding to-do list of global health issues, writes Priti Patnaik, founder of Geneva Health Files.

María Fernanda Espinosa has emerged as the fifth contender for the world’s top diplomatic job – and to be the first woman in the role.

A year after the US exit from the global health body, WHO officials say finances are secure, for now. But amid donor cuts, rising inflation, and future economic uncertainties, will funding be sufficient to meet its needs? ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/IN

The co-founder of the Geneva-based Gallifrey Foundation, a philanthropic organisation fighting to protect the ocean and endangered species, on doing 'whatever it takes' to achieve environmental and social change. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/Dk

Undersea cables carry nearly all of the world's data, yet they have never been more exposed to conflict, geopolitical tensions and big tech expansion. Countries are turning to the International Telecommunications Union to strengthen governance over the internet’s undersea backbone.

When disasters strike the physical digital infrastructure that keeps societies running, it can have catastrophic effects the world should prepare for like any other potential crisis, writes Tomas Lamanauskas, deputy secretary general of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

As Washington ramps up pressure on the UN, a US agency looking into the organisation’s renovation spending notes that while multiple UN bodies are focused on ensuring that plans stick to budget, the State Department lacks the capacity to keep a closer eye. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/Z3

After three decades of hosting UN agencies, Bonn is increasing efforts to attract more organisations, particularly those based in Geneva, amid competition from other cities. Last week, the city marked a milestone by opening its growing UN Campus to the public for the first time.

After two days of exchanges and “not negotiating”, countries agree to work on devising roadmaps out of fossil fuels at the root of a worsening climate crisis.

Member states gathered in Geneva this week to negotiate a key addition to the Pandemic Agreement ahead of the World Health Assembly next month. Major obstacles remain, but a positive outcome would help the world better prepare for future pandemics.

A new Russia-China-US bloc has emerged at the International Labour Organization, seeking to water down a European-led resolution condemning Ukraine's invasion. US workers and employers have opposed the alliance.

At a recent ILO meeting, a new Russia-China-US bloc has emerged, seeking to edit a European-backed text on Ukraine. But Washington is not being supported in that alliance by representatives of US workers and employers.

The ILO is grappling with a massive budget shortfall, largely generated by funding cuts by the United States. The agency is expected to decide on measures to address the crisis in June.

Nations in Santa Marta backed the need to leave fossil fuels behind as a matter of security and sovereignity, as the ripple effects of the Iran war upend energy markets. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/SF

A day before governments meet at the world’s first conference to end fossil fuels, activists and lawmakers gather to demand a greater say in decisions, as international climate negotiations remain stalled and risk sidelining action. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/HG

Amid rising geopolitical tensions, access to critical minerals has become a new frontline in great power competition. Rules governing their extraction and management remain fragmented, but one UN agency says it has developed tools that may help bridge regulatory gaps.

Colombia's Caribbean port city is hosting an experiment in climate diplomacy this week – excluding the nations most responsible for holding it back.

Four candidates hoping to take over António Guterres next year spent two days fielding questions on war, climate change and reform, exposing the scale of the task awaiting whoever takes over an organisation paralysed by geopolitical fractures and a deepening financial crisis.

As the crisis in international Geneva deepens, Robert Curzon Price, head of real estate firm Barnes, warns of the potential impacts on the local property market. In his view, Geneva authorities should move to acquire parcels that may become available as international organisations move out.

With nearly a quarter of its land contaminated, Ukraine is the world’s most mine-affected country, due to their widespread use by Moscow. Last summer, Kyiv signalled its intention to suspend its participation from the Ottawa Convention banning their use and production.

The race to succeed António Guterres is shaping up to be highly competitive, with the UN General Assembly set to hold an interactive dialogue with candidates this week. While civil society is calling for the next UN chief to be a woman, the outcome remains uncertain.

In 2015, after decades shrouded in secrecy, the process for choosing the next United Nations’ secretary general was thrown into the open thanks to civil society that campaigned heavily for change. However, power over the final say continues to be wielded by the Security Council behind closed doors.

Testimony from a former intern sheds light on how Jeffrey Epstein used the International Peace Institute to attract, move, and control young women under the guise of diplomatic opportunities –including in Geneva. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/av

Amid plummeting donor contributions, particularly from the US, the UN’s aid office announced a reform plan aimed at making the sector more efficient while hyperprioritising assistance and shifting leadership more to local NGOs. A year later, aid experts question if the plan has lost its way.

As movements working to undermine universal human rights protections become more influential, the language used to call out these “anti-rights” groups also needs closer scrutiny, or else risks being self-defeating, writes Nicolas Agostini, human rights advocate and researcher.

With Pakistan having emerged as the key mediator between the US and Iran, Switzerland is keeping the door open as a messenger and host for potential talks under its good offices. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/12

In Washington, some senior military officials are trying to find ways to avoid classifying US strikes against civilian infrastructure as war crimes. But international humanitarian law leaves little room for the Trump administration’s interpretation.

An obscure body in New York holds outsized power over which NGOs can enter the United Nations. Campaigners say states hostile to scrutiny have turned it into a tool to keep critics out.

As the Iran war brings one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes to a near standstill and cuts off key air routes, containers pile up in unintended ports. Freight intermediaries are left to pick up the pieces. The sector is meeting in Geneva to discuss its challenges.