Pekka Haavisto, Finland's former foreign minister and a seasoned peace mediator, believes pragmatic diplomacy can put the UN refugee agency back on track as he bids to become its future leader. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/4s

Humanitarians are dragging their feet on adopting AI over safety and data sovereignty concerns, the negotiation expert and ex-ICRC adviser points out. He believes that with the right strategic vision, technology can be their best ally in conflict-hit settings. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/JN

Amid atrocities in Darfur, the Human Rights Council will hold a special debate next Friday on the human rights situation in and around El Fasher. The UK-led request was presented on Wednesday, with the backing of over 50 countries. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/BX

As gold prices hit record highs, the Minamata Convention faces pressure to curb mercury use in small-scale mining. Member states meeting in Geneva this week will debate how to curb the highly toxic metal's trade. ✍️@pauladdobias.bsky.social

While planning for climate shocks, the @wmo-global.bsky.social is also having to weather a storm of unpaid dues and deep budget cuts. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/7R

Grave environmental crimes have long gone unpunished. A coalition of experts wants to make sure defenders have the tools to investigate and hold perpetrators to account.

Less than two weeks out from the climate summit in Belem, Geneva-based UN agencies, NGOs and civil society regulars scale back their delegations – squeezed by budget constraints and sky-high hotel prices. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/ND

The UN's trade and development flagship meeting wrapped up Thursday evening after ringing alarm bells over debt eroding development gains. The highlight: a new hub to tackle the crisis and pave the way for reform – but can it really get creditors to the table?

The head of UN’s nuclear watchdog IAEA Rafael Grossi is in Geneva this week. He talks about the role he has played in managing potential and past nuclear tipping points globally, and his ambitions for the UN’s top job.

China and Russia are actively trying to block UN rights scrutiny through obscure budget talks, according to an investigation by the @ishr.ch. The long-running manoeuvre now threatens to hollow out the UN human rights pillar amid a deepening financial crisis. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/sr

As the @unctad.bsky.social's quadrennial conference returns to Geneva, developing nations fight to preserve a robust mandate, while donor countries urge caution amid budget pressures and a shifting multipolar world.

As hope flickers that the Gaza ceasefire will stick this time, veteran mediators who have been here before warn that peace brokered after any war won’t last unless political and military talks advance together. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/cL

As Filippo Grandi prepares to step down after ten years at the helm, a high-stakes battle begins to lead the @unhcr.org through financial turmoil, growing political tensions and soaring global displacement. ✍️@michellelangrand.bsky.social ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/jW

Appointed last April as director general of Gesda, EPFL professor and physicist Marilyne Andersen outlines the challenges the foundation that aims to anticipate the impact of future innovations faces ahead of its flagship conference this week. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/CR

A fragile ceasefire brings hope of relief to Gaza, but humanitarians warn it will mean little unless borders open and aid can flow unimpeded.

Money alone won’t save the multilateral system. We need a plan that tackles power imbalances, brings in the private sector and uses funds strategically to keep the system afloat, argues Erica Harper, head of research and policy studies at the @geneva-academy.ch.

Hamas may have accepted Donald Trump's plan – under duress –, yet the proposal's disregard for international law leaves Palestinians’ future up in the air, argues political scientist Riccardo Bocco. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/vW

Nine months after launching his campaign promise to crack down on migration, Trump is taking a swing at the UN asylum system. As countries meet this week in Geneva to discuss funding for refugee protection, what will the US rhetoric mean for international agencies? ✍️@pauladdobias.bsky.social

In Geneva to attend the Human Rights Council, Burundian women’s rights defender Marie Louise Baricako warns that her country is sinking deeper into crisis as the region teeters on the brink, urging the international community to push for a national dialogue. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/x2

Sustainable finance has hit a slump. To move past it, former US secretary of state John Kerry & other investors in Geneva for Building Bridges say the focus must shift from lofty ideals to tangible gains — for the planet and for people’s lives. ✍️@letemps.ch ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/h0

As the UN rushes to come up with ideas to reboot the multilateral system, humanitarian leaders say they are ready to put plans in action, beating other sectors to the start line. ✍️@pauladdobias.bsky.social ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/ay

Even after Israel delayed a compliance deadline for international NGOs working in Gaza, aid groups based in Geneva and beyond warn their future operations in the enclave remain precarious amid tightening restrictions and dire conditions on the ground. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/bT

European Union nations have asked the UN Human Rights Council to investigate international crimes and other serious violations in Afghanistan, answering a longstanding call from civil society. ✍️@michellelangrand.bsky.social ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/TA

The ICJ's landmark opinion affirming that the climate crisis amounts to a human rights violation owes a great deal to years of human rights work in Geneva. As the Human Rights Council convenes, that work isn’t over, write Upasana Khatri and Francesca Mingrone, senior attorneys at @ciel.org

Delegations are mulling over the UN’s recent reform proposals as leaders gather in New York for the UN General Assembly at a historic, albeit existential moment for the organisation. ✍️@pauladdobias.bsky.social

Amid the chaos and a spiralling humanitarian crisis, rights campaigners worry that the DRC might be going down a dark path as international human rights commitments are sacrificed in the name of war. ✍️@michellelangrand.bsky.social ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/oe

Multilateralism has overcome many challenges over the decades, as during the Cold War. As it continues to evolve, Geneva is still well positioned to host its actors and to promote peace, writes Ivan Pictet, the president of the Portail des Nations foundation. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/ko

Three of Geneva’s leading institutions on security and peacebuilding – the GCSP, DCAF and GICHD – mark milestones this year amid rising global tensions, growing financial pressures and an accelerating arms race. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/6c

The Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP), marking its 30th anniversary this year, has emerged as a hub for efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Its broad network enables dialogue across political divides – but the chances of a breakthrough remain slim. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/II

A week after the UN secretary general proposed a new 2026 budget that would do away with nearly a fifth of staff, Ronny Patz, an academic specialising in UN finances, warns that the financial crisis will only worsen unless states step up. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/7S

As the UN General Assembly convenes in New York, the former UN humanitarian chief, Martin Griffiths, warns that budget cuts alone won’t be enough to solve the financial crisis. With the days of plenty over, what is needed, he says, are real strategic shifts. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/f2

An independent United Nations inquiry has concluded for the first time that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, and that the country’s top officials have incited genocide, in a report that Israel rejected as “fake” and “scandalous”.

The secretariat of a crucial tool in the fight against biodiversity loss has opened in Geneva. Over fifty directors of botanical gardens worldwide gathered in the city for its launch.

Nations are treating cooperation as a bargaining chip, resulting in a fragmented, weakened global health architecture. Solidarity globalism offers a path to rebuild multilateral strength, writes Amitabha Sarkar, research associate at the Graduate Institute. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/F1

The war in Gaza and other major hostilities where states are disregarding the laws of war are prompting armed groups to follow their example, warns Alain Délétroz, the head of the humanitarian NGO Geneva Call. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/BJ

Climate change, conflicts and a lack of funding compounded by recent aid cuts are hurting hard-won gains in fighting the disease that claims 600,000 lives each year, according to one of the world’s top health funders. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/VN

Donald Trump announced a $107m funding cut while simultaneously appointing his economic advisor as the ILO’s new deputy director. The Geneva-based organisation is under pressure and its staff is anxious. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/u8

The opening of the Swiss-Indian Chamber of Commerce’s Geneva office last month comes as a trade deal between the countries will come into force on 1 October. Its chair Philippe Reich discusses tariffs, trade deals and multilateralism with @kmjefford.bsky.social ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/Ul

As nuclear talks resume in Geneva today, European powers now find themselves forced to discuss a possible return of UN sanctions, while Iran continues to keep its cards close to its chest. Reporting by @stephanebussard.bsky.social @letemps.ch ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/sg

Tech tools involving data sourcing are increasingly being used to improve efficiency in humanitarian response. But partnering with private tech firms may pose risks for aid organisations as they increase their digital engagement, reports @pauladdobias.bsky.social

From elections to treaties, Africa is using its Geneva foothold to advance its priorities. Delidji Eric Degila, political legal adviser to the African Group, explains how the bloc navigates a multilateral system under strain. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/kc

The sudden departure of the UN staff pension fund’s head of investment office to a firm contracted by the organisation has triggered concerns over potential violations of UN employment rules. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/2e

Two weeks of negotiations expected to produce a deal to curb plastic pollution ended in spectacular failure. Switzerland had pinned high hopes on the meeting. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/D3

International investigations must be extended and strengthened, and accountability must be central to any policy response, write Hassan Shire, executive director of AfricanDefenders, and Nicolas Agostini, DefendDefenders representative to the UN. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/Hr

After three years of fighting, another rushed attempt by the United States to bring the Ukraine-Russia war to an end is poised to disappoint, writes Ukrainian researcher Oksana Myshlovska.

A midnight bid to salvage plastics treaty talks collapsed in Geneva, as states seeking tough measures on production cuts, chemical bans and financing rejected a gutted draft. Here’s a closer look at what’s been stripped out. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/aK

Amid a sweeping internal restructuring, the head of the global health organisation confirmed that 400 positions have been slashed through early retirement and non-renewal of contracts, half of which in headquarters in Geneva. ✍️@pauladdobias.bsky.social

As nations gather to finalise a global plastics treaty, no fewer than 307 plastics industry lobbyists and pressure groups have descended on Geneva to try to influence negotiations. Here's a look at who's behind them. ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/Av

Plastics treaty talks in Geneva are slipping back into stalemate. Can a Rodin-inspired sculpture outside the UN’s Palais des Nations jolt a faltering multilateralism to life? ➡️ https://l.genevasolutions.news/eD

Plastics treaty talks in Geneva hit a low point yesterday. Nations seeking an ambitious deal tore into the latest draft, amid hours of procedural wrangling. With only hours left, countries are racing against the clock to leave with a treaty in hand. ✍️@michellelangrand.bsky.social