Al Jazeera English • 17th October 2024

Disease X: Are we ready for the next killer pandemic? | Flatten the Curve | EP 2

Five years since it was discovered, our greatest disease experts say far worse pandemics are imminent and the world is unprepared. Not enough research has been done into many of the organisms that cause infectious diseases. The World Health Organization is particularly concerned about Disease X, an unknown pathogen that could cause a catastrophic outbreak. Societal apathy and anti-vaccination attitudes have skyrocketed due to a tide of conspiracy theories and misinformation. Episode 2 of Flatten the Curve examines the challenges in pandemic-proofing our world from Disease X.

Al Jazeera English • 10th October 2024

Can a pandemic treaty end vaccine inequity in Africa? | Flatten the Curve | EP 1

A quarter of the global population remains unvaccinated for COVID-19, five years after the virus emerged. During the pandemic, African countries were among the last to receive life-saving medicines because powerful nations control vaccine stockpiles. This “vaccine apartheid” fuels distrust in expensive Western-made vaccines. Senegal and other African nations will produce more of their own vaccines to protect the disease-prone continent. A pandemic treaty being negotiated at the World Health Organization could also help Global South nations better prepare for outbreaks. Credits: Presenter and Series Producer: Drew Ambrose Supervising Producer: Nick Olle Associate Producer: Medhavi Arora, Paula Dupraz-Dobias

Geneva Solutions • 3rd October 2024

The UN is helping Filipino gold miners quit toxic mercury – it’s harder than it looks

Seven years after a global pact banning mercury was ratified, UN agencies, miners and authorities have joined up efforts in the Philippines to ditch using the toxic metal in artisanal gold mining.

Geneva Solutions • 12th September 2024

UN reacts to sudden death of Peru’s Geneva ambassador

Geneva diplomats paid tribute this week to Ana Cecilia Gervasi Díaz, Peru’s ambassador to the United Nations, following the announcement of her reportedly sudden death late last week at her home in Lima.

Geneva Solutions • 9th September 2024

Cash-strapped Human Rights Council kicks off meet amid mounting crises

With little progress being made on resolving conflicts and other humanitarian crises globally, countries are bracing for a packed UN Human Rights Council. But the global body’s liquidity crisis is putting a spanner into its operations.

Geneva Solutions • 4th September 2024

In Geneva, following aid in conflict-struck countries is mission impossible

As a humanitarian hub, Geneva prides itself on its tradition of supporting aid and development initiatives. But tracking how public funding is spent can pose challenges for the authorities involved, as the case of one Geneva-based NGO facing accusations of fraud illustrates.

Geneva Solutions • 27th August 2024

When human rights help bridge the distance between family and work in the field

Having a family while working in the field for the United Nations can be a challenging feat, as Luis and María know all too well. But explaining their dedication and passion for their careers to their daughter has helped ease the strains of separation.

Le Temps SA • 15th August 2024

Trois ans après la reprise de Kaboul par les talibans, l’aide peine à parvenir aux Afghans désespérés

«Les habitants sont de moins en moins éduqués, l’économie est un désastre, l’élite a fui vers l’Iran et le Pakistan, voire à l’Ouest. Comment redresser l’Afghanistan?» Ancien étudiant en médecine puis consultant pour le gouvernement afghan pendant l’occupation américaine, Jahed Hamrah qui vit aux Etats-Unis après avoir passé plusieurs années en Suisse, a largement perdu espoir pour son pays.

Geneva Solutions • 15th August 2024

Humanitarians scramble in Afghanistan three years after Taliban takeover

Three years after Taliban authorities recaptured Kabul, aid workers reflect on challenges in Afghanistan as they respond to a humanitarian crisis that shows no signs of abetting.

The New Humanitarian • 14th August 2024

The aid system’s ‘double standards’ on sex workers

Sex workers are often criminalised, stigmatised, and excluded from state support services, especially in emergencies. Double standards in aid policies add to the discrimination, a rights advocate says.

Geneva Solutions • 30th June 2024

Tug of war over gender issues at the Human Rights Council

Gender issues, including women’s rights and sexual orientation, have infused the summer session at the UN Human Rights Council. But rising polarisation has made political consensus ever more difficult to achieve.

Geneva Solutions • 23rd June 2024

Elections and global crises put freedom of expression to the test

Across the world, the right to peaceful assembly and association is being trampled on. Gina Romero, the new UN special rapporteur, shares her concerns.

Geneva Solutions • 20th June 2024

Do no harm: the aid sector’s uphill task to reduce its carbon footprint

Eight years after the Paris climate agreement, the international aid sector continues to trail on climate action. But for organisations already responding to crises on many fronts, walking the climate talk brings a new set of challenges.

Geneva Solutions • 14th June 2024

UN trade office celebrates 60 years at inflection point

Newly rebranded as UN Trade and Development, the agency founded to defend developing countries’ commercial interests in 1964 kicked off anniversary celebrations Wednesday amid questions over its path forward.

Geneva Solutions • 9th June 2024

One hundred years on, international school reverberates beyond Geneva

As the École Internationale de Genève prepares to welcome thousands of former students and teachers for its centenary, the school’s director general explains the role it has played within international Geneva and beyond.

Geneva Solutions • 2nd June 2024

Mixed signals for workers' rights as UN labour meet opens

As the International Labour Organization’s annual conference kicks off, the UN body has come again into scrutiny due to its ties to alleged representatives of authoritarian regimes.

www.swissinfo.ch • 23rd May 2024

Geneva’s early double standards on colonialism

Following the example of several European cities, Geneva is also reviewing its historical links to colonialism. But a new exhibition shows that some of the most offensive expansionist behaviour came from humanitarian icons.

Le Temps SA • 20th May 2024

Faut-il s’engager auprès des talibans? Le dilemme persistant des acteurs humanitaires en Afghanistan

En 2021, la prise du pouvoir par les talibans avait remis en cause l’assistance internationale à l’Afghanistan. Trois ans plus tard, le rejet international du régime, le détournement de l’attention vers d’autres crises et la méfiance font toujours obstacle.

Geneva Solutions • 16th May 2024

NGO fighting extremism: ‘Israel’s military campaign risks radicalising far more people’

As the Gaza war raises fear over the risk of increased radicalisation, GCERF, a Geneva-based organisation working with vulnerable communities to prevent violent extremism, says tackling the roots of the trend involves ‘surgical’ interventions and a ‘leap of faith’.

Geneva Solutions • 12th May 2024

To aid or not to aid: behind Afghanistan’s divided relief frontlines

Since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021, shrinking international assistance to Afghanistan has been challenged by bans on Afghan women aid workers, donors shifting their attention to other crises and the heated question of engagement with the Taliban. Divisions and mistrust between aid groups in and outside the country have added to the test.