An official dinner at the Hôtel des Bergues in the 1930s. (Archives of the United Nations in Geneva).An official dinner at the Hôtel des Bergues in the 1930s. (Archives of the United Nations in Geneva)

📜 A century apart, the League of Nations holds up a mirror to the UN. After combing through scores of digitised archives, Pierre-Etienne Bourneuf, scientific advisor at Palais des Nations, reveals in a recently published book how some of international Geneva’s challenges have persisted for over a century – starting with the disconnect between the locals and the foreign staff.

🤝 Human Rights Council needs ‘preventative diplomacy’, says new Moroccan president. As the UN rights body gathers in Geneva amid an increasingly fractious environment, Moroccan ambassador Omar Zniber, freshly elected as council president, sees his main task as keeping the peace.

💱 Behind WTO lines, China seeks to shape global trade rules. At rocky trade negotiations in Abu Dhabi this month, discreet yet heavyweight China sought to shape global trade rules to align with its interests.

🤖 AI transparency: where should the goalpost be planted? As policymakers play catch-up with the fast pace of technology, experts from industry, academia and civil society say ensuring transparency in artificial intelligence is not as straightforward as some may wish.

Philippe Lazzarini in Geneva, 13 February 2024. (Mark Henley/Panos Pictures for Le Temps)Philippe Lazzarini in Geneva, 13 February 2024. (Mark Henley/Panos Pictures for Le Temps)

🇺🇳 Philippe Lazzarini: ‘Israel is targeting Unrwa to have it dismantled’. The head of the UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees, who was in Geneva to meet with UN state members, warns of an escalation in allegations levelled against UNRWA that Israel has yet to prove.

🇷🇺 Russian ambassador Gennady Gatilov: ‘Switzerland is no longer neutral nor an honest broker’. The head of Russia’s mission to the UN in Geneva deplores the west’s attitude at the Conference on Disarmament, refuting claims of obstruction waged against Moscow. In an interview with Le Temps, the diplomat explains why Switzerland is no longer in a position to organise a peace conference on the Ukraine war.

Félix Maradiaga, Nicaraguan political activist and former political prisoner, at the offices of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, Geneva, 22 February 2024. (Geneva Solutions/Paula Dupraz-Dobias)

🌴Nicaragua turning into ‘tropical North Korea’, says exiled former opponent. As the Human Rights Council prepares to review Nicaragua’s human rights record, former political prisoner Félix Maradiaga, on a visit to Geneva, says he wants the international community to view his country in the same light as other authoritarian regimes.

✊French climate activist Camille Étienne and the power of fear. From the Alpine glaciers to the deepest corners of the sea, Camille Étienne wants people to rise up and protect Earth’s most vulnerable ecosystems. We spoke to the French climate campaigner in town for a talk at the Société de Lecture.

Jawdat Khoudary's archaeological museum sometime after the start of Israel’s bombing campaign in Gaza following the Hamas 7 October attack. (Rights Reserved)

🕌 Unearthing Gaza’s archaeological treasures in Geneva. Jawdat Khoudary’s archaeological artefacts dazzled Geneva in 2007 and have remained dormant in the Geneva Freeport ever since. After losing everything in Gaza, they’re the Palestinian collector’s last wealth. Soon, the relics might emerge from their sealed boxes.