Matthew Wilson, Barbados' ambassador to the UN in Geneva, at a World Trade Organization meeting. (WTO)

Barbados diplomat on climate Cop29: ‘We're negotiating how quickly we should save the Earth’. Stakes will be high at climate talks next month in Baku, especially for small Island nations literally struggling to stay afloat. In an interview with Geneva Solutions, Barbados' ambassador in Geneva, Matthew Wilson, speaks of his country's priorities and why he hates bartering the survival of future generations.

🪓SWISS CHOPPING BOARD. After the lower chamber of parliament in Bern voted to cut funding to the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA in September, senators will have a final say on the matter on Thursday.

Pressure cooker. The proposal made by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party came after Israel alleged UNRWA staff had ties to Hamas and anti-Jewish instruction was being taught in its schools. The organisation promptly dismissed accused employees before a UN investigation found that its neutrality mechanisms were robust. In 2018, foreign minister Ignazio Cassis accused the UN agency of hindering the Middle East peace process.

📖Read our past coverage: Can UNRWA weather the storm?

Why it matters. UNRWA, led by a Swiss for the past 10 years, saw its funding from Bern slashed earlier this year after the US, Britain, Germany and other major donors suspended their support. The organisation has played a key role in providing education and healthcare to Gazans.

High-level pressure. A letter signed by over 20 former Swiss ambassadors and aid organisations last week stressed the importance of the agency in providing assistance in Gaza and how a halt in funding would affect Switzerland’s neutrality.

🌳NATURE TALKS. After a long drumroll, the Cop16 will begin two-week discussions later today in Cali, Colombia, to discuss progress on a historical agreement to preserve the planet.

Target goal. At Montreal’s Cop15 in 2022, countries agreed that 30 per cent of all land and seas are to be protected by 2030. But a recent study found that only 8.3 per cent of oceans have so far been given protected status, often lacking in enforcement and full of loopholes.

Lacklustre attendees. Only five of the 17 “megadiverse countries” that are home to 70 per cent of the world’s biodiversity submitted new pledges ahead of the meeting. Among those dragging their feet are three major Amazon basin countries: Brazil, Peru and… host Colombia.

Money game. It may sound familiar to climate Cop followers, but donors are also falling short of biodiversity finance goals. Having pledged $20 billion annually by 2025 to restore biodiversity, so far, only $8.6bn have materialised.

– By Paula Dupraz-Dobias