Israeli soldiers walk ahead of Palestinians displaced by an Israeli military operation evacuating from the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank on 23 January 2025. (KeystoneAP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

Switzerland walks diplomatic tightrope over conference on occupied Palestine. Bern has said it will hold an international conference on the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel in March in Geneva, a responsibility bestowed upon it as the depository state of the Geneva Conventions. It will also have to make sure the meeting doesn’t backfire.

💸US-WHO FALLOUT. The WHO is set to hold its first executive meeting of the year from today until 11 February, with the US’s withdrawal from the UN agency and the implications for its finances set to be on everyone’s mind.

Among the key issues on the agenda of the 34-member executive body, which includes the US, is the proposed programme budget for 2026-2027. The initial proposal stands at $7.4bn, a nine per cent increase from the previous period. But to cope with the gaping hole left by the US, which covered about 15 per cent of the WHO’s budget in 2024, developed states think it would be wise to scale it down, though developing nations insist other donors can make up for the shortfall, according to Geneva Health Files.

Another point of contention is that the WHO wants states to increase their mandatory contributions by 20 per cent like last time. However, according to a diplomatic source, it isn’t sure that states will agree to that.

Health Policy Watch has a good run-down of the agenda.

⛑️DEFYING ISRAEL. Days after Israeli laws banning UNRWA, relief workers continue to operate in the occupied territories, including foreign personnel in Gaza, providing “lifesaving services”, according to the organisation.

Gag order. Nearly half-way into the six-week ceasefire agreed between Hamas and Israel, UNRWA spokesperson, Juliette Touma, told Geneva journalists Friday that it was unclear what may be expected should UNRWA and Israeli forces need to interact, after communication between the two was outlawed by the Knesset.

Ceasefire silverlining. Since the halt in fighting on 15 January and resumption of aid trucks into the Strip, food price inflation has decreased, the World Food Programme reports. The agency restarted cash transfers allowing residents to purchase food and other basic necessities and support corner shops in the region.

👥👥STRATEGY HUDDLE Senior management and the heads of UN environment conventions have been convened by the UN Environment Programme for a meeting on Monday to discuss the implications of the US funding freeze, a letter from 30 January seen by Geneva Solutions showed.

For now, the agency has instructed its offices not to spend any more US funds, including through purchases, hiring or contract renewals and travel. Global environmental bodies are less reliant on US funding compared to other sectors and have traditionally counted on the support of Germany, Japan and other European countries, even if the US remains a top donor.

– Paula Dupraz-Dobias and Michelle Langrand