Good morning, this is Kasmira. International Geneva was caught up in a frenzy of both planned and unplanned events last week – here we’re talking about the massive cyberattack on the ICRC. Looking forward, Le Temps asks whether there’s more Switzerland could do as the host country in better equipping NGOs against such attacks?

Planned but by no means less precarious, talks between US and Russia’s top diplomats over Ukraine wrapped up on Friday but are far from over – with another meeting between Biden and Putin potentially on the cards.

Meanwhile, the campaign season for some of the UN agencies’ top jobs is also in full swing – including the ILO. Its outgoing chief Guy Ryder shares his reflections with Geneva Solutions on the changes he’s witnessed over the last 10 years in the role.

And, as the WHO executive board meeting kicks off today, some countries, including the US, are stalling over plans to reform its finances. We investigate below.

Kasmira Jefford

24.01.2022

On our radar

The World Health Organization flag above its headquarters in Geneva. (Credit: US Mission/ Eric Bridiers via Flickr)

⚕️ Countries stall over WHO finance reform plans ahead of crucial meeting. As the World Health Organization’s executive board meets this week, a handful of powerful countries, including but not limited to the United States, remain hesitant over a plan to bolster its finances by increasing member states’ annual contributions. But US domestic politics, more than geopolitics, may be the bigger hitch for Washington in the negotiations, diplomatic sources in Geneva told Geneva Solutions and Health Policy Watch.

Geneva Solutions (EN)

Here's what else is happening

🏇 ILO director general election race heats up. Here's who is in the running.
Geneva Solutions (EN)
💻 What if Switzerland helped the ICRC and NGOs against cyberattacks? As host country, it could play a role in helping to better equip them.
Le Temps (paywall) (FR)
🇺🇦 US and Russia wrap up ‘frank’ talks in Geneva. The US said it will respond to Russian concerns in writing this week.
Geneva Solutions (EN)
🤖 ‘Artificial intelligence and quantum will totally change the wars of the future’. Graduate Institute’s Paola Gaeta discusses lethal autonomous weapons.
Genève Vision (EN)
🇺🇳 UN probes alleged killings by Central African Republic forces and Russia mercenaries.
Al Jazeera (EN)

Also on the agenda

📌 25 January | Conference on disarmament holds first public plenary. The UN negotiating body for disarmament will open its 2022 session, with China holding the presidency for the coming month. The Conference, which includes the five nuclear country powers, will continue to discuss key topics such as preventing an arms race in outer space and new types of weapons of mass destruction.

Conference on Disarmament (EN)

📌 24 January - 3 February | Rights council launches 40th session of Universal Periodic Review. The human rights record of Haiti, Iceland, Lithuania, Moldova, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Timor-Leste, Togo, Uganda, Venezuela and Zimbabwe will come under the microscope throughout the next two weeks at Palais des Nations in Geneva. The evaluation will close the third cycle of the Universal Periodic Review, a Human Rights Council mechanism where all UN state members receive recommendations from fellow countries on how to improve their situation.

Human Rights Council (EN)

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