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Good morning, this is Pip, and today we’ve got the latest update on talks being held in Geneva between Libya’s rival factions, who are making progress towards establishing a new temporary government to oversee the run-up to elections in December.

We’re also looking at 10 humanitarian crises you may not have heard about in 2020, and talking about three human rights defenders who are in line for a prestigious award championing their work in China, Turkmenistan and Saudi Arabia.

photo journaliste

Pip Cook

19.01.2021


Today’s reason for hope


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Shining a light on human rights defenders battling authoritarian regimes. Loujain al-Hathloul (pictured), Soltan Achilova and Yu Wensheng. Those are the names of three individuals whose work to defend human rights has led to imprisonment, abuse and harassment, both for themselves and their families, and who have been selected as the finalists for this year’s prestigious Martin Ennals Award.

Geneva Solutions (EN)

Peace and humanitarian news


🇱🇾 Libya talks near agreement on temporary government. A meeting held at the UN in Geneva last week made significant progress towards establishing a new transitional government to oversee the run-up to elections in the war-torn country.

Geneva Solutions (EN)

❗10 crises you might have missed in 2020. A recent report from CARE International reveals the combined news coverage of these 10 humanitarian crises last year was less than that of the Eurovision Song Contest, or Kanye West’s bid for the US presidency.

Geneva Solutions (EN)

👦 👧 Child trafficking: ‘it can happen to anyone,’ warns Geneva NGO. “People have the preconceived idea that it happens to people with a certain background...that's not the case,” says Rasha Hammad, founder of Swiss non-profit Youth Underground. “Everyone is at risk, even in a modern country like Switzerland.”

Geneva Solutions (EN)

Number of the day


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Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas has announced elections will be held in May and July 2021 in an effort to heal long-standing internal divisions. Secretary General of the UN António Guterres has welcomed the move as a “crucial step towards Palestinian unity”.

UN News (EN)

Here’s what else is happening


Image of the day


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Credit: Keystone / EPA / Esteban Biba

US-bound migrant caravan met with violence in Guatemala. Hundreds of mostly Honduran migrants were met by truncheon-wielding Guatemalan troops on Sunday as they tried to push north towards the US border just days before President-elect Joe Biden takes office. Security forces used sticks and tear gas to halt the migrants, many of whom spent Sunday night huddled on the road.

Reuters (EN)

Next on the agenda


18 - 20 January | Youth and Leaders Summit. This virtual summit brings together leaders and thinkers in the international affairs arena to engage in open dialogue with students from the Paris School of International Affairs of Sciences Po (PSIA).

SciencesPo (EN)

21 January | Climate Change and Gender-Based Violence: implications for the security sector. The Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF) will host a panel of experts from around the world to discuss the intersections between climate security and gender-based violence.

DCAF (EN)

27 January | Cyberwarfare and Peace. This webinar, held in response to the resolution adopted at the 132nd Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly, focuses on how parliamentarians can advance disarmament in cyberspace.

Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly (EN)

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Have a good day!

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