Volunteer fighters of Kyiv’s Territorial Defence, supported by the Swoboda party, undergo training on 28 February, 2022. (Credit: Keystone/VII Photo/Ron Haviv)

Lessons on humanitarian law. All armed conflicts open the door to violations of international humanitarian law (IHL), and the war in Ukraine is no exception. Attacks on a maternity ward, videos of captured soldiers shared on Twitter or the use of anti-personnel landmines, are some of the reports that have come out over the last three months, raising concerns about potential breaches of the rules of armed conflict. Active in the Donbass region since fighting began in 2014, Geneva Call has been working on the ground with non-state armed groups to make sure they know and respect their obligations.

How bees can save elephants. A Kenyan old-wives-tale recounts how the giant elephant is terrified of the tiny bee. Dr. Lucy King, the head of the Elephants and Bees project scientifically tested this theory to develop a sustainable solution to the rising human-elephant conflicts in Africa. Beehive fences are now used across Africa and have proved to be up to 80 per cent effective in repelling elephants from human villages.

Isabelle Wachsmuth (Credit: Aylin Elci)

When theatre offers health policy solutions On stage, two actors play a foreign couple who wants to have dinner at a Swiss restaurant in the middle of the Covid pandemic. But they don't have a vaccine or recovery certificate, nor are they aware that they need one to enter venues. The customers vocally object their refusal. Covid certificates, but also nurses’ and patients’ rights were some of the politically charged issues raised at an interactive play at the Taking Care Together festival, which took place in Geneva from 30 April to 8 May alongside the Geneva Health Forum. The event was organised by hundreds of civil society actors proposing alternative ways of thinking in the health sector. Geneva Solutions met with artist Isabelle Wachsmuth, who contributed to the “legislative theatre” along with the troupe Le Caméléon.
This article was produced in partnership with the Geneva Health Forum.