Rally against a draft bill against 'foreign agents' in front of the parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia,14 May 2024. (Keystone/ EPA/David Mdzinarishvil)

😶UN calls on Georgia to scrap 'foreign influence' law. Volker Türk, UN high commissioner for human rights condemned the adoption Wednesday of a law that sparked weeklong protests, which demonstrators see as copy-pasted from Russia. NGOs and media will be required to register as ‘foreign influence” agents.

💰Recently nominated at HUG, Robert Mardini receives controversial ICRC payout. Geneva University Hospital’s future director received nearly CHF300,000 following his decision to leave as director of the financially strapped humanitarian organisation.

⚖️A Swiss court sentences a former Gambian interior minister to 20 years for crimes against humanity. Ousama Sonko was accused of supporting and failing to stop attacks against government opponents, involving homicides, sexual abuse and arbitrary detentions.

🌿Amazonian chief at UN to combat traditional knowledge piracy. Indigenous leaders in Geneva are hoping to stop biopiracy as talks over a draft treaty take place at Wipo, UN’s patenting, intellectual property and innovation agency.

Building Bridges announces appointment of Karen Hitschke as CEO. The former chief operating officer of the WHO Foundation was nominated Building Bridges Foundation’s first formal CEO, a role she will assume on 21 May. Building Bridges, chaired by banker Patrick Odier organises an annual gathering bringing together representatives of international Geneva with the finance community. Hitschke has held a wide range of positions in the private sector and non profits, including as founder and managing director of the Yunus Social Business Global Initiatives, an impact investing organisation.