UN secretary general António Guterres at UN headquarters in New York, 8 April 2025. (Keystone/EPA/Justin Lane)

UN80 or bust: Will Guterres’ radical reform gamble pay off? Efforts to reform the United Nations have been ongoing for years. With finances in freefall, its leader is now racing against the clock to save the 80-year-old organisation.

🧪TOXIC MATTERS. It’s week two of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions Cop on regulating toxic chemicals and waste management.

The UN Environment Programme estimates that by 2025, the world’s cities alone will produce 2.2 billion tonnes of waste annually, which could lead to human health problems and environmental degradation.

Disagreements. Last week, delegates from more than 180 countries meeting at Geneva’s international conference centre disagreed over including a toxic insecticide, chlorpyrifos, on the list of chemicals to be eliminated. The substance is linked to adverse effects on neurodevelopment, reduced birth size and various forms of cancer.

The expert committee reviewing chemicals concluded that it should be banned while allowing some exemptions, such as for plant protection, controlling ticks in cattle and preserving wood against borers and termites. India has opposed the listing, while others, including Pakistan, Uruguay, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the European Union have backed the committee’s position. Cameroon, Kenya and Zambia suggested some exceptions.

Some states are trying to bring down the number of exemptions before talks conclude on Friday.

🏛️CULTURE VS CRISES. International emergency and culture VIPs will converge tomorrow and Wednesday at the serene Geneva lakeside, in Villa Barton, to discuss how to save and preserve cultural heritage amid humanitarian crises.

Hosting the event is the Aliph Foundation. Founded in 2017 to protect cultural relics in conflict zones, the NGO has begun to provide assistance in climate change-struck regions since last year.

The climate threat. In April, Aliph announced a call for projects to safeguard cultural heritage in central Asian countries, including Uzbekistan, where the western region of Karakalpakstan and the shrinking of the Aral Sea are stark examples of the impact of climate change on a distinct culture.

A series of workshops, including leading officials from aid, security and cultural organisations, will tackle issues such as trafficking of cultural goods in crises, displacement and cultural heritage and the use of data.

– By Paula Dupraz-Dobias

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization, speaks at a press conference organized by the Geneva Association of United Nations Correspondents, at the WHO headquarters, 1 May 2025. (Keystone/Salvatore Di Nolfi)

WHO chief assures agency ‘open to reform’ to resolve chronic funding woes. As the World Health Organization (WHO) faces its biggest financial challenge yet, its chief says the UN agency had long understood the importance of reforming its funding scheme years ago, before the Covid pandemic got in the way.