Good morning, this is Michelle. Diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine dialled up this week, with Geneva setting the stage for stark divides between Kyiv and its allies on one hand, and Moscow and the Trump administration on the other.
Meanwhile, a vote at the International Labour Organisation brought those shifting alliances into sharp focus. Staying at the UN labour agency, talk of relocation sparked warnings from its Swiss host. |
A Ukrainian man walks near the site of a Russian strike on a nine-storey residential building in Kyiv, Ukraine, 25 November 2025. At least six people were killed and dozens of others injured, including two children, in an overnight combined Russian attack on Kyiv, according to the State Emergency Service report. (Keystone/EPA/Sesrgey Kozlov)
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Here's what else is happening
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🏗️Switzerland warns ILO against potential relocation from Geneva.
Switzerland said it would have to reverse the suspension of nearly CHF5 million loan repayments for 2025 and 2026 for the renovation of the ILO building if the UN labour organisation moved out.
Keystone-SDA via Swissinfo (EN)
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⚖️Swiss aid worker freed after 20 months in Tunisian prison.
Mustapha Djemali, founder of the Tunisian Refugee Council and a senior UN refugee official, and his colleague Abderrazek Krimi, had been given two-year jail sentences for setting up an organisation to “help migrants enter Tunisia illegally”.
Keystone-SDA via Swissinfo (EN)
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🎙️Who wants to be the new UN refugee chief?
In this podcast, Hourie Tafech, director for refugee leadership and partnerships at Refugees International, talks about the race to lead the UN refugee agency, how to make the selection more transparent, and what refugees want from a new UNHCR boss.
The New Humanitarian (EN)
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🎥Global trade overdependent on US and China, says WTO head.
Speaking on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Johannesburg, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said the world trading system "was built for interdependence, not overdependence", pointing to today's reliance on the two economic superpowers for critical supplies.
Deutsche Welle (EN)
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Palestinians repair a water pipe amid destroyed buildings in Gaza City, 12 October 2025. (Keystone/AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
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💦Palestinian entrepreneur collects Geneva award for purifying water with plans.
A water purification company launched by a Palestinian environmental expert was awarded a prize this week by the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) for its “groundbreaking” filtration process that cleans contaminated water using plant-based materials.
Blue Filter, which is based in Gaza, removes harmful substances like nitrates and chlorides from water by using plant seeds, such as chia or moringa, that act like magnets. Without needing electricity or chemicals, the system can be used in off-grid areas and conflict zones like Gaza, GCSP said in a statement.
Salah El Sadi, Blue Filter’s founder who came up with the idea while studying for his Master’s in Cairo, said the CHF10,000 innovation prize is “a powerful confirmation that community-driven, nature-based solutions can contribute to global security”.
Swissinfo (FR)
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