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Good morning, this is Pip. We’ve got a busy week ahead in Geneva, kicking off with our own event on water security on Tuesday – the occasion of World Peace Day. We’ll be discussing the role of water in times of conflict, and how one of the world’s most precious resources can also build peace. We spoke to the ICRC’s Patrick Youssef ahead of the panel.

Also coming up this week, the World Economic Forum is looking at how to revitalise sustainable development in the wake of Covid-19. The long-awaited UN Food Systems Summit is also on our radar, opening in New York after many months of controversy, and we’re looking ahead to COP26 as climate-vulnerable groups make new demands on big emitters.

photo journaliste

Pip Cook

20.09.2021


On our radar this week


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The ICRC, in cooperation with the Red Cross Society of Niger, provides thousands of litres of water to displaced persons from Yébi and Bosso. (Credit: ICRC)

❗What war does to water. Violence, displacement, damaged infrastructure – the threats conflict poses to water access are multifaceted and severe, particularly in regions already bearing the brunt of temperature increases and extreme weather events worsened by climate change. Patrick Youssef, the regional director for Africa of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), discusses some of the challenges he’s witnessed in the region, the ICRC’s response, and whether water can help build peace in communities wracked by war.

Geneva Solutions (EN)

🕊World Peace Day. The ninth edition of the Geneva PeaceTalks will be held on Tuesday, to mark the International Day of Peace. This year’s event will focus on how peace, resilience and equality can be at the centre of the world’s pandemic recovery. Speakers will include Afghan politician and human rights activist Zarifa Ghafari and Senegalese musician Baaba Maal.

PeaceTalks (EN)

🌽Food summit. Rights groups, states and private actors will gather in New York on Thursday to discuss the future of producing and consuming food at a UN-led conference that has been a source of controversy since the beginning. While many hope the conference will spark a shift towards more sustainable and agroecological practices, hundreds of rights groups have boycotted the meeting on claims that it is being run by big business interests – a claim that has been denied by the summit's organisers.

SDG (EN)

💰Call for rich countries to step up at COP26. With less than two months to go for key climate talks in Glasgow, governments vulnerable to climate change have laid out a list of demands from their wealthier counterparts, including stricter oversight on state’s plans to reduce carbon emissions and a debt restructure so that developing countries can catch a break. The group of states will bring their call forward at the different high-level meetings taking place this week and in the run-up to COP26.

Geneva Solutions (EN)

🌍 Sustainable development at the WEF. This week's WEF summit centres on revitalizing development in the wake of Covid-19. Participants will look at how to innovative global cooperation, mainstream equity and measure progress towards net-zero emissions, including revamping food systems.

WEF (EN)

Here’s what else is happening


Also on the agenda


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📌Don’t miss Geneva Solutions’ debate on water security. Join us and our partners, the Geneva Press Club and the Geneva Water Hub, to discuss the role of water in times of conflict and water as a driver of peace in the Sahel region. There's still time to register here before tomorrow.


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