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Hello, this is Kasmira with your August highlights from International Geneva, in what has been no ordinary summer. Fires, floods, and record-breaking heatwaves of the last month have turned the warnings of the UN’s latest climate report into a deadly reality. But offering some hope, one of the report’s authors tells Geneva Solutions that we still can gain much from drawing lessons from the past.
Elsewhere in Afghanistan, history lessons have not been enough to prevent the latest tragedy of events from unfolding, writes the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue's executive director, David Harland.
On a brighter note, August was a milestone month for Geneva Solutions as we celebrated a year since our launch! We’ll be kicking off our second year with a series on water security, and our first event with the Geneva Press Club, on 21 September, examining how our precious life source can serve both as a weapon of war and an instrument of peace. See below for more details and we hope to see you there! Wishing you a great start to the month. |
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This month in International Geneva
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Nasir Ahmad Andisha, ambassador of the Permanent Representative Mission of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to Geneva, listens to a statement, during the Human Rights Council special session in Geneva, Switzerland, Tuesday, 24 August 2021. (KEYSTONE/Salvatore Di Nolfi)
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UN rights council slammed for weak resolution on Afghanistan.
Member states and NGOs decried this week’s special Human Rights Council session for not creating an independent mechanism to monitor human rights violations abuses in Afghanistan. Under the resolution adopted by members on Tuesday, UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet will report back to the Council next month and deliver a full report at the session in March 2022. Amnesty International said the special session “failed to deliver a credible response” to the escalating human rights crisis in Afghanistan.
By Irene Velicer (EN)
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Here's what else we're talking about
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🤖 International ‘killer robots’ agreement still elusive.
Country and NGO representatives meeting at the UN in Geneva last week showed growing consensus on the need for human control of lethal weapons. What form of control that takes remains controversial.
By Irene Velicer (EN)
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🏠 Chinese NGOs are settling in Geneva.
In the past five years, Geneva has witnessed the arrival of the first two Chinese non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the city, who have set up representative offices. A third one is coming soon, and many more are showing interest. What does this new trend mean for International Geneva?
By Nicolas Camut (EN)
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⛵ Expedition to save Red Sea corals hits bump.
Less than 24 hours after leaving dock, the Swiss sailboat Fleur de Passion had to abort its mission to study the Red Sea’s heat-resistant corals as the vessel crashed, well, into a coral reef.
By Michelle Langrand (EN)
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🇦🇫 Afghanistan: A lesson in how not to negotiate.
Military intervention is not a recipe for fixing failed states, writes the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue's executive director, David Harland. Not in Afghanistan, as the recent scenes from Kabul and the rest of that damaged country show, and not anywhere else.
Geneva Solutions (EN)
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😷 Singapore’s Covid-19 strategy, still setting the ‘gold standard’?
The rapid spread of the highly contagious Delta variant catching even the most protected nations with advanced vaccination campaigns, like Singapore, off-guard. Professor Tan Chorh Chuan, Singapore’s chief health scientist and a board director for the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA), provides insights from the island state.
By Kasmira Jefford (EN)
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A Chilian glaciologist walking along a crevasse in the Bellingshausen Dome in the King George Island in Antarctica, 10 March 2020. (Keystone/EPA/Felipe Trueba)
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🔥 IPCC: Drawing lessons from the past.
The UN climate panel issued this month a stark warning of what’s to come if we don’t curb carbon emissions swiftly. It also highlighted some startling contrasts with Earth’s history, stating that carbon concentration levels hadn’t been this high in at least two million years. We asked one of the lead authors of the flagship report, Dan Lunt, why look so far back into prehistoric times when we should be worrying about the future.
By Michelle Langrand (EN)
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Geneva Solutions's 1st birthday.
24 August marked the first anniversary since launching the website in the midst of the pandemic. In that time, we’ve published 890 articles, released 253 newsletters, posted 17 videos, and broadcasted 12 podcasts. We strived to tell your stories, inspire, and report on the often undetected work of the people and organisations that make up International Geneva. We’d like to thank our readers, friends, and donors for all your support.
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📌 Don’t miss Geneva Solutions’s 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. More information and registration here.
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GS news is a new media project covering the world of international cooperation and development. Don’t hesitate to forward our newsletter!
Have a good day!
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