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Hi, this is Kasmira, with your June highlights from International Geneva. Dominating the headlines was the WTO ministerial conference, where after several sleepless nights – not to mention years of frustrated negotiations – ministers managed to forge a package of deals and partially restore credibility in the organisation’s ability to strike multilateral trade agreements.

The 50th regular session of the Human Rights Council, still ongoing, also drew attention, especially with Michelle Bachelet's announcement that she would not seek re-election.

In this month’s edition of our international war crimes round-up, the first rape trial of a Russian soldier, three foreigners sentenced to deathin Russian-controlled Ukraine, and a Swiss businessman is probed for pillage in The Gambia.

Finally, we sought solutions among three refugee leaders that were in Geneva to advocate for a better inclusion of refugees in decision-making processes.

photo journaliste

Kasmira Jefford

30.06.2022

What happened this month


The must reads


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Yanis Varoufakis, finance minister of Greece in 2015. (Credit: Chatham House/CC BY 2.0)

🗣️ Yanis Varoufakis: ‘Afghanistan's dreadful mess is what will happen to Ukraine’. The former finance minister of Greece was in Geneva for the 6th edition of the Global Investment Forum. Geneva Solutions asked him what the future holds as the war in Ukraine rages on and the Covid-19 pandemic continues to unravel.

Serge Michel (EN)

🌍 Norwegian Refugee Council chief: attention on Ukraine war reveals ‘discrimination’ against African crises. Each year, the Norwegian Refugee Council publishes a list of the 10 most neglected displacement crises in the world. For the first time, the list is composed entirely of African countries. We sat down with the NRC’s secretary general, Jan Egeland.

Catherine Fiankan-Bokonga (EN)

⚖️ ‘An injury to one is an injury to all’: International Geneva reacts to Roe v. Wade ruling. In Geneva, a wave of statements from high-level officials, agencies and rights groups were released following the US Supreme Court decision to reverse a 50-year-old law protecting the right to abortion in the country. Our journalist went to meet those who condemned the decision.

Liv Martin (EN)

Opinion of the month


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💰 Humanitarian aid is often dictated by donors’ agendas – here’s how to depoliticise it. The unprecedented level of humanitarian support for Ukraine is a testament to what we are capable of, but it also reveals a long-standing need to rethink how humanitarian aid is distributed, writes Jagan Chapagain, secretary general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Geneva Solutions (EN)

War crimes round-up


🕵️‍♀️ International criminal hunt monthly round-up. The first trial against a Russian soldier charged with raping a woman during the Russian invasion began in Ukraine, while in the Russian-controlled part of the country two British men and a Moroccan national were sentenced to death on charges of “terrorism”. This month’s edition also covers the opening of criminal investigations against a Swiss businessman accused of the war crime of pillage.

Clara Guldimann (EN)

Solutions of the month


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Jean-Paul Bahikye Kasika, Shaza Alrihawi and Mauricio Vilora from the Global Refugee-led Network (GRN) gather in Geneva from 7 to 10 June for UNHCR’s consultations with NGOs. (Credit: Geneva Solutions/ML)

🤝🏿 Refugee leaders call for inclusion at Geneva talks: ‘you can't feel the pain of a shoe that you are not wearing’. Jean-Paul Bahikye Kasika, Shaza Alrihawi and Mauricio Vilora from the Global Refugee-led Network were in Geneva to take part in the UNHCR’s annual consultations with NGOs. We met with these three refugee leaders who want a seat at the international table.

Michelle Langrand (EN)

☀️ Heatwaves are getting deadlier – here’s how to combat them. As the planet continues to warm due to climate change, Francesco Rocca, re-elected president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, explains how to survive “the silent killers of climate change”.

Liv Martin (EN)

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