International Geneva ‘must stand firm’: French UN ambassador

Geneva and Switzerland must remain "faithful" to multilateralism Keystone-SDA

France's ambassador to the United Nations has called on International Geneva to stick to its principles as the United States turns it back on multilateralism.

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International Geneva grew out of the world order established under the aegis of the United States. Politically, an American withdrawal from multilateralism under President Donald Trump “is not good news”, Jérôme Bonnafont told Le Temps on Monday.

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Switzerland must make its own choices, but “Geneva brings something to the culture of peace and cooperation”, he added. He expresses the hope that Switzerland and Geneva will remain “faithful to the same passion, interest and conviction” to multilateralism.

New financial reality

In financial terms, the system had long been aware of its excessive dependence on the US, according to the ambassador. This has prompted reflections on the need to diversify funding sources, something that France has long supported.

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The financial balance of the UN will change, with China already almost on a par with the US in the compulsory funding of the UN,” points out Bonnafont. And mathematically, Indian and Brazilian contributions will grow with their economies.

As for voluntary contributions, China, the Gulf States, India and Brazil are currently relying on bilateral rather than multilateral solidarity. It will therefore be a matter of convincing these countries to devote more funds to multilateral aid, suggests the French ambassador.

Translated from French with DeepL/mga

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