International Geneva can profit from cost-savings, says UN president

UN: Geneva can profit from savings, Baerbock Keystone-SDA

UN austerity measures do not threaten Geneva's position as a hub for international diplomacy, at least according to General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock.

“Geneva is a crossroads of multilateral diplomacy and is not in danger as a seat, she said in an interview published on Sunday by the SonntagsBlick. Cities like Geneva, Bonn or Nairobi can even profit from the savings, the former German foreign minister added.

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“New York is a very expensive place. That’s why we are thinking about relocating sites. Switzerland is not exactly cheap, but it is still very attractive,” she said.

According to Baerbock, cuts in development aid are a fatal mistake.

“Every reduction (…) is a bullet shot in its own foot. More crises and conflicts increase migratory pressure,” she claimed, adding that at the end of the day everyone benefits from international cooperation.

However, the greatest danger for security in our century’ remains global warming, said the former member of German Green Party alliance referring to the landslide in the Swiss mountain village of Blatten.

Adapted from Italian by DeepL/ac

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