International Geneva

We cover global affairs from Geneva, focusing on humanitarian aid, conflict resolution, and climate change. Our UN-based reporters provide first-hand access to sources and information.

‘Crown jewel’ or diplomatic relic?

This content was published on Mar 4, 2026 Since the start of the US-Israeli attack on Iran, an old topic has re-emerged in Switzerland: the Swiss protecting power mandate representing US interests in Iran.

Human rights

Budget cuts hit the underfunded UN Human Rights Office

This content was published on Mar 4, 2026 In Geneva, the UN Human Rights Office is warning of the impact of budget cuts on its field operations. Meanwhile in New York, a little‑known body is quietly working to further weaken the human rights system.

Opinion

The Board of Peace must address the basic needs of the Palestinian population

This content was published on Mar 2, 2026 Civilian safety and access to basic infrastructure must dominate the agenda of all Gaza peace talks, argues a Palestinian writer.

Twenty years after its creation, the Human Rights Council is under pressure

This content was published on Feb 23, 2026 The main UN body responsible for upholding human rights in the world is meeting on Monday in Geneva. Its first session of the year will be marked by geopolitical tensions and financial difficulties.

Detail view of a thousand Swiss franc note

Switzerland no longer wants to foot the bill for ‘suicide tourism’

This content was published on Feb 21, 2026 In Switzerland, all deaths through assisted suicide must be followed by a medical and legal investigation. This entails considerable costs for the state.

UN Human Rights Council demands investigation into Iran’s ‘brutal’ repression

This content was published on Jan 26, 2026 The Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council has condemned Iran for rights abuses and mandated an investigation into a recent crackdown on anti-government protests that killed thousands of people.

Opinion

The future of press freedom hangs in the balance

This content was published on Jan 23, 2026 When the right to information is under threat on several continents, press freedom becomes a matter of democratic urgency, says the director-general of Reporters Without Borders.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, arrive at the Wall Street heliport for their transfer to the federal court where they appeared on Monday, 5 January, in New York.

More US interventions in Latin America can’t be ruled out, says legal expert

This content was published on Jan 12, 2026 The capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by the US marks a turning point for the established world order. Is international law now a thing of the past? A Geneva-based expert explains.

Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in on Monday as the country's interim president after President Nicolás Maduro was forcibly captured on 3 January during a US military operation against the South American nation.

Venezuela’s new interim leader Delcy Rodríguez faces Swiss sanctions

This content was published on Jan 8, 2026 Delcy Rodríguez, named interim president by Venezuela’s Supreme Court following the recent US capture of Nicolás Maduro, has featured on a Swiss sanctions list since 2018.

Displaced Palestinian children are seen at a temporary shelter in west of Gaza City, on Dec. 22, 2025.

Why is so little aid getting into Gaza?

This content was published on Jan 7, 2026 The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, signed in October, ended two years of war in the Gaza Strip. Aid to Gaza has increased but is still far from enough, say UN organisations and NGOs.

DECEMBER 18: Palestinian fishermen continue to work along the coastline of the besieged city of Gaza, under extremely difficult conditions, striving to earn a living and combat hunger despite limited resources and equipment damaged by Israeli attacks on December 18, 2025.

Famine ends in Gaza, yet chronic hunger continues to undermine recovery

This content was published on Dec 22, 2025 The situation has improved in Gaza as famine ends. But consequences of hunger will be felt for generations.

A demonstrator with an Iranian flag and red hands painted on her face attends a rally in support of Iranian protests, in Paris on October 9, 2022, following the death of Iranian woman Mahsa Amini in Iran.

Explainer: What is gender apartheid?

This content was published on Dec 20, 2025 What is gender apartheid? When will become a crime and why is it taking so long ?

Global health

A Swiss diplomat, Sabrina Dallafior is taking over as director-general of the OPCW in July 2026

Swiss becomes first woman to head chemical weapons body

This content was published on Feb 14, 2026 Sabrina Dallafior will assume the role of OPCW director-general in July, at a time when the use of deadly toxins against civilians has intensified worldwide, from Syria to Ukraine.

World fights nicotine addiction but Switzerland continues to drag feet

This content was published on Dec 4, 2025 The COP11 meeting of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control recently concluded in Geneva. Switzerland has still not ratified the treaty.

While international data flows and digital services may boost the economy, they also raise concerns, particularly over privacy of individuals whose online habits, financial standing and even health stats may be collected and stored in the cloud.

Switzerland among vanguard shaping global digital age

This content was published on Nov 17, 2025 A new deal on digital services trade between Singapore and EFTA states shows that even coalitions of small economies can help set global standards in the digital age.

Geneva hosts some 1,350 foundations, many of which receive public funding from Switzerland and other countries.

A Geneva-based global health foundation in turmoil. Where were regulators?   

This content was published on Aug 28, 2025 Swissinfo investigates how Swiss regulators failed to avert a crisis which upended operations at a prominent Geneva-based diagnostics non-profit.

extreme heat work health. Construction worker Justino cools off during a heat wave in Texas.

Too hot to work? Extreme heat endangers billions of workers

This content was published on Aug 22, 2025 Billions of workers face heat stress, illness and lost income as global temperatures climb, warns a WHO-WMO joint report.

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is seen on a screen delivering his report before delegates during the World Health Assembly in Geneva on May 19, 2025.

The WHO has to close a billion-dollar gap. Can private funding help?

This content was published on Jul 21, 2025 The US withdrawal from the WHO has left it scrambling for funds. Private donors are one solution but come with caveats.

Taiwanese honor guards hold a Taiwan flag at Liberty Square, amid a surge of domestic COVID-19 cases and the rising Taiwan-China tensions, in Taipei, Taiwan, 23 May 2021.

Fifty years of hurt: Taiwan struggles for Geneva role

This content was published on Jun 6, 2025 Taiwan hasn’t been part of the WHO since 1972. One man is trying to change that.

MMR vaccine. Syringe and vial on a counter. This combined vaccine protects infants from three viral diseases: measles, mumps and rubella.

One paper, 20 years of damage

This content was published on May 30, 2025 Nearly 30 years ago an academic paper wrongly linked autism to a measles vaccine. The impacts are still being felt today.

Global concern over measles is rising. Should Switzerland worry?

This content was published on May 30, 2025 Measles is making a global comeback. In Switzerland, a crisis is unlikely – but authorities warn a strong vaccination rate remains crucial.

A young patient is fitted with an exoskeleton.

Rare diseases take centre stage at global health summit

This content was published on May 27, 2025 Rare diseases have been recognised as a global health priority for the first time. How could this impact access to life-saving treatment?

Dolores Reyes Fernández, 61, hugs her father, José Reyes Lozano, 87, for the first time in nearly four months as visits resume at the nursing home in Barcelona, Spain, Monday, June 22, 2020.

Pandemic treaty comes as welcome sign of multilateralism

This content was published on May 16, 2025 Can the pandemic treaty withstand the withdrawal of the United States from the WHO?

Geneva organisations

Budget cuts hit the underfunded UN Human Rights Office

Twenty years after its creation, the Human Rights Council is under pressure

US Mission to the UN during negotiations between the Americans and Ukrainians at the end of November 2025.

What to expect from the Geneva talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US

This content was published on Feb 17, 2026 Russian, Ukrainian and American representatives are in Geneva to negotiate peace in Ukraine. While this is a coup for Swiss diplomacy, the chances of resolving the conflict are minimal. An explainer.

Is the world returning to spheres of influence?

This content was published on Feb 17, 2026 With the US wanting to “dominate its hemisphere”, Russia continuing its invasion of Ukraine and China coveting Taiwan, spheres of influence are making a comeback. An explainer.

US President Barack Obama (left) and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev during the signing of the New START treaty on Thursday, 8 April 2010, in Prague.

Last US-Russia nuclear treaty expires – what’s at stake?

This content was published on Feb 5, 2026 The last remaining nuclear arms treaty between Russia and the US – New START – expired on February 5, removing all limits on the world’s two largest arsenals for the first time in over 50 years and heightening the risk of an arms race.

The Trump administration backs gas-powered vehicles and has ended tax credits aimed at promoting electric vehicles.

Five ways Trump’s climate rollback could affect the world

This content was published on Feb 4, 2026 The US has once again retreated from global climate cooperation under President Donald Trump. Here are the key consequences and what they mean for countries like Switzerland.

UN envoy: ‘Water must be put at the top of the political agenda’

This content was published on Jan 27, 2026 The UN secretary-general’s first special envoy on water, Retno Marsudi, wants member states to put this vital resource at the top of their political agenda.

UN Human Rights Council demands investigation into Iran’s ‘brutal’ repression

Photo gallery: the UN blues

This content was published on Jan 11, 2026 When Geneva-based photographer Mark Henley travelled to New York to cover a UN conference, he found an organisation in turmoil — squeezed by massive budget cuts and a crisis of credibility.

What lies ahead for International Geneva in 2026

This content was published on Dec 27, 2025 Weakened by Donald Trump’s return and by a crisis of confidence in multilateralism, International Geneva is heading into 2026 under a cloud of uncertainty.

Mustapha Djemali represents his organisation, the Tunisian Refugee Council.

Detained 81-year-old Swiss-Tunisian is finally sentenced and released

This content was published on Nov 26, 2025 After more than a year and a half in prison in Tunisia, Mustapha Djemali was finally brought to trial and immediately released from prison.

Global trade

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International Geneva

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‘Crown jewel’ or diplomatic relic?

More

Budget cuts hit the underfunded UN Human Rights Office

More

The Board of Peace must address the basic needs of the Palestinian population

More

Twenty years after its creation, the Human Rights Council is under pressure

More

Switzerland no longer wants to foot the bill for ‘suicide tourism’

More

UN Human Rights Council demands investigation into Iran’s ‘brutal’ repression

More

The future of press freedom hangs in the balance

More

More US interventions in Latin America can’t be ruled out, says legal expert

More

Venezuela’s new interim leader Delcy Rodríguez faces Swiss sanctions

More

Why is so little aid getting into Gaza?

More

Famine ends in Gaza, yet chronic hunger continues to undermine recovery

More

Explainer: What is gender apartheid?

More

Swiss becomes first woman to head chemical weapons body

More

World fights nicotine addiction but Switzerland continues to drag feet

More

Switzerland among vanguard shaping global digital age

More

A Geneva-based global health foundation in turmoil. Where were regulators?

More

Too hot to work? Extreme heat endangers billions of workers

More

The WHO has to close a billion-dollar gap. Can private funding help?

More

Fifty years of hurt: Taiwan struggles for Geneva role

More

One paper, 20 years of damage

More

Global concern over measles is rising. Should Switzerland worry?

More

Rare diseases take centre stage at global health summit

More

Pandemic treaty comes as welcome sign of multilateralism

More

Budget cuts hit the underfunded UN Human Rights Office

More

Twenty years after its creation, the Human Rights Council is under pressure

More

What to expect from the Geneva talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US

More

Is the world returning to spheres of influence?

More

Last US-Russia nuclear treaty expires – what’s at stake?

More

Five ways Trump’s climate rollback could affect the world

More

UN envoy: ‘Water must be put at the top of the political agenda’

More

UN Human Rights Council demands investigation into Iran’s ‘brutal’ repression

More

Photo gallery: the UN blues

More

What lies ahead for International Geneva in 2026

More

Detained 81-year-old Swiss-Tunisian is finally sentenced and released

Community corner: latest debates and surveys on International Geneva

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A Geneva-based global health foundation in turmoil. Where were regulators?   