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Country Reports

Geneva Barometer

by Dr. Olaf Wientzek, Rosa Ann Seidler, Cedric Amon, Sarah Ultes

Developments in the Geneva-based International Organisations from mid-October 2021 to December 2021

The “Geneva Barometer” takes an occasional look at selected developments in the international organisations based in Geneva.

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As the end of the year drew in, the international community in Geneva anticipated two decisive conferences: the Special Session of the World Health Assembly (WHA) and the 12th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO). 
The WHA explored the possibility of a treaty to strengthen pandemic prevention. Here, the representatives of WHO Member States succeeded in agreeing on a common road and on the drafting of an agreement by 2024. However, the legal form and content of the agreement are still open. 
Conversely, the WTO Ministerial Conference had to be canceled last minute due to the emergence of a new COVID-19 variant and is now anticipated to take place in early March. It is still unclear whether this extra time will be a blessing or a curse. The Human Rights Council addressed the latest developments in Sudan and Ethiopia. As the annual report of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) also revealed, developments in the humanitarian field are a cause for concern.

Read the full report here.

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Contact

Dr. Olaf Wientzek

Olaf Wientzek bild

Director of the Multinational Development Policy Dialogue Brussels

olaf.wientzek@kas.de +32 2 669 31 70

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