Geneva Barometer

Developments in the Geneva-based International Organisations from mid-December 2020 – end-February 2021

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

Geneva Barometer

Developments in the Geneva-based International Organisations from mid-October 2020 to mid-December 2020

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

Historic day for Swiss Christian Democrats – Merger and Farewell to the “C”

The Assembly of Delegates of the CVP decides by a clear majority to rename the party “Die Mitte” (“The Centre”) and merge with the centrist party BDP

The Swiss Christian Democrats of the CVP vote for change. At their Assembly of Delegates on 28 November (conducted in a decentralised fashion), the party took two historic decisions. Firstly, the delegates confirmed by a clear majority the vote of the party members in the October ballot and voted in favour of changing the party’s name to “Die Mitte – Freiheit, Solidarität und Verantwortung” (“The Centre – Freedom, Solidarity and Responsibility”). This cleared the way for the merger of the CVP with the smaller moderate party BDP. The merger will thus come into force on the 1st of January 2021.

Preparing democracies for pandemics

Emerging questions in view of COVID-19

This paper presents key findings of a joint project on “Health and Democracy” by the Global Health Centre of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (Geneva), the Council on Foreign Relations (Washington) and the Geneva Office of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung.

Geneva Barometer

Developments in the Geneva International Organisations mid-July – mid-October

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

Clear majority against “Schweixit”

SVP’s “limitation initiative” clearly fails – future of the framework agreement between the EU and Switzerland still open

The EU, Germany and also the Swiss Federal Council can take a deep breath. As predicted in the polls, the Swiss electorate clearly re-jected the “limitation initiative”, which would have meant an end to the free move-ment of persons, with 61.7% of the votes to 38.3%. A serious crisis in relations between the EU and Switzerland could thus be avert-ed. Swiss citizens have thereby clearly ex-pressed their support for a pragmatic part-nership with the EU. However, difficult talks still lie ahead in terms of future relations, which are to be given a new legal basis with a framework agreement.

Schweiz-EU-Beziehungen auf dem Prüfstand

Abstimmung über Initiative der SVP – Droht Ende der Personenfreizügigkeit?

Sowohl Deutschland als auch die gesamte EU sollten am Sonntag sehr aufmerksam in die Schweiz blicken: Der 27. September ist großer Abstimmungssonntag – insgesamt kommen fünf Vorlagen zur Abstimmung. Aus deutscher und europäischer Sicht ist besonders die so genannte "Begrenzungsinitiative" von der euroskeptisch-nationalkonservativen Schweizerischen Volkspartei (SVP) bedeutsam. Ihre Annahme würde den Bundesrat – die Schweizer Exekutive – beauftragen, die Personenfreizügigkeit für EU-Bürger zu beenden. Ein solcher Schritt wäre gleichbedeutend mit der Aussetzung eines Teils der derzeit bestehenden bilateralen Vereinbarungen mit der EU (Bilaterale I). Nimmt man die Umfragen als Maßstab, sieht es nach einem recht klaren "Nein" des Stimmvolks aus. Ein Blick auf vergangene Abstimmungen sollte gleichwohl zur Vorsicht mahnen.

Geneva Telegram – The WTO leadership race

Latest developments in the race for the post of the WTO Director-General

The „Geneva Telegram“ analyses current developments in the multilateral organizations in Ge- neva relative to current events. This time it is devoted to the search for the future Director-Gen- eral of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Geneva Barometer

Developments in Geneva’s International Organisations Mid-May 2020 – Mid-July 2020

Things have been heating up in international Geneva since the middle of May: The World Health Organisation (WHO), which continues to fight COVID-19 and to implement the demands of the World Health Assembly (WHA), has had to absorb a serious blow with the US's notice of withdrawal. In the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the race to find a successor to the Director General Azevêdo, who is stepping down on the 31st of August, has gathered momentum. At the same time, day-to-day business is also gaining momentum in the Geneva organisations - among other things, there were several controversial debates at the Human Rights Council.

A crisis overlooked - the UNHCR’s new report on refugees

Public focus is currently concentrated on the coronavirus crisis, but the plight of refugees is, as ever, an urgent global problem. On 18 June 2020 the UNHCR (UN High Commissioner for Refugees) presented its new Report on the trends affecting refugees around the world. Here are some of its key findings.