Black humor is in the air in Geneva, the Swiss birthplace of international humanitarian law, the modern human rights movement, and, until recently, the “Greatest Road Show in Europe.”
The Palais des Nations, the United Nations’ grand Geneva headquarters that once housed the short-lived and long-deceased League of Nations, is facing what amounts to another existential reckoning. “Some people are joking that it is starting to have that same smell of death,” said Imogen Foulks, a BBC correspondent for Geneva for over two decades.
In the two months since U.S. President Donald Trump launched his assault on the multilateral system, Geneva’s diplomatic, humanitarian, and human rights community have been reeling, buffeted by a perfect storm of job losses, underfunded mandates, and the grim realization that millions of people they serve around the world are suffering and dying.
About the author
Colum Lynch
Colum Lynch is an award-winning reporter and Senior Global Reporter for Devex. He covers the intersection of development, diplomacy, and humanitarian relief at the United Nations and beyond. Prior to Devex, Colum reported on foreign policy and national security for Foreign Policy Magazine and the Washington Post. Colum was awarded the 2011 National Magazine Award for digital reporting for his blog Turtle Bay. He has also won an award for groundbreaking reporting on the U.N.’s failure to protect civilians in Darfur.
