Inside Geneva: Taking The Pulse Of The UN At 80

2025-10-28 02:18:59

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) This week on Inside Geneva, we take the pulse of the United Nations as it turns 80. This content was published on October 28, 2025 - 10:00 2 minutes

Imogen Foulkes reports from Geneva for SWI swissinfo as well as the BBC.

More from this aut

Inside Geneva Subscribe to

Apple PodcastsExternal link
SpotifyExternal link
Amazon MusicExternal link
Podcast IndexExternal link
OvercastExternal link
YouTubeExternal link
iHeartRadioExternal link
PandoraExternal link
Podcast AddictExternal link
CastroExternal link
CastboxExternal link
PodchaserExternal link
Pocket CastsExternal link
DeezerExternal link
Listen NotesExternal link
Player FMExternal link
GoodpodsExternal link
True FansExternal link
Buzzsprout RSS Feed External l

External Content

“Someone celebrating their 80th birthday cannot be expected to be in tip-top shape. The UN is an old lady,” says Corinne Momal-Vanian, executive director at the Kofi Annan Foundation.

Some world leaders don't have much time for the UN

“All I got from the UN was an escalator that stopped halfway on the way up and a teleprompter that didn't work,” said US President Donald Trump.

Others think it needs an injection of fresh ideas.

“We have to reimagine the UN, and reimagine multilateralism, from the point of confidence. And this confidence only comes once we account for the lived realities of people from the Global South,” says Prathit Singh, project coordinator at the Geneva Policy Outlook.

“It's just not the right answer anymore to have all these men in dark suits in conference rooms deciding the future of humanity,” continues Momal-Vanian.

But we shouldn't forget its successes: from eradicating smallpox, to reducing maternal mortality, to supporting the most vulnerable every day, all over the world.

“It's important to keep our optimism, and maybe realise that the UN is what we make of it,” says Fuad Zarbiyev, professor of international law at the Geneva Graduate Institute.

“What would happen if we don't cooperate? If we look at Covid, if we look at a potential climate disaster? People will be forced to cooperate and I think that's something we should never forget,” adds analyst Daniel Warner.

Join host Imogen Foulkes on Inside Geneva.

Find out more about the 'Inside Geneva' podcast and our other Swiss podcasts in English here.
Subscribe below to the 'Inside Geneva' newsletter to make sure you never miss a new episode.

External Content Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again. Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you. Inside Geneva: international affairs from the world's humanitarian capital

Our newsletter offers a unique insight into what is happening in International Geneva: What debates are taking center stage? How can the UN impact world affairs and what are NGO's saying?

Bi-monthly

The SBC Privacy Policy provides additional information on how your data is processed.

I consent to the use of my data for the SWI swissinfo newsletter.