Geneva is a UN base and global aid hub, but is it heading south?

Описание: For decades, Geneva has been one of the main centres of international diplomacy — home to the UN’s European headquarters and countless global institutions. But in a fractured, multipolar world, its influence is fading.

Geneva, and the old order that it symbolises, is struggling to remain relevant. Taking Geneva as an emblematic example of how multilateralism and global governance has been pursued in the past, where will the future centres of International diplomacy be located?

Efforts to overcome the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza have been held far away from the established halls of the multilateral rules-based order. Middle powers are playing a role in offering support in negotiations, with countries increasingly carving out their own strategies to contend with a fragile consensus on key foreign policy issues. The ‘America First’ model and China’s interest in remodelling the international order means institutions in places such as Geneva are further undermined.

With this in mind, what new structures, institutions and arrangements might take hold? What comes after Geneva — and can global governance survive the change?

Join our expert panel as they debate the shifting architecture of international cooperation. Key questions to be explored include:

What countries and regional hubs might take a stronger share of global governance?
How will countries continue to align on issues ranging from AI and new technologies, climate and migration - where will these discussions take place?
How will great power competition impact the UN and Geneva in the future? How will the US and China approach future arrangements of global governance?
What role might civil societies around the world play?