UN Assistant Secretary-General Nikhil Seth, Executive Director of UNITAR, joined Francesco Pisano for a conversation about knowledge and learning for multilateralism in this 60th anniversary year of UNITAR. UNITAR was created by the United Nations General Assembly in 1963 and started operating in March 1965.The Institute originally had its headquarters in New York and a European Office in Geneva. In 1993, UNITAR’s headquarters were moved to Geneva. Over the past decades the Institute has...

Re-imagining International Relations - A conversation with Amitav Acharya Taking as a starting point that today’s multilateralism is in urgent need of an upgrade, Library & Archives Director, Francesco Pisano talks with Professor Amitav Acharya about how Global International Relations could broaden the Eurocentric way concepts and ideas in international relations developed, so that the practice of international relations could transform to be better adapted to the pluralistic world in...

Inside the Human Rights Council – a conversation with Ambassador Federico Villegas, 16th President of the Human Rights Council Human rights are a burning issue at the centre of the international arena because they are fundamental to humankind. The interpretation and respect of human rights and the response to their violations depend on discussions held annually by the Human Rights Council that convenes in Geneva. Ambassador Villegas was President of the Council in 2022, one of the most...

The Emotions of Internationalism – a conversation with Ilaria Scaglia Dr. Ilaria Scaglia takes us on an Alpine journey to explore the emotions that internationalists around the League of Nations sought to encourage and share. Along the way we hear mention of Heidi, the Pope, Einstein and Marie Curie, alpinists and climbers, as well as renowned doctors practicing in the Alps. Through this study of the history of emotions, we come to understand better the vision of international cooperation in...

The Rise of Digital Diplomacy Francesco Pisano talks with Dr. Jovan Kurbalija, Director of DiploFoundation, about the mission of Diplo. We discover more about digital diplomacy and the impact it has on multilateralism and international cooperation. Jovan Kurbalija shares highlights from the 2022 Summit on Digital Diplomacy and Governance held in Malta and discusses the trends in digital geopolitics and geoeconomics. He underlines that diplomats need new skills to keep pace with changing...

The Right to Science – a conversation with Helle Porsdam & Sebastian Porsdam Mann In this episode, we host the editors of a recently published book, The Right to Science: Then and Now (2021). Professor Helle Porsdam, Professor of History and Cultural Rights at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies of Law (CIS) at the University of Copenhagen and who holds a UNESCO Chair in Cultural Rights, and Dr. Sebastian Porsdam Mann at the University of Oxford, speak about the fascinating history...

Why we need a new eco-social contract – a conversation with Paul Ladd In this episode we discuss with Paul Ladd, Director of the UN Research Institute on Social Development, about the contribution of the Institute to multilateralism at this 60-year milestone since UNRISD's establishment. In particular, we take a deep dive into the latest report, "Crises of Inequality", which shows why, in order to break the cycle of multiple, interlocking crises and to address inequality, we need a new...

Shifting Power in an Unequal World – a conversation with Katja Hujo and Maggie Carter Inequality is undoubtedly one of today’s greatest challenges. In this episode, Katja Hujo and Maggie Carter, editors of the recently published book Between Fault Lines and Front Lines: Shifting Power in an Unequal World, talk about how inequalities have reshaped structures from the local to the transnational level and the impact and consequences of inequalities. They explore the conceptual thinking around...

This first episode of 2023 continues our series with Permanent Representatives to the United Nations at Geneva. Ambassador Leslie E. Norton tells us about her diplomatic career, speaks about Canada and its role in the world today, as well as exploring the long history of Canada’s involvement in multilateralism. Canada is a founding member of the United Nations, was part of the League of Nations, and has membership in many international and regional organizations, including the World Trade...

This episode marks the 20th anniversary of Switzerland’s membership in the United Nations. Switzerland became the 190th member of the UN following a national referendum in March 2002, in which the majority of population (54.6%) voted in favour of joining the UN. Ambassador Jürg Lauber, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations at Geneva joined The Next Page for a conversation about Switzerland’s journey in the UN and to reflect on the two decades since its...

Diplomate, pour quoi faire ? est le titre du nouveau livre de Jérôme Bonnafont, Ambassadeur, Représentant permanent de la France auprès des Nations unies à Genève. Le Directeur de la Bibliothèque & Archives, Francesco Pisano discute avec Monsieur l’Ambassadeur en sa qualité d’écrivain ainsi qu'autour de son livre pour nous donner un aperçu de son expérience du métier, l’importance de la diplomatie multilatérale à travers les années et parler de l’avenir de la diplomatie. Ressources...

Cet épisode poursuit notre série de conversations avec des Représentants permanents auprès de l'Office des Nations Unies à Genève, où nous explorons leurs points de vue en tant que diplomates dans le système multilatéral et ce que l'ONU signifie pour eux aujourd'hui. Clara Manuela da Luz Delgado Jesus, Représentante permanente et Ambassadeur extraordinaire et plénipotentiaire du Cap-Vert auprès de l'Office des Nations Unies à Genève et d'autres organisations internationales rejoint le...

The global challenges we face today are often complex, inter-connected and inter-related. How, as a global community, can we prepare for the global threats of the future? In this episode of the #NextPagePod, we speak with Dr. Randolph Kent about his research on future global crises, and why he thinks polylateralism is needed to face them collectively.   D. Kent is the Director of the Humanitarian Futures Initiative, Visiting Professor at the African Leadership Centre at King’s College London,...

Today's episode delves into data. It’s all around us in our daily lives, but how important is data for multilateralism today? Especially, as we look to Agenda 2030, and measuring our progress to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (the SDGs)? The #NextPagePod is joined by Ruzanna Tarverdyan, Founding President of the Geneva Consensus Foundation, and author of the book, “Measuring sustainable development goals performance”, as well as Edward Mishaud, Acting Director of the SDG Lab at UN...

Join us with our guest, Ann Morgan, an author, editor, Royal Literary Fund Fellow, TED speaker, literary activist, based in the U.K., for a conversation on the power of stories to connect us. At the heart of the UN Library & Archives Geneva is its mission to promote international understanding. We reached out to Ann Morgan to tell us more about her ongoing adventure of Reading the World and how reading literature from different places can help us embrace the unknown, suspend judgement...

In this episode of the #NextPagePod, we are joined by Professor Miia Halme-Tuomisaari, Associate Professor in Human Rights studies at Lund University in Sweden, and Research Associate at the Global Governance Centre at the Geneva Graduate Institute. Professor Halme-Tuomisaari is a social anthropologist with a background in international law, whose focus is on the study of the contemporary human rights phenomenon.   Why does anthropology matter to the study of International Organisations and...

In this episode of the #NextPagePod, we are joined by Professor Thomas G. Weiss, of the CUNY Graduate Center, a renowned researcher of the United Nations secretariat and the UN system at large. Our Director at the UN Library and Archives Geneva, Francesco Pisano, explores with Professor Weiss one of his latest books, Would the World Be Better without the UN?  In his early career, he served with various parts of the UN Secretariat and UN specialised agencies. He has published countless works...

Aujourd'hui, la Cheffe de la Section de la mémoire institutionnelle à la Bibliothèque et aux Archives de l'ONU à Genève, Blandine Blukacz-Louisfert, est rejointe par Sandrine Kott, Professeur d'histoire contemporaine à l'Université de Genève et professeur invitée à la New York University, pour la présentation de son ouvrage Organiser le Monde, une Autre Histoire de la Guerre Froide apparu en 2021 aux éditions du Seuil.      Sandrine Kott est spécialiste de l'histoire du travail et des...

Marieke Louis and Lucile Maerten’s book, Why International Organizations Hate Politics: Depoliticizing the World, draws on the extensive literature on functionalism and the related topic of technocracy, on anti-politics and bureaucractic multilateralism, and the wider, crosssectional research on expertise, knowledge and technicization, to systematically analyse and shine new light on the less explored topic of depoliticization.  Through current and historical case studies they examine behind...

Cet épisode poursuit notre série de conversations avec des ambassadeurs auprès de l'Office des Nations Unies à Genève, où nous explorons leurs points de vue en tant que diplomates dans un système multilatéral et ce que l'ONU signifie pour eux aujourd'hui. Notre directeur de la Bibliothèque et Archives des Nations Unies à Genève, Francesco Pisano, est rejoint par le représentant permanent et ambassadeur du Royaume du Maroc auprès de l'Office des Nations Unies à Genève et d'autres...

Les peuples autochtones sont les plus directement touchés par le changement climatique alors qu’ils protègent jusqu’à 80% de la biodiversité de la planète. Comment garantir leur implication dans les politiques internationales alors que la reconnaissance de ces peuples reste, encore aujourd’hui, un défi majeur ? Dans cet épisode, nous accueillons Carine Ayélé Durand, conservatrice en chef, responsable de l’Unité Collections, et directrice ad intérim du Musée d’ethnographie de Genève (MEG) et...

According to statistics from the United Nations, our world is home to 1.8 billion young people between the ages of 10 to 24, the largest generation of young people in recorded history. What is the role of youth in today’s multilateralism, as we look to the challenges we face in our present and our future? In this episode, we are joined by Naji Osman, who in 2021 was designated as one of the three Swiss Youth Delegates to the United Nations. Naji is a student and research assistant in the...

This episode of the #NextPagePod continues our series of conversations with Ambassadors to the United Nations Geneva, where we explore their experiences as diplomats in a multilateral system, and what the UN means for their countries today as we look to the multilateralism we need for our future.   Our Director at the UN Library & Archives Geneva, Francesco Pisano, is joined by the Permanent Representative and Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the UN in Geneva, Galib...

Today on the #NextPagePod we release a bonus episode to mark the International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace, established in 2018 by the UN General Assembly, and observed each year on 24 April.  At the heart of our podcast is the aim to enrich and promote understanding of the values of multilateralism and international cooperation. To mark this day, our Director at the Library & Archives, Francesco Pisano, speaks with the Director-General of UN Geneva, Tatiana...

This episode continues our series of conversations with Ambassadors to the United Nations Geneva, where we explore their views as diplomats in a multilateral system and what the UN means for them today.   Our Director at the UN Library & Archives Geneva, Francesco Pisano, is joined by the Permanent Representative and Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to the UN in Geneva, Andranik Hovhannisyan.  This year, 2022, Armenia marks 30 years of accession to the United Nations. Ambassador...