Former Swiss foreign minister Micheline Calmy-Rey says International Geneva needs to respond to US cold shoulder.
Keystone / Salvatore Di Nolfi
Donald Trump’s return to power as United States president has sent a wave of panic through international Geneva. Former Swiss president Micheline Calmy-Rey has called for reform to counter an expected negative “impact on the region’s economy” and “the functioning of organisations”.
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The United States has announced it will withdraw from the Paris Agreements on climate control and the World Health Organization (WHO). “International Geneva has cause for concern,” Calmy-Rey told Speaking to Swiss public broadcaster RTS.
But she also put the financial impact of the US decisions into perspective. “There are other nations” besides the US who could contribute more to organisations that make up International Geneva.
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However, she finds the decision of the new American president to leave the WHO “worrying”, because “the foreign policy of the United States is focused on their own well-being. This is the opposite of international cooperation.”
‘Risks cross borders’
“We don’t know to what extent [Donald Trump] will cut contributions,” “how far they will go”, or “if they will be accepted by Congress”, she added. “But it will have an impact on the economic reality of the region”, comprising Geneva, the canton of Vaud and neighboring France. Calmy-Rey said that 33,000 jobs are linked to these international organisations.
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To fill the likely funding gap, international organisations will probably have to rely on other sources – either other member states or private foundations, she said.
“I have confidence in the survival of international organisations,” Calmy-Rey insists, because countries alone cannot solve global problems. “Risks cross borders,” she added.
Global bodies ‘too western’
For Calmy-Rey, international Geneva, which has a “strong Western imprint” must reform itself to survive. New actors such as Brazil, South Africa and India want to boost their presence on the international stage.
The former Swiss foreign minister is calling for international organisations to open up, including the UN Security Council. She also calls for a response to criticism of “double standards” in the application of international law.
“There are certain criticisms which are legitimate and which will have to be responded to,” said Calmy-Rey, stressing the urgency of adapting to the reality of a multilateral global system in the 21st century.
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Adapted from French by DeepL/mga
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