An extraordinary account of rangers risking their lives to save mountain gorillas from extinction amid the outbreak of civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Virunga was the latest CINE-ONU Geneva film.
The Graduate Institute welcomed over 500 people on 4 June to watch the film, on the eve of this year’s World Environment Day. The documentary, nominated for a 2015 Academy Award, was followed by a captivating debate about the issues surrounding the Virunga World Heritage Park.
Marc Hufty, Professor of Development Studies at the Graduate Institute, said that the film was a “tribute to the wardens of the park”, adding that it represented a “war between humans and nature”. Christine Batruch, Vice President, Lundin Petroleum, agreed that she was “in awe of people who give up money, comfort and their lives” but that “the economy and conservation should both be accommodated”. John Scandon, Secretary General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), said the film “juxtaposed the very best and the very worst of human nature… what is happening in Virunga is happening across the African continent”. The debate was moderated by Samantha Newport, Global Communications Advisor to the United Nations Development Programme's Green Commodities Programme, and former Democratic Republic of Congo government spokesperson on Virunga National Park.
CINE-ONU Geneva is a joint collaboration between the United Nations Information Service and the Graduate Institute. The Virunga event was organised with additional support from the United Nations Environment Programme and the Geneva Environment Network. The next CINE-ONU film and debate will be held after summer: watch out for details on the Institute’s event calendar.
In the meantime, the next event at the Maison de la paix featuring a film will be The Good Lie, at 18:00 on 30 June. Based on the true story of former Sudanese child soldier refugees, the film will be followed by a Q&A session with Vincent Chetail, Professor of International Law at the Institute, and Ger Duany, former child soldier and one of the stars of the film. This event is organised by the Institute in cooperation with UNHCR and the IOM.
You can watch the "Virunga World Heritage Park: A Battle to Survive" debate below.