The event featured a screening of Solidarity, a documentary written and directed by David Bernet, described as a “cinematic reflection on solidarity as a phenomenon” which follows its protagonists — primarily activists and humanitarian workers, including United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi — through the crises of recent years.
The screening was framed by multifaceted discussions around the increasing strain on the principle of the rules-based international order, asking whether institutions can find renewed purpose, as International Geneva and the multilateral mechanisms for protecting human rights are faltering along with the rules-based order.
“International Geneva — a central hub of multilateralism and international cooperation — is facing profound challenges, from geopolitical fragmentation to financial pressures on international organisations, but also deeper questions about the legitimacy and trust surrounding global institutions. Yet it is precisely in moments such as these that dialogue, reflection, and collective imagination become most necessary.”
Léna Rieder-Menge, Manager of Strategic Partnerships and Public Relations at the Geneva Graduate Institute thus introduced the topic and invited attendees to build on the reflection through the the “idea of solidarity — a principle that lies at the heart of international cooperation, yet one that is sadly increasingly tested in today’s fragmented world.”
State Councillor for the State and Republic of Geneva, Nathalie Fontanet built on the importance of solidarity and the necessity to tie it to multilateralism, in her welcoming remarks: “La solidarité se construit. Elle s'organise. Elle se défend. Elle suppose également des institutions solides, des ressources stables, et une réelle volonté politique.”
The screening of the film was followed by a discussion between Davide Rodogno, Professor of International History and Politics at the Geneva Graduate Institute, and Stephan Schlegel, Director, Swiss Human Rights Institution, and by a panel featuring Heba Aly, Director, Article 109; Yves Daccord, Chairman, Principles for Peace; Itonde Kakoma, President, Interpeace; and Maarit Kohonen Sheriff, Director, Global Operations Division, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Together, they addressed the legitimacy crisis at play, scenarios of the future of international Geneva, the tension between interests and principles in a new multilateral system, the pros and cons of a multilateral system à géométrie variable, and more.
