Geopolitical tensions cast a looming shadow over the global economy, stirring volatility and uncertainty in financial markets and trade relations, as well as exerting profound impacts that ripple across continents and industries. As nations grapple with conflicting interests and power struggles, the spectre of trade wars, sanctions, and political instability threatens to disrupt economic stability and impede growth.

In this precarious landscape, fostering multilateral cooperation becomes imperative to mitigate these adverse impacts. Hence, what is the impact on Switzerland and what role can it play to counter these challenges?

This conference with Swiss Federal Councillor Karin Keller-Sutter was moderated by Cédric Tille, Professor of International Economics at the Geneva Graduate Institute.

This bilingual event, in English and French, was organised in partnership with the Fondation pour Genève.

How do Palestinians and Israelis perceive and experience the ongoing war? What past events in their collective histories are relevant here, and how can they act on those perceptions and experiences? What are the war's implications on Palestinians' and Israelis' politics and ideas about future of their conflict? How coherent are those implications? What are the war's regional and global dimensions? Most crucially, what are the United States' interests and constraints in the war, and how might one explain the Biden administration's approach and shifts within it? 

Professor Cyrus Schayegh addresses these three themes on Palestinian and Israeli perceptions, politics, and the regional and global repercussions of the ongoing Gaza War. 

Cyrus Schayegh joined the Geneva Graduate Institute in 2017. Before, he was Associate Professor at Princeton University and, in 2005-2008, Assistant Professor at the American University of Beirut. His most recent works are the monograph The Middle East and the Making of the Modern World (Harvard UP, 2017), the edited volume Globalizing the U.S. Presidency: Postcolonial Views of John F. Kennedy (Bloomsbury, 2020), and a primary source collection. 

Moderated by Dr. Annyssa Bellal, Executive Director of the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform.

Artificial Intelligence (AI), once a distant concept, now shapes our world in ways we could not have imagined. From groundbreaking scientific discoveries to streamlining everyday tasks, AI holds immense potential for positive change. However, alongside its promises, AI brings risks. Biases can be reinforced, surveillance expanded, and accountability blurred in automated decision-making processes. The rapid evolution of AI technology challenges traditional regulatory frameworks, raising concerns about transparency and ethics. How can we govern AI to maximize its benefits for humanity and minimise harms? 

Join us for an exchange with the UN Secretary-General's High-Level Advisory Body on AI Governance on the critical matter of governing artificial intelligence. 

Introductory remarks by Marie-Laure Salles, Director at the Geneva Graduate Institute. 

Jérôme Duberry, Managing Director of the Tech Hub, and Achim Wennmann, Director for Strategic Partnerships at the Geneva Graduate Institute will co-moderate a panel discussion with: 

• Carme Artigas, Co-Chair of the UNSGs High Level Advisory Body on AI, former Secretary of State for Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence of Spain 
• Paolo Benanti, Third Order Regular Franciscan and Lecturer, Pontifical Gregorian University 
• Sharad Sharma, Co-founder iSPIRT Foundation 
• Linghan Zhang, Professor at the Institute of Data Law, China University of Political Science and Law 

The Geneva Graduate Institute has the privilege of being the sole venue for the Advisory Body to engage in an open conversation with the international Geneva community. It represents a pivotal moment in the ongoing discourse on AI governance, offering a forum to contribute to the development of informed, effective policies for the future of artificial intelligence. 

The event was co-organised with the Tech Hub and the Geneva Policy Outlook.

In times of rapid change and radical uncertainty, Geneva needs more than ever to reflect on how it remains a relevant global governance hub. The Geneva Policy Outlook is a finger on the pulse of Geneva’s global policy space and asks how global governance needs to adapt to new world orders, what it means for Geneva and what can be done now, and by whom.

Introductory remarks by: 

-Marie-Laure Salles, Director, Geneva Graduate Institute 

-Achim Wennmann, Editor of the Geneva Policy Outlook 2024, and Director for Strategic Partnerships at the Geneva Graduate Institute, presented the key findings of this edition and moderated a discussion with the following authors: 

-Jamil Chade, award-winning Brazilian journalist 

-Andrew Clapham, Professor of International Law, Geneva Graduate Institute 

-Paola Deda, Director, Forests, Land and Housing Division, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe 

-Suerie Moon, Co-Director, Global Health Centre and Professor of Interdisciplinary Programmes and International Relations/Political Science, Geneva Graduate Institute 

-Roxana Radu, Associate Professor of Digital Technologies and Public Policy, University of Oxford 

-Marie-Laure Schaufelberger, Head of ESG and Stewardship, Pictet Group

Closing remarks by:

 -Léna Rieder-Menge, Manager of Strategic Partnerships and Public Relations, Geneva Graduate Institute

Authors of the Geneva Policy Outlook 2024 are Natasha Carmi, Jamil Chade, Andrew Clapham, Paola Deda, Daniel C. Esty, Christopher Fabian, Filippo Grandi, David Harland, Suerie Moon, Roxana Radu, Jan Yves Remy, Marie-Laure Schaufelberger, Claire Somerville, Ching Wei Sooi, Trevor Sutton, Fred Tanner, Mara Tignino, Joel Trachtman, Laura Turley, and Mark Zeitoun. 

More info: https://www.genevapolicyoutlook.ch

Introduction: 

• Claire Somerville, Executive Director of the Gender Centre, Geneva Graduate Institute Debaters: 

• Adriana Quiñones, Head of Human Rights and Development, UN Women Geneva Office 

• Jean-Pierre Reymond, Executive Director, 2050 Today 

• Ambassador Nadia Theodore, Permanent Representative of Canada to the WTO in Geneva 

• Ambassador Matthew Wilson, Permanent Representative of Barbados to the UN and other International Organisations in Geneva 

• Martin Chungong, Secretary-General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and Chair of the International Gender Champions Global Board 

This event is organised as part of the Institute’s Gender, Diversity & Inclusion Initiative, with the support of the Permanent Mission of the United States of America in Geneva, and was livestreamed on YouTube.