A tale of two cities: How will the UN benefit from Kenya Airways’new Nairobi-Geneva route?

What should our readers know about the UN in Geneva?
Geneva is a major hub for the work of the UN. For various sectors, such as peace, human rights, health, labour, disaster response, trade, migra- tion and intellectual property, Geneva is a unique operational centre and ecosys- tem. All of this work supports the most ambitious and important global road map that humanity has ever established: the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
In 2019, we’re celebrating 100 years of multilateralism (nations working together towards common goals). The creation of the League of Nations in 1919 symbolised the birth of modern multilateral diplomacy, which has devel- oped from initial steps to the complex and comprehensive work of today’s UN. We hope that travellers from Nairobi will have a chance to take part in some of the events that we will be holding in Geneva to celebrate this anniversary.
Feel free to visit us anyway; the UN premises give you a unique experience of the kind of activities we conduct for international cooperation.

The UN has been criticised for not stopping the war in Syria. Is this a fair criticism?
It’s true that we’ve failed to achieve a lasting solution to the war in Syria so far, which is disheartening. However, it would be wrong to reduce the UN to the deadlock in the Security Council over the Syrian conflict. Like an iceberg, what most people see of the UN is but the tip: what’s covered prominently in the media, such as refugee crises, armed conflicts and natural disasters. What we don’t see is everything “below the surface”: the multilateral decisions that have contrib- uted to incredible progress for people everywhere. Living standards, life expec- tancy, literacy rates and education levels have never been higher across the world. Child mortality and the risk of dying from disease, illness, war or famine have never been lower.

How do you see multilateral diplomacy in the future? Will the UN still exist in 2050?
Multilateralism is in transition, and rightly so. Some of the instruments that were put in place decades ago do not reflect today’s realities. Power in politics is increasingly diffuse compared to how it was at the height of the Cold War, when major governments held the monopoly on the use of force and controlled key public assets. Today, non-state actors – from NGOs to private firms – exert influence on a global scale. Further complicating matters, the balance of power is also changing between states themselves.
Out of necessity, multilateralism has become more integrated, more networked and more inclusive. We’re pursuing an ambitious reform agenda to make us more agile, responsive and innovative.
The value and importance of Geneva
– with its unique ecosystem, its mindset of collaboration and its proven track record in innovation – will only grow.
I can’t predict the future, but I know that some form of multilateral coopera- tion must be maintained. In today’s interconnected, interdependent world, which is facing massive existential threats, there’s simply no alternative to collaborating.

How will the UN benefit from Kenya Airways’ new Nairobi-Geneva route?
It’s crucial for the collaboration between these two hubs of multilateralism. In Geneva and Nairobi, the transport of UN staff and resources will be greatly facilitated. So too will the ability of great many UN and other international actors to bring along their expertise and resources to benefit the many people needing help and assistance across the African continent. UN agencies in both cities will have more direct relations and will be able to intensify their coopera- tion. Furthermore, this direct flight not only shortens total travel time, it also reduces cost. This is essential for the UN, which is already under stress to reduce its travel expenditures.