Michelle Langrand

Journalist covering UN, humanitarian, human rights, climate and more for @GenevaSolutions & others

[Michelle Langrand @mi_langrand]

Iran was dealt a double blow this week at WHA where states condemned its strikes on the Gulf and the ripple effects on global aid operations while rejecting Tehran’s rebuke of US-Israeli attacks on its health facilities – a sign for many that politics trump health concerns.

[Geneva Solutions @GenevaSolutions]

World Health Assembly condemns Iran's strikes on Gulf nations and Hormuz blockade as concerns grow over food, energy and medical supply disruptions. https://t.co/EnmoNbdAfk

[Michelle Langrand @mi_langrand]

My latest on how the hantavirus stands to reignite debate on Argentina's and the US's WHO exit. While unlikely to change their minds, it raises questions about how states should handle recognition of withdrawals and what health cooperation looks like behind the political noise.

[Geneva Solutions @GenevaSolutions]

As the World Health Assembly this week marks the WHO exits of the United States and Argentina, a deadly outbreak at sea raises questions about whether international health cooperation can hold despite political fractures. https://t.co/W130sQfHwe

[Geneva Solutions @GenevaSolutions]

María Fernanda Espinosa has emerged as the fifth contender for the world’s top diplomatic job – and to be the first woman in the role. https://t.co/Fh4PqsIXKT

[Michelle Langrand @mi_langrand]

In Santa Marta, covering the first-ever conference dedicated to ending reliance on fossil fuels. I'll be closely watching whether countries can finally thaw years of glacial diplomacy (the weather here can certainly help🏖️)

[Geneva Solutions @GenevaSolutions]

Colombia's Caribbean port city is hosting an experiment in climate diplomacy this week – excluding the nations most responsible for holding it back.
➡️ https://t.co/Yn0b28LmXd

[Geneva Solutions @GenevaSolutions]

States will stare down a funding cliff and a legal limbo caused by Washington’s messy departure at the World Health Organization’s executive board meeting this week in Geneva. https://t.co/1gcVHxsCAT

[Geneva Solutions @GenevaSolutions]

As plastics treaty negotiations hover in limbo, will UNEA in Nairobi provide some political direction and a blessing for a new leader or turn into another stalling game?✍️ @mi_langrand

@ciel_tweets @ToxicsFree
➡️ https://t.co/b3cThCM4JV

[Geneva Solutions @GenevaSolutions]

Amid soaring military spending and intensifying conflicts, Nathalie Chuard, the head of @DCAF_Geneva, warns that countries, from Europe to the Middle East, cannot militarise their way to stability and must invest in human security.
https://t.co/wfh9ySgH9M

[Geneva Solutions @GenevaSolutions]

As the Human Rights Council hold an emergency debate on El Fasher, @RishmawiMona, UN-backed expert documenting Sudan’s war, explains the scale and nature of the atrocities she says could’ve been averted.✍️@mi_langrand
➡️ https://t.co/kg3BcFM8Wb

[Geneva Solutions @GenevaSolutions]

As @FilippoGrandi prepares to step down after ten years at the helm, a high-stakes battle begins to lead the UNHCR (@Refugees) through financial turmoil, growing political tensions and soaring global displacement. ✍️@mi_langrand
https://t.co/3JdRUqir6u

[Geneva Solutions @GenevaSolutions]

European Union nations have asked the UN’s top rights body, @UN_HRC to investigate international crimes and other serious violations in Afghanistan, answering a longstanding call from civil society. ✍️@mi_langrand
https://t.co/nxp06GhItK

[Geneva Solutions @GenevaSolutions]

The @TheGCSP, marking its 30th anniversary this year, has emerged as a hub for efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Its broad network enables dialogue across political divides – but the chances of a breakthrough remain slim. ✍️@StephaneBussard & @mi_langrand
https://t.co/jcxosPG2Zv

[Geneva Solutions @GenevaSolutions]

Plastics treaty talks in Geneva are slipping back into stalemate. Can a Rodin-inspired sculpture outside the UN’s Palais des Nations jolt a faltering multilateralism to life?

✍️@mi_langrand spoke with artist @thevonwong

➡️ https://t.co/Zm5prBYW9s

[Geneva Solutions @GenevaSolutions]

The sudden departure of the UN staff pension fund’s head of investment office, Pedro Guazo, to a firm contracted by the organisation has triggered concerns over potential violations of UN employment rules.
https://t.co/1ZfgKHnj6u

[Geneva Solutions @GenevaSolutions]

Mass layoffs at the Stop TB Partnership in Geneva reveal the human cost of an aid system under financial pressure, where workers can be cast aside with little warning and no safety net, despite efforts by organisations to ease the blow. ✍️@mi_langrand
➡️ https://t.co/6r9kelJwGB

[Geneva Solutions @GenevaSolutions]

Nations will meet in Geneva next week to try to finalise a treaty to stem the global tide of plastic pollution. Will they hold the line on strict rules, or give ground on ambition to appease top plastic producers? ✍️@mi_langrand
https://t.co/UvlQeDeamR

[Geneva Solutions @GenevaSolutions]

🕊️As global conflict surges, funding for peacebuilding is falling away – and Geneva, long a hub for this quiet, crucial work, is feeling the pressure. @SusannahBirkwoo speaks to @Interpeace_Org, @DCAF_Geneva about how the sector is adapting.
➡️ https://t.co/hVGAlFPpxx

[Geneva Solutions @GenevaSolutions]

🤖 @KateKallot, CEO of @AminiTech wants to lead an AI revolution in the global south, where tech giants have so far failed to venture "because they don't generate billions of dollars in revenue". @ArseniMaurizio met her at the AI for Good Summit.
https://t.co/xjdwxrs961

[Geneva Solutions @GenevaSolutions]

A special rapporteur’s claim that biological sex is to blame for violence faced by women and girls sparked pushback from states and advocates at @UN_HRC. ✍️ @mi_langrand
➡️ https://t.co/BiwwT35XmG

[Michelle Langrand @mi_langrand]

Unable to reach an agreement yesterday, the ITU Council postponed the decision to today. 👇

[Geneva Solutions @GenevaSolutions]

The UN tech agency is caught in an unexpected geopolitical tug-of-war between China and the US, as the two lock horns over who will play host to a key conference in 2027. States could decide as soon as Wednesday.
https://t.co/PnMBd2Q7fH

[Michelle Langrand @mi_langrand]

With budgets slashed, debates shortened and scrutiny stymied, the @UN_HRC opens its summer session in Geneva in survival mode. #HRC59 | via @genevasolutions https://t.co/WRoPkPH3Xq