
The Next Page
Are you curious about the power of international cooperation? And how it affects our future? Tune in to the #NextPagePod, the podcast of the UN Library & Archives Geneva, designed to advance the conversation on multilateralism.
Latest episodes

Dec 8, 2023 • 37min
Barbados in the UN and in the world
A conversation with Ambassador Matthew Wilson
As part of our ambassadors’ series, for this episode we invited the Permanent Representative of Barbados, Ambassador Matthew Wilson, to explore the role of Barbados in the Caribbean region and in the world today, and its enduring partnership with the UN over 40 years.
Ambassador Wilson talks with Francesco Pisano, Director of the Library & Archives, providing us with a comprehensive insight into Barbados' fascinating history, its position as the hub for the UN Multi-Country Office (MCO) for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean and as a Permanent Representative of the key global challenges facing multilateralism, and its profound engagement with the UN as a small country.
Where to listen to this episode
Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-next-page/id1469021154
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/10fp8ROoVdve0el88KyFLy
YouTube: (2) Barbados in the UN and in the world - YouTube
Content
Speaker: H.E. Ambassador Matthew Wilson
Host: Francesco Pisano, Director, UN Library & Archives
Producer: Amy Smith
Editing & social media: Mengna Chen, Amy Smith
Recorded & produced at the United Nations Library & Archives Geneva

Nov 17, 2023 • 41min
Le monde d’ici commence ailleurs : bookcast avec Isabelle Durant
Le Monde d’ici commence ailleurs : coopérations utiles pour des temps compliqués
Pour cet épisode, nous sommes ravis d’accueillir Isabelle Durant, ancienne Secrétaire générale adjointe de la Conférence des Nations Unies sur le Commerce et le Développement (CNUCED). Isabelle Durant est une femme politique belge, membre du parti Ecolo qu'elle dirigea à deux reprises, elle fut sénatrice et Vice-Première ministre fédérale en Belgique. Elle a été vice-présidente du Parlement européen pendant la 7e législature et elle a ensuite été élue au Parlement de la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale.
Son livre, Le Monde d’ici commence ailleurs : coopérations utiles pour des temps compliqués vient de paraître aux Editions Couleur livres. Isabelle Durant parle avec Francesco Pisano, Directeur de la Bibliothèque & Archives de l’ONU Genève de son parcours, de son livre et elle se penche sur deux thématiques très actuels : les « obsessions identitaires et migrations » et la question du « multilatéral à l’agonie ? »
Ressources
Livre : Durant, I. (2023) Le Monde d’ici commence ailleurs : coopérations utiles pour des temps compliqué. Éditions Couleur livres
Où écouter cet épisode
Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-next-page/id1469021154
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/10fp8ROoVdve0el88KyFLy
YouTube:
Contenu
Invitée : Isabelle Durant
Hôte : Francesco Pisano
Réalisation et montage : Amy Smith
Conception pour réseaux sociaux : Amy Smith & Mengna Chen
Recorded & produced at the United Nations Library & Archives Geneva

25 snips
Nov 10, 2023 • 38min
Futures of multilateralism
Join Simfora Bangasimbo, a Master's student from Congo specializing in human rights, Sohini Chakrabarti from New Delhi focusing on gender and diversity, and Karim Achy from Lebanon studying conflict and peace, as they dissect the future of multilateralism. They present scenarios for 2050, analyzing stable versus volatile geopolitics and the impact of technology. The conversation also touches on the declining trust in institutions, the need for collaboration among small states, and the vital role of youth activism in shaping a cooperative global landscape.

Oct 27, 2023 • 29min
A UN for the future
A conversation with Swiss Youth Representative, Flora Chiper
This episode with Flora Chiper, Swiss UN Youth Representative for 2023-2025, explores the role of Youth Representatives and their current work, vision and hopes for multilateralism. Flora Chiper is multicultural and multilingual and brings a scientific perspective to the team of Swiss youth reps. She is currently a postgraduate student at the University of Basel, Department of Biomedicine Tissue Engineering Group and was previously at Harvard Medical School researching cartilage regeneration using stem cells. Flora advocates for a more data-driven decision making, long-term thinking and for more meaningful inclusion of youth in the multilateral system.
Resources:
UN Youth Delegate Programme: https://social.desa.un.org/issues/youth/un-youth-delegate-programme#:~:text=The%20roles%20of%20a%20youth,attending%20meetings%20and%20informal%20negotiations.
Conseil Suisse des Activités de Jeunesse : https://www.sajv.ch/en/projects/youth-rep
Youth: https://social.desa.un.org/issues/youth
Our Common Agenda: https://www.un.org/en/common-agenda
SDG Report. Towards a Rescue Plan for People & Planet: The-Sustainable-Development-Goals-Report-2023.pdf (un.org)
Where to listen to this episode
Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-next-page/id1469021154
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/10fp8ROoVdve0el88KyFLy
YouTube:
Content
Speaker: Flora Chiper, Swiss Youth Rep
Host: Amy Smith, UN Library & Archives
Producer: Amy Smith
Editing & social media: Mengna Chen, Amy Smith
Photo: © Jos Schmid
Recorded & produced at the United Nations Library & Archives Geneva

Oct 13, 2023 • 34min
Slovakia in the UN and in the world
A conversation with Ambassador Dušan Matulay
This episode is part of our ambassadors’ series hosting Permanent Representatives of UN Member States in Geneva for conversations about the role of their countries in the UN and in the world. We invited the Permanent Representative of Slovakia, H.E. Mr. Dušan Matulay, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Slovakia’s membership in the UN.
Ambassador Matulay talks with Francesco Pisano, Director of the Library & Archives and tells us more about Slovakia’s long history, its position as a landlocked country at the very heart of Europe, what Slovakia stands for and wants to share with the world, and what it means to be a smaller country at the United Nations.
Where to listen to this episode
Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-next-page/id1469021154
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/10fp8ROoVdve0el88KyFLy
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1B5wwFLa5k
Content
Speaker: H.E. Ambassador Dušan Matulay
Host: Francesco Pisano, Director, UN Library & Archives
Producer: Amy Smith
Editing & social media: Amy Smith, Nadia Al Droubi, Mengna Chen
Recorded & produced at the United Nations Library & Archives Geneva

Sep 29, 2023 • 54min
Rapid technological change & future-proof policy making
In this episode we continue our explorations in view of the Summit of the Future. The Summit of the Future (in 2024) will be a key moment to reaffirm and recommit to effective multilateralism in the interest of both people and the planet.
But how do we set out to redesign multilateralism and craft the future we all want in our era of ultra-rapid technological change? And how do we factor in our decisions of today the interests of future generations? Can we still rely solely on classical forms of decision making? Can we trust AI and other emerging technologies to remain tools at our service instead of becoming our masters?
We talk with Konrad Seifert who is the co-founder of the Simon Institute. He also co-founded and led Effective Altruism Switzerland, developing theories of change and looking at the future beyond the current generation.
Resources
Simon Institute : https://www.simoninstitute.ch/
Longtermism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_We_Owe_the_Future
Where to listen to this episode
Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-next-page/id1469021154
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/10fp8ROoVdve0el88KyFLy
YouTube:
Content
Speaker: Konrad Seifert
Host: Francesco Pisano, Director, UN Library & Archives
Producer: Amy Smith
Editing & social media: Amy Smith & Nadia Al Droubi
Recorded & produced at the United Nations Library & Archives Geneva

Sep 15, 2023 • 36min
Germany in the UN and in the world - a conversation with Ambassador Dr. Katharina Stasch
Our ambassadors’ series hosts Permanent Representatives of UN Member States for conversations about the role of their countries in the UN and in the world. In this episode we invited the Permanent Representative of Germany, Ambassador Dr. Katharina Stasch, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Germany’s membership in the UN.
In 1973 there were two German states. The Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic were both admitted to membership in the United Nations fifty years ago, on 18 September 1973. Ambassador Dr. Stasch tells us more about this historic moment, how it has shaped Germany’s membership in the UN, and what happened once the two countries were reunited in 1990.
Where to listen to this episode
Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-next-page/id1469021154
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/10fp8ROoVdve0el88KyFLy
YouTube:
Content
Speaker: H.E. Ambassador Dr. Katharina Stasch
Host: Francesco Pisano, Director, UN Library & Archives
Producer: Amy Smith
Editing & social media: Amy Smith & Nadia Al Droubi
Photo: Photo: Antoine Tardy.© StäV
Recorded & produced at the United Nations Library & Archives Geneva

Sep 1, 2023 • 50min
The Democracy-Multilateralism Nexus with Corinne Momal-Vanian
Corinne Momal-Vanian is the Executive Director of the Kofi Annan Foundation. Previously, she worked in various senior positions and a variety of countries for the United Nations, most recently as Director of Conference Management at the United Nations Office at Geneva (2015-2020) and Director of Information (2010-2015).
We invited Corinne Momal-Vanian back to The Next Page for a conversation with the Director of the Library & Archives, Francesco Pisano to explore an intriguing topic: the nexus between democracy and multilateralism. In an increasingly interconnected world, how do these two fundamental ideas interact and shape the global IR landscape? They discuss how democracy can serve and support multilateralism, the evolution of multilateralism and the rise of non-state actors and civil society organizations, and the role of youth in democratizing multilateralism.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CMomal
https://twitter.com/KofiAnnanFdn
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kofiannanfoundation
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kofi-annan-foundation
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/kofiannanfoundation
Instagram: www.instagram.com/kofiannanfoundation
Resources
Website - V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy): https://v-dem.net/
Ruggie, J. (1998) Constructing the World Polity: Essays on International Institutionalization. London and New York: Routledge.
Where to listen to this episode
Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-next-page/id1469021154
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/10fp8ROoVdve0el88KyFLy
YouTube:
Content
Speaker: Corinne Momal-Vanian
Host: Francesco Pisano, Director, UN Library & Archives
Producer: Amy Smith
Editing & social media: Amy Smith & Nadia Al Droubi
Recorded & produced at the United Nations Library & Archives Geneva

Aug 11, 2023 • 54min
Marcel Griaule - une conversation avec Yves Pourcher
Marcel Griaule, un ethnographe dans la diplomatie de l’entre-deux-guerres avec Yves Pourcher
Pour cet épisode, nous sommes ravis d’accueillir Yves Pourcher pour parler de Marcel Griaule, un anthropologue, explorateur et écrivain au destin particulier notamment parce qu’il est entré dans la diplomatie lors de la crise d'Abyssinie.
Yves Pourcher, professeur de science politique, a rassemblé plus de 50 textes de Marcel Griaule dans une publication, parue en 2023, intitulée Envahir l’Ethiopie. L’ethnologue en guerre (1935-1936). Il détaille le parcours de vie original de Marcel Griaule et, en particulier, sa fonction de conseiller particulier d’Haïlé Sélassié pendant la guerre italo-éthiopienne qui l’a mené à participer à la rédaction du fameux discours prononcé par l’Empereur d’Ethiopie devant l’Assemblée de la Société des Nations, à Genève, le 30 juin 1936. Un extrait sonore, avec la voix d’Haïlé Sélassié enregistré le jour du discours, est à écouter pendant l’épisode. Yves Pourcher s’exprime également sur l’engagement des ethnologues qui sont confrontés à une guerre sur leur « terrain » d’étude.
Ressources
Livre « Envahir l’Ethiopie. L’ethnologue en guerre (1935-1936) », éditions Anacharsis : https://www.editions-anacharsis.com/Envahir-l-Ethiopie
Plus d'informations sur Yves Pourcher : https://lassp.sciencespo-toulouse.fr/Yves-POURCHER
Différend entre l’Ethiopie et l’Italie. Requête du gouvernement éthiopien (commentaires de M. Marcel Griaule) (14 septembre 1935) : https://archives.ungeneva.org/differend-entre-lethiopie-et-litalie-requete-du-gouvernement-ethiopien
Texte du discours d’Haïlé Sélassié devant l’Assemblée de la Société des Nations (30 juin 1936) en français et amharique : https://archives.ungeneva.org/ethiopia-speech-by-the-emperor-haile-selassie-to-the-league-assembly-2
Enregistrement sonore du discours d’Haïlé Sélassié devant l’Assemblée de la Société des Nations (30 juin 1936) : https://archives.ungeneva.org/haile-selassie-eth-whole-speech-in-amharic
Où écouter cet épisode
Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-next-page/id1469021154
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/10fp8ROoVdve0el88KyFLy
YouTube:
Contenu
Invitée : Yves Pourcher
Animatrice : Hermine Diebolt
Réalisation et montage : Amy Smith
Conception pour réseaux sociaux : Amy Smith & Nadia Al Droubi
Recorded & produced at the United Nations Library & Archives Geneva

Jul 21, 2023 • 47min
Night on Earth - a bookcast with Davide Rodogno
In this episode, Davide Rodogno introduces his book Night on Earth, an account of international humanitarian programmes in Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and the Near East in the interwar period from 1918 to 1930.
Professor Rodogno explains how concepts of international 'relief' and 'development' were deeply connected long before the existence of the United Nations. Through the conversation, we explore the long history of humanitarians operating in the region devastated by war and famine and in which state sovereignty was deficient and hear about the colonial motivations and ideologies that influenced the activities of the various secular and religious organizations and philanthropic foundations in their attempts to reshape communities and nations through reconstruction and rehabilitation programmes.
Davide Rodogno is Professor of International History and Politics, Head of the Interdisciplinary Programmes at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva. He specializes in researching international organizations and philanthropic foundations, and transnational networks and movements since the 19th century.
https://www.graduateinstitute.ch/academic-departments/faculty/davide-rodogno
Resources
Rodogno, D. (2021) Night on Earth. A History of International Humanitarianism in the Near East, 1918–1930. Cambridge University Press
Rodogno, D. (2015) Against Massacre: Humanitarian Interventions in the Ottoman Empire (1815-1914), Princeton University Press – Series: Human Rights and Crimes Against Humanity, Princeton, 2011, paperback.
Daughton, J.P. (2012) In the Forest of No Joy: The Congo-Ocean Railroad and the Tragedy of French Colonialism. New York. Norton
Foliard, D. (2022). The violence of colonial photography. Manchester University Press.
Levi, P. (1988) The Drowned and the Saved. Simon & Schuster Paperbacks. New York.
Maalouf, A. (2006). Origines. Le Livre de Poche.
Pamuk, O. (2022) Nights of Plague. Knopf.
Robson, L. (2017). States of Separation: Transfer, Partition, and the Making of the Modern Middle East. Oakland, CA: University of California Press.
White, B. T. (2011). The Emergence of Minorities in the Middle East: The Politics of Community in French Mandate Syria. Edinburgh University Press.
Where to listen to this episode
Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-next-page/id1469021154
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/10fp8ROoVdve0el88KyFLy
YouTube:
Content
Speaker: Professor Davide Rodogno
Host: Francesco Pisano, Director, UN Library & Archives
Producer: Amy Smith
Editing & social media: Amy Smith & Nadia Al Droubi
Recorded & produced at the United Nations Library & Archives Geneva