After four years representing the United Kingdom at the United Nations in Geneva, Simon Manley’s posting on the shores of Lake Geneva is coming to an end. Despite recent upheavals, the ambassador remains confident in the rebound of international Geneva – especially the World Trade Organization.
Among Geneva’s international diplomatic corps, one familiar voice will soon be missing. British ambassador to the United Nations Simon Manley is wrapping up a four-year term. Despite Brexit, his country has remained a key player on Geneva’s multilateral scene. With children who also hold Swiss nationality, and a wife who fled Franco’s Spain to Lausanne, where she trained as a lawyer, Manley is clearly at ease in Switzerland – a country he leaves with a hint of nostalgia.
Le Temps: What will you take away from your time in international Geneva?
Simon Manley: I look back on my time here very positively, even though the multilateral system has been facing extraordinary challenges since I arrived in 2021. I came just before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, before the coup in Sudan and the horrific civil war that followed, and before Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack. I also arrived before many new leaders took the helm of UN agencies in Geneva – which is one reason why I remain optimistic. These are outstanding individuals. There are obvious political and financial challenges to multilateralism, but even in tough times, we’ve shown that collective action is better than going at it alone. The recent pandemic agreement at the World Health Organization is a clear example – as was the WTO fisheries deal. I’m a firm admirer of Geneva’s multilateral ecosystem.
But with job cuts, relocations and cost pressures, there is a real risk of that ecosystem fragmenting. Where would you draw the line?
Over more than a century, Geneva has developed a dense network of organisations that thrive from their proximity. One of its big advantages over New York is the strong presence of civil society. Its participation in the Human Rights Council is absolutely vital. That said, I regret that the private sector doesn’t have similar access to the WTO. Job relocations seem inevitable – it’s up to each organisation to make those decisions. But the danger is when each agency makes a decision individually, which might make sense internally but which could also undermine the coherence and effectiveness of the whole system.
The UN secretary-general’s UN reform initiative – UN80 – involves relocations and shutting down certain units. Do you support it?
We fully support it, because we in the UK believe in the UN. The UN does a good job, but it could do even better with less duplication, less competition for funding between agencies and more cooperation. There have been many reform attempts over the years, but too often they haven’t delivered what was needed. That’s why it’s so important we succeed this time.
Yet many international staff in Geneva feel UN80 is too opaque and driven by turf wars between agency heads, with no shared vision.
It’s true that there’s concern here in Geneva – which is why it was so helpful that Guy Ryder, head of the UN80 task force – and a former Geneva insider himself (as former director-general of the ILO – ed.), – came to explain the process. The anxiety is a reflection of a well-known issue – the relationship between New York and Geneva. Some missions – not ours – don’t have a particularly close connection with New York, so people here often feel out of the loop. That said, it’s also true that some of the cuts have had more immediate consequences in Geneva than in New York. There’s a slight imbalance.
What we need is a system-wide approach. People here, in Vienna and elsewhere, need to feel some ownership of the UN80 process. But given the circumstances, no one should expect miracles.
Has Geneva rested too much on its laurels?
We’ve relied too heavily on the budgetary generosity of the United States, particularly under the Biden administration. Humanitarian agencies have seen needs skyrocket due to a proliferation of conflicts and the growing impact of climate change. And because the Biden administration was relatively generous, dependency on US funding deepened. But the US had warned us: don’t become too reliant, because everything could change depending on who wins the 2024 election.
For agencies heavily dependent on US contributions, the challenge will be huge. It’s a very difficult moment, but we will get through it. It is especially tough for people who will lose their jobs, but also for people on the ground who will receive smaller food rations or for victims of sexual violence who will lose access to care. The cuts made here have very real consequences. It’s not just bureaucrats losing their posts.
Still, the hope is that on the other side of this, the system will be more agile, stronger and more ready to collaborate.
Simon Manley, UK ambassador to the UN, at the British mission in Geneva, 18 June 2025. (Le Temps/David Wagnières)
You’ve just relocated the UK mission to a new building right next to the WTO. Is that a vote of confidence in the institution, despite some saying it’s on life support?
The WTO absolutely has a future, and it’s nowhere near brain-dead, as some suggest. And no organisation led by Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is going to wither away. The WTO director general is a talented politician and leader, a visionary who is deeply committed. We’re very lucky to have her.
But there’s no denying we have work to do to secure the WTO’s future. It needs repositioning. Three years ago, we succeeded in negotiating the fisheries subsidies agreement – now it just needs a few more ratifications to come into force. That will be a milestone.
But we need to go much further. There are deals close to completion on development-related investment and e-commerce to loosen the rules for digital trade. Sadly, a few member states are blocking progress. We need to find a way to tell them: you’re welcome to get on board – but the train is moving, with or without you. We may need to revisit how decisions are made.
Has the US attitude at the WTO surprised you?
We should listen to the Americans – they’ve got a point, especially around transparency. When countries join the WTO, they commit to certain rules. Yet some major economies are falling short when it comes to disclosing subsidies. On many fronts, the UK is aligned with the US. What they say about China is not far off from what I’ve said myself here at the WTO.
This is a critical moment. We have to seize it, because the WTO is a vital institution. When you’re a country like the UK, which Napoleon once described as a “nation of shopkeepers”, you rely heavily, like Switzerland, on trade and strong export industries, whether in financial services, banking or high-precision manufacturing. Our companies’ ability to export depends on the rules set by the WTO. And despite current turbulence, the vast majority of global trade, including free trade agreements, still rests on those rules.
And what about China, which joined the WTO in 2001?
This might surprise you, but in many areas, we work closely with China to try to encourage investment in developing countries. China says it wants to be a champion of the multilateral system at the WTO. Well, it can prove it with some simple solutions, by embracing greater transparency around subsidies.
I’m not questioning their desire to keep their developing country status – but it has real consequences. Today’s China isn’t the China of 40 years ago. Its accession to the WTO was a success story – access to global trade transformed China and lifted millions of Chinese out of poverty. But with that success comes responsibility. Beijing can work with us to secure the WTO’s future.
Some human rights advocates worry that China, which doesn’t recognise the universality of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is trying to rewrite the rules. Do you share that concern?
That is a fact. China’s approach to human rights is fundamentally different to ours. There are areas where we cooperate, and others where we compete, like the Human Rights Council. We continue to raise concerns about human rights in Xinjiang and Tibet. For us, safeguarding the post–Second World War human rights framework is a priority.
Some powers seem to want to return to a 19th-century-style balance of power. How can multilateralism be redefined to include China, without sacrificing the values underpinning the international order?
The UK stands firmly for democracy, human rights and the rule of law. It would be dangerous to hastily unpick what’s been built. The answer isn’t to abandon the progress we’ve made – especially on inclusion and diversity.
Are you concerned that the rise of far-right populism could damage multilateralism?
Domestic politics always have an impact, of course. But even putting the rise of populism aside, citizens in countries like the UK or Switzerland want to know that their money is being used wisely – they want to see the impact of that investment.
It’s always interesting to see how often the results of a negotiation in Geneva directly affect real lives. When you negotiate global e-commerce rules at the WTO, it can mean people get free access to digital services. When the WHO secures a pandemic deal, it boosts global health security. When the International Telecommunication Union regulates satellite technology, economies like the UK and Switzerland benefit. But we need to do a better job of telling these stories that show the positive impact of multilateralism. Otherwise, it can seem opaque.
Proust questionnaire
Your favourite holiday spot in Switzerland?
Saint-Saphorin (canton of Vaud).
Diplomacy today, in two words?
Collaborative and innovative.
Your take on Jane Austen, as we mark the 250th anniversary of her birth?
Check out my Instagram video on Pride and Prejudice – Geneva-style…
Still rocking out to British bands?
Of course. The Clash – especially London Calling.
Mountains or sea?
Easy – the mountains (Swiss and Scottish). We love skiing.
The political figure who inspired you most in your career?
Churchill. Obviously.
Profile
1967 Born in Ealing, west London
1988 Graduated from Magdalen College, Oxford
1990 Masters from Yale University
1990 Joined the UK foreign office
1996 Married lawyer María Isabel Fernández Utgès Manley
2013 Appointed UK ambassador to Spain and Andorra
2021 Appointed UK ambassador to the UN and WTO in Geneva
This article was originally published in French in Le Temps. It has been adapted and translated into English by Geneva Solutions. Articles from third-party websites are not licensed under Creative Commons and cannot be republished without the media’s consent.