“The biggest multilateral centre in the world”, “the capital of peace”, “the foremost centre of global governance” – Swiss officials often reach for superlatives to describe the concentration of international organisations and players in a district 2km north of Geneva city centre. What exactly is International Geneva and why is it so important to Switzerland?
Officials say Geneva is also the world’s biggest centre for international conferences and a key location for peace talks, most recently on Cyprus, Yemen and Syria. Last year there were 3,236 conferences and meetings, attended by 207,147 people.
From its humanitarian beginnings, the list of work carried out has expanded to include labour, human rights, migration, refugees, health, economic trade, intellectual property, telecommunications, standards and meteorology, among others. Officials insist that the work done there, like setting standards on toothpaste, has a direct impact on people’s daily life.
The Swiss authorities are convinced of the numerous benefits of International Geneva. As Swiss ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Valentin Zellweger, puts it:external link “Geneva is an asset of key importance for the foreign policy of Switzerland. The role of host state is firmly rooted in our tradition and in our policy of providing good offices. Offering its neutrality, stability and hospitality to the world, Switzerland benefits from International Geneva in terms of diplomatic and media visibility. In addition, Geneva serves the interests of Switzerland as an instrument and platform for the promotion of its key values, peace and human security.”
The foreign affairs ministry adds: “Despite Switzerland’s relatively small size, thanks to International Geneva the Confederation is able to ‘punch above its weightexternal link’ in the international arena.”
There is also a major financial benefit in maintaining the level of organisations and staff in Geneva. Switzerland is investing CHF122 million ($123 million) in its new host state strategy for 2020-2023external link, which was approved by parliament earlier this year. Over CHF2.5 billion is also being invested over the next ten years in major renovation and new building and mobility projects in the international district.
Meanwhile, the amount of money spent or invested by international agencies in Geneva continues to smash records. Last year it hit CHF6.3 billion. Over half of this amount – mostly salaries and insurance and pension payments – was spent or invested in Switzerland. This represented 11.3% of cantonal gross domestic product (GDP). Switzerland has also become a major supplier to the UN system.
At the financial level, International Geneva was largely unaffected by pressures on US foreign aid spending. But this year the UN has had to deal with a serious cashflow crisis as dozens of states – including its largest contributor, the US – have not paid their annual dues.
Meanwhile, in the world of international diplomacy, competition between host cities fighting for a slice of the action remains tough, the Swiss foreign affairs minister admitted recently.