Page 23 - 100 Reflections that Crafted Geneva International_V-Petrovsky_private special edition

Introduction

Vladimir Petrovsky – the person who crafted Geneva
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International and brought the concept to life

T he years 1990-2010 may have been the golden years for Geneva
and Swiss diplomacy and were definitely pivotal. It was certainly
the Golden Age of UNOG for political impact, role and contribu-
tion: it was the era that saw the crafting and bringing to life of the concept of
Geneva International.
From 1993-2002, a prominent diplomat, Vladimir Petrovsky, was appointed
to Geneva. Previously he had served in New York as Under-Secretary-General
for political affairs where he chaired the “Agenda for Peace” Task Force. This
elaborated the epochal document “An Agenda for Peace” (see Annex I),
conceptualising the 4Ps: preventive diplomacy, peace-keeping, peacemaking
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and peace-building .
With his arrival in Geneva he brought new vision, breath and thinking, as
well as a brilliant ability to conceptualize. He had excellent negotiation and
diplomatic skills, academic knowledge, and a talent for building bridges. What
Geneva got was a new engine of change.
“Geneva – Europolis UN, Geneva – capital of internationalism, Geneva –
city of multilateralism, Geneva – natural habitat of multilateral diplomacy,
Geneva – the world repository of know-how”– all those phrases were crafted by
Mr Petrovsky. No-one had so championed the city since Prince Talleyrand
called Geneva the fifth continent. These were not empty phrases either: they
were created and brought to life by him and his successors.
Of course, Geneva knew political successes prior to his arrival, and the city
played an important role on the diplomatic scene. However, in 1990, the

1
See a detailed article “Vladimir Petrovsky – a Pioneer of Geneva International”,
in the magazine Diva International Diplomat, No. 1/2021.
2 See a detailed article “Vladimir Petrovsky: 45 Years in World Diplomacy”, in the
magazine UN Special, No. 603/2002.

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