Page 377 - 100 Reflections that Crafted Geneva International_V-Petrovsky_private special edition

Bringing the Concept to Life

Geneva International which has enjoyed a unique reputation for its tolerance,
humanitarianism and democratic pluralism since the Middle Ages.

From the founding of the International Committee of the Red Cross
through participation in the League of Nations, to the involvement in UN
affairs, the name of your country is inseparably linked with the promotion of
humanitarianism and the rule of law among nations. Switzerland occupies 6th
place among voluntary contributors to UN Programmes and participates in
activities of practically every specialized agency of the UN and some of its
subsidiary organs dealing with humanitarian or sustainable development
questions. In 1996 Switzerland joined the Conference on Disarmament and
immediately established itself as one of its most active members. Moreover,
one cannot but note with satisfaction the excellent performance of the Swiss
Military in Peace-keeping Operations. Swiss participation began with the
UNTSCO Mission in the Middle East and continued with MINURSO in
Western Sahara, every mission in the former Yugoslavia and most recently
KFOR, in which a Swiss contingency of 160 will be fully deployed by October
1999. Lastly, one cannot overlook the humanitarian contributions that
Switzerland has made taking part in reconstruction efforts in Bosnia and in
participating in recent convoys to Kosovo.

Several prominent Swiss citizens have provided their services to the UN,
this most recently evident with the appointment of Ms. Carla del Ponte as the
Chief Prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunals at The Hague and at
Arusha. Unfortunately, due to the absence of Switzerland in the United
Nations, the possibility of raising its voice and contributing its intellectual and
historic experience as a full Member State in the proceedings of our unique
global Organization has been precluded.

As the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, I must
say that I highly appreciate the support at the federal, cantonal and municipal
levels in our efforts to strengthen the role of Geneva as a major center of multi-
lateral diplomacy. The presence of 22 international organizations with an
aggregate budget of 8 billion Swiss Francs, 3 diplomatic corps, (147 Ambassa-
dors to UNOG, 15 Special Representatives to the Conference on Disarmament
and 16 to the WTO) contribute significantly to the identity of Geneva Interna-
tional and of course to its economy.

As a result of the reform initiated in 1993, the role of Geneva in peace
building and crisis prevention has been renewed and reinvigorated. In addition

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