Page 57 - 100 Reflections that Crafted Geneva International_V-Petrovsky_private special edition

8.

Geneva as the Natural Habitat
of Multilateral Diplomacy

STATEMENT BY MR. VLADIMIR PETROVSKY
UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL
DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS OFFICE AT
GENEVA ON THE OCCASION OF THE VISIT
BY MEMBERS OF THE SWISS FEDERAL CHAMBERS
TO THE PALAIS DES NATIONS

Geneva, 7 October 1993
T he message of the Secretary-General facilitates my task and
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allows me to concentrate in my statement on the role of Geneva

within the United Nations system.
As the second largest "UN city", Geneva reflects all the activities of the
United Nations directed at the creation of a new global society capable of
providing the rule of law, the protection of human rights and the solution of
conflict by peaceful means.

The conferences which take place annually here in the Palais des Nations
cover a wide range of the UN's ongoing work for peace, from disarmament to
human rights. Now, there are more meetings in Geneva than ever before. In
1992, there were 1,512 intergovernmental and 756 non-governmental confer-
ences. (As a comparison: in 1982, there were 1,217 and 510 respectively.)

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The message from the Secretary-General of the United Nations on this occasion is
published after the statement.

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