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12.

Geneva International

STATEMENT
BY MR. VLADIMIR PETROVSKY
UNITED NATIONS UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL
DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS OFFICE AT GENEVA
AT THE LUNCHEON OF THE
ASSOCIATION OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS LAWYERS

28 January 1994

Mrs. President,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

1. It was with great satisfaction that I accepted your invitation to

participate in
this meeting and to share some ideas about Geneva
International. In diplomacy, as in science or the arts, the importance of
a city is determined not by its size but by its intellectual and spiritual
contribution to the development of each particular field. In diplomatic terms,
Geneva is not only an established centre of international activities, but is, in
fact, the symbol of multilateral diplomacy.

2. Switzerland - or to be precise, Geneva - is the birthplace of multilateral-
ism. The very concept of a universal international body was discussed in this
city as early as the beginning of the 19th century. As far back as 1830, Count
Jean-Jacques de Sellon, founder and President of the League of Peace, fervently
advocated the establishment of an international tribunal and "a permanent au-
thority composed of representatives of different powers". The world's first
multilateral organization, the International Red Cross, began its existence with
the signing of the Geneva Convention on 22 August 1864. The League of Na-
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