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established in Geneva with a three-year mandate remain cornerstones of global security:
to solve Europe’s post-war displacement crisis. • The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
Seventy-five years later, the agency is still here— (NPT), limiting the spread of nuclear weapons.
now a Nobel Peace Prize laureate twice over and • The Biological Weapons Convention (BWC)
tasked with protecting more than 100 million and the Chemical Weapons Convention
displaced people worldwide. (CWC), banning entire categories of weapons of
mass destruction.
The UNHCR headquarters have become a
nerve centre for emergency responses: from the Beyond disarmament, Geneva has hosted
Hungarian uprising in 1956 to the Syrian crisis in countless peace talks: negotiations over the
the 2010s, Geneva has coordinated the logistics Iran nuclear deal, inter-Syrian dialogues, and
of survival. Its sister agency, the International discussions on conflicts in Africa and the Middle
Organization for Migration (IOM), also based East. The Palais des Nations itself, former seat of
in Geneva, ensures safe, orderly, and humane the League of Nations, continues to symbolise
migration across borders. the pursuit of dialogue over conflict.

This humanitarian leadership reflects the spirit As former Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in
of Henry Dunant, Geneva’s own son and founder Geneva: “In this city, where so many wars have
of the Red Cross, whose vision of compassion been averted, we are reminded that peace is not a
continues to resonate in the city. dream, but a process built step by step.”

Health for All: Geneva as the World’s Health Labour, Trade, and Development
Capital Geneva also anchors the UN’s economic and
Few UN institutions are as closely associated social dimension. The International Labour
with Geneva as the World Health Organization Organization (ILO), founded in 1919 and
(WHO), created in 1948. From its headquarters integrated into the UN in 1946, remains unique
on the hill overlooking Lake Geneva, WHO has for its tripartite governance—bringing together
led the charge against the deadliest threats to governments, employers, and workers. Its
human health. conventions on child labour, decent work, and
social protection have set global benchmarks. In
Its successes are historic: 1969, the ILO received the Nobel Peace Prize for
• The eradication of smallpox in 1980, a victory advancing social justice.
credited with saving millions of lives.
• The near-eradication of polio, now reduced to In 1964, Geneva became the headquarters of the
just a handful of cases worldwide. UN Conference on Trade and Development
• The global campaigns against tuberculosis, (UNCTAD), giving developing countries a voice
malaria, and HIV/AIDS. in shaping international trade and development
• Most recently, WHO’s leadership during the policies. UNCTAD’s reports remain a vital compass
COVID-19 pandemic, coordinating vaccine for emerging economies navigating globalization.
distribution through the COVAX initiative.
As Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom And since 1995, the World Trade Organization
Ghebreyesus has reminded the world: “No one (WTO)—though formally outside the UN—has
is safe until everyone is safe.” Geneva’s role as the reinforced Geneva’s place as the rule-making
hub of global health cooperation has never been centre of the global economy. Together, these
more evident. institutions ensure that Geneva is not only a
capital of peace, but also of fairer globalisation.
Geneva and the Cause of Peace Climate and the Environment
Peace has always been at the core of the UN’s
mission, and Geneva has been a critical arena If human rights and health are Geneva’s moral
for disarmament and negotiation. pillars, climate change has become its defining
challenge of the 21st century.
The Conference on Disarmament (CD)—
the world’s single multilateral disarmament The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
negotiating forum—has delivered treaties that Change (IPCC), headquartered in Geneva,

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