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international

Geneva international:

its landmarks and Vision

for the Future by Evelina Rioukhina

A promenade-conversation about Geneva with Helen Petrovsky, daughter of the
former UNOG Director-General and pioneer of Geneva International, who came up
with the concept of Geneva International, among other things

Read on to take a stroll through the years with us!

ER. It is both unexpected and timely to meet you leave a special place for the Swiss flag in case of
here in Geneva, a city so dear to your father. a favorable vote, which was expected to happen
He left his mark on so many places and projects shortly afterwards. It was his dearest dream
during his nearly decade-long work here. Just that Switzerland would vote in favor of acceding
look around – even this Alley of Flags, which to the UN, and fortunately this happened just
today is a symbol of Geneva and, at the same when he was finishing his term here.
time, world diplomacy. And it is a small part of HP. That’s very true. He always thought that
his legacy. Switzerland had so much to offer if it became
Helen Petrovsky. I know there is a story behind a member state rather than simply being
it. My father was very happy to inaugurate this the host country. He closely followed all
Alley. And it is touching to see that it has become local developments and was a very open and
a real symbol of Geneva International, a project committed person who mingled easily with
that he was very passionate about. different strata of society.

ER: I witnessed the story leading to this Alley of ER. He was an exceptional and much-loved
Flags. Some colleagues asked me to tell it. Maybe person. He was the only foreigner included
one day I will. All I can say for now is that your in the book Ceux qui font Genève by the
father was extremely courageous. When he was renowned Swiss journalist Serge Bimpage. In
inaugurating the Alley, we persuaded him to one of the articles written at the time, namely
by Ambassador François Nordmann, his close
colleague, he was praised as “the person who
was the real architect of Geneva International”
and who left a mark on Geneva as no one had
before.
HP. My father came to Geneva from New York,
where he had been invited by Boutros Boutros-
Ghali, at that time Secretary-General, to prepare,
among other things, the first Agenda for Peace.
He became his Under Secretary for Political
Affairs (note from the editors: this post was later
reclassified to the position of Deputy Secretary
General of the UN). As chair of the Task Force,
he managed to finish the work on this landmark
Agenda within three months, a truly record
time. To my knowledge, it became one of the
most important documents of the UN for years
to come.

ER. Yes, there was a revised Agenda later,
and recently a new Agenda for Peace has

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