Page 43 - DIVA 3 2025_web

international

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
Geneva and un at 80 (WHO), created in 1948. From its headquarters integrated into the UN in 1946, remains unique
with Geneva as the World Health Organization
Organization (ILO), founded in 1919 and
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
When the United Nations was born in 1945, the Human Rights held its first meetings in Geneva human health. conventions on child labour, decent work, and
world was exhausted by two global wars and under the leadership of Eleanor Roosevelt. Out social protection have set global benchmarks. In
haunted by the devastation of the atomic bomb. of those deliberations emerged the Universal Its successes are historic: 1969, the ILO received the Nobel Peace Prize for
The Charter of the new organisation promised to Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in • The eradication of smallpox in 1980, a victory advancing social justice.
“save succeeding generations from the scourge of 1948, a milestone document that has since credited with saving millions of lives.
war” and to build a world order based on peace, inspired constitutions and legal systems across • The near-eradication of polio, now reduced to In 1964, Geneva became the headquarters of the
security, development, and human rights. While the globe. just a handful of cases worldwide. UN Conference on Trade and Development
New York became the UN’s political stage, Geneva • The global campaigns against tuberculosis, (UNCTAD), giving developing countries a voice
soon emerged as its operational heart: a place Geneva remains the home of the Office of the High malaria, and HIV/AIDS. in shaping international trade and development
where global challenges were tackled through Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) • Most recently, WHO’s leadership during the policies. UNCTAD’s reports remain a vital compass
treaties, programs, and daily humanitarian work. and the Human Rights Council, which reviews COVID-19 pandemic, coordinating vaccine for emerging economies navigating globalization.
the records of every member state through the distribution through the COVAX initiative.
As the UN celebrates its 80th anniversary, Universal Periodic Review. Major conventions— As Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom And since 1995, the World Trade Organization
Geneva’s legacy is undeniable. For eight decades, against torture, against racial discrimination, Ghebreyesus has reminded the world: “No one (WTO)—though formally outside the UN—has
it has been the crossroads where diplomacy, and in support of civil and political rights—are is safe until everyone is safe.” Geneva’s role as the reinforced Geneva’s place as the rule-making
science, humanitarian relief, labour rights, trade monitored and advanced from Geneva. hub of global health cooperation has never been centre of the global economy. Together, these
rules, and disarmament have intersected. The more evident. institutions ensure that Geneva is not only a
city is sometimes called the “Capital of Peace,” As former High Commissioner Mary Robinson capital of peace, but also of fairer globalisation.
but more precisely, it has become the workshop once said: “Human rights are not a matter of Geneva and the Cause of Peace Climate and the Environment
of multilateralism, where ideals are translated charity, they are a matter of duty. Geneva has Peace has always been at the core of the UN’s
into action. been the compass guiding this work.” 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
The Birthplace of Modern Human Rights Humanitarian Geneva: Protecting the challenge of the 21st century.
One of Geneva’s proudest legacies is its central Displaced The Conference on Disarmament (CD)—
role in shaping the modern human rights In 1950, the Office of the United Nations High the world’s single multilateral disarmament The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
framework. In 1946, the UN Commission on Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was negotiating forum—has delivered treaties that Change (IPCC), headquartered in Geneva,

w w w. d i va i n t e r n at i o n a l . c h w w w. d i va i n t e r n at i o n a l . c h