Geneva Day: Making Multilateralism Work for Humanity in a New Era

Madame la Conseillère d'Etat,
Monsieur le Maire,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,

Dear friends,

My sincere thanks to the panelists, the moderator, and all participants for their valuable insights.

Multilateralism exists to manage together what no State can solve alone. One question stands out for me: were we succeeding? Looking at the outcomes, the answer can only be partially optimistic.

We are undergoing a deep and far-reaching transformation. Today's overriding priority is clear: reducing conflict and strengthening stability through rules, dialogue, and mediation.

Geopolitical tensions are real. Rearmament spending is rising, while conflict prevention is declining. And for a reason: war is back.

Trust - between States, institutions, and people - is being tested.

And yet, today's discussion has pointed to the right response: a shared determination to make multilateral cooperation work better, smarter, and at lower cost - and to make it work for the real needs of the people we serve.

This was precisely the ambition of this event: to make multilateralism fit for a new era - or at least to chart credible paths in that direction.

And yes, International Geneva stands at a moment of redefinition. It must adapt.

Few places in the world combine, as Geneva does - within a single ecosystem - historical legitimacy, technical expertise, stability, operational capacity, and openness.

If multilateralism is evolving, Geneva is not a spectator. It is a laboratory - a place where new forms of cooperation are tested, refined, and adjusted to reality.

As Host State, Switzerland is acutely aware of this responsibility. Our commitment to International Geneva is not symbolic. It is financial, practical, and long-term. We have demonstrated it consistently and reliably - most recently by advancing an unprecedented support package for International Geneva for 2025 and 2026.

This package combines concrete support for our Geneva partners, with targeted investments in data infrastructure, digital solutions, and universal representation.

I see Geneva as a place that keeps dialogue possible - even when dialogue seems impossible.

This vision is reflected in the Swiss Government's Host State Strategy 2026-2029, approved by our Parliament last month. It rests on four complementary pillars.

First: openness and facilitation.

Switzerland offers a neutral, predictable, and trusted environment for dialogue. Geneva is where norms are debated and negotiated - and sometimes redefined - building on long-standing experience in hosting and facilitation.

Second: infrastructure.

International Geneva brings together tens of thousands of people working every day on concrete global challenges - from health and humanitarian action to trade, human rights, and peace. This ecosystem requires appropriate facilities, security, and digital infrastructure - essential «hardware» that must keep pace with evolving needs.

Third: partnerships.

Geneva's strength lies in its unique ecosystem, where actors cooperate pragmatically across boundaries.

We aim to deepen cooperation with the Canton and City of Geneva and to build new partnerships with the private sector and philanthropy - an ambition clearly shared, as today's presence shows.

Fourth: governance of new technologies.

From global health to AI and digital governance, closer links between science and diplomacy are now essential for relevance and impact.

Together, these four pillars position Geneva as a strategic enabler of a multilateralism that anticipates risks, responds to crises, and prepares for tomorrow's challenges - making it more focused, connected, and effective.

Of course, charting a new course requires difficult choices. But doing good with less is not a constraint - it is a responsibility, and an opportunity to do better.

Geneva can lead this shift by prioritizing impact over volume, results over rhetoric - and by smartly combining cooperation and competition.

Let me conclude with a simple conviction:

The world still needs places where global challenges meet international solutions.

The world still needs rules and predictability.

And above all, the world still needs trust - among people, among States.

Trust. Rules. Predictability.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

That is Switzerland!

Thank you.