Realizing Geneva’s Potential

As I reengage with the region after 25-years—I continue to be struck by the international nature of the city and region, especially given its relatively modest size. Few cities in the world carry such a rich legacy of internationalism — a place where ideas, people, and institutions converge around big missions—peace, rights, technology, health, climate, the environment, and so much more.

You can also feel, though, that this infrastructure is fraying. The big buildings look and feel a tad institutional. The suits are a little tired. Key institutions are breaking at the seams, a little too large for the slimer suits that they are forced to wear.

As the world changes, so must Geneva. The city’s continued relevance — and its capacity to inspire and enable global cooperation — will depend on how well it builds on its foundations, renews its strengths, and adapts to new realities.

Building on Solid Ground

Geneva has so much to build upon.

Its ecosystem of international organizations, diplomatic missions, and NGOs is truly unparalleled. It’s a living network that flows through the city. In addition to UN organizations and a large NGO network, Geneva itself has made a commitment to cultivating the international core—The Graduate Institute, the Maison de la Paix, the University of Geneva, a dense web of hubs and buildings dedicated to hosting International Geneva, foundations like the Fondation pour Genève that play an essential role in linking this international community with the local one.

In addition, newer initiatives such as FAGI (the Fondation pour l’adaptation d’International Genève) signal that local authorities understand the need to renew Geneva’s foundations — to adapt to new challenges, nurture talent, and prevent a slow drift of people and organizations elsewhere.

Because let’s be honest: Geneva faces competition. Other cities are investing strategically to attract the same global players — even as Washington D.C. or New York (temporarily?) retreat, Berlin, Brussels, Singapore, Nairobi and many other regional or thematic hubs are positioning themselves as agile centers for diplomacy, innovation, sustainable finance, and any number of topical issues connected to global cooperation, development, and the SDGs.

Geneva’s reputation is strong, but it cannot rest on its laurels. Staying relevant will require both imagination and investment.

Pathways for Reflection

In thinking about Geneva’s future, I started mapping a number of pathways that are worth reflecting on. In fact, many people are already thinking and taking action. I offer these as inquiries for what it will take to not only maintain, but also strengthen, International Geneva.

1. Investing in People and Organizations

Geneva’s greatest strength has always been its people — the seasoned leaders, the young professionals, the researchers, and the many who have made a career of building bridges. But can we do more to keep them here?

How do we make Geneva a place where talent can grow, not just pass through? How do we ensure that small and mid-sized organizations can afford to stay, innovate, and flourish — and that Geneva remains a magnet for those who want to work for global good?

2. Strengthening the Core Infrastructure

Much of Geneva’s global role depends on its backbone — the institutions, facilities, and enabling conditions that make collaboration possible. The Maison de la Paix is a great example of how investing in infrastructure can catalyze a new generation of partnerships.

But the needs are evolving: hybrid work, accessible spaces for smaller actors, affordable housing, and easier administrative frameworks. Can Geneva modernize its infrastructure — physical, digital, and institutional — in ways that keep it welcoming, connected, and accessible to the next generation of cooperation actors?

3. Breaking Down Silos

Geneva’s ecosystem is rich — but often fragmented. The humanitarian sector rarely meets the finance community; digital innovators may never cross paths with environmental negotiators.

The Geneva Environment Network and the Global Cities Hub show what’s possible when we create connective tissue.

But could we do more to spark dialogue between health and tech, climate and finance, or peacebuilding and entrepreneurship? What new spaces — physical or virtual — could help people and institutions meet outside their comfort zones?

4. Building on Thematic Strengths

Geneva’s leadership in humanitarian action, human rights, global health, and trade diplomacy remains remarkable. But new fields are emerging fast: digital governance, sustainable finance, regenerative food systems, and nature-based solutions.

How might Geneva cultivate new thematic “hubs” while reinforcing what it already does best? The Geneva Water Hub offers one model — combining research, policy, and practice in an area of growing global importance. Could similar bridges be built in digital cooperation, impact finance, or climate adaptation?

5. Connecting the Global and the Local

Despite its global reach, Geneva sometimes feels like two cities living side by side — international and local. Yet they share the same streets, the same economy, the same future.

Foundations like Fondation pour Genève have long tried to connect the two, and initiatives like Grand Genève are beginning to weave cross-border ties. But could we go further? What would it look like if international organizations and local innovators collaborated more closely — if Geneva’s global role directly fueled local prosperity and civic pride?

6. Refreshing Geneva’s Brand

For all its history, Geneva’s identity could use a fresh coat of paint. It’s still seen, by many, as a headquarters city for large institutions — not yet as a magnet for emerging cooperation models, digital platforms, and social enterprises.

How might Geneva reimagine itself — not just as a seat of diplomacy, but as a living laboratory for cooperation? One that welcomes the energy of start-ups, the curiosity of scientists, and the creativity of artists — alongside the gravitas of its traditional institutions?

7. Bridging Academia, Policy, and Business

One of Geneva’s untapped strengths is the depth of its intellectual community — from the Graduate Institute to UN research units and numerous think-tanks. But the private sector and academic worlds still run on parallel tracks.

Could we design new “co-creation” programs where companies, researchers, and NGOs jointly develop and test solutions? What if Geneva positioned itself not only as a centre of global governance, but as a centre of global experimentation?

8. Thinking Regionally

Geneva doesn’t stand alone. Lausanne is a short train ride away, home to EPFL, IMD, and some of Europe’s most dynamic innovation clusters. Across the border, Grand Genève and the Haute-Savoie region bring energy, talent, and space to grow.

Could Geneva better tap into these regional assets? Could the Lake Geneva region become a “cooperation and innovation corridor” — blending Geneva’s global networks with Lausanne’s tech excellence and the French side’s entrepreneurial ecosystem?

Staying Ahead

Geneva is admired for what it has accomplished — but admiration isn’t enough to sustain leadership. Other cities are moving fast: building innovation districts, courting impact investors, redesigning their infrastructure for collaboration and livability.

If Geneva wants to remain the beating heart of global cooperation, it must invest with intention — in people, ideas, and the connective tissue that turns proximity into purpose.

The good news? The seeds are already here. The challenge is to nurture them — together.

These reflections are offered as an open invitation to dialogue. What do you see as Geneva’s most urgent priorities — and most promising opportunities — to strengthen its role as a hub for global cooperation in the years ahead