Ruth Dreifuss, former Swiss president, who grew up in the Secheron district in Geneva, attended a December 2008 presentation on the development of the international Geneva project, near the WTO.
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The proposed extension to the World Trade Organization’s building at Centre William Rappard will be decided this Sunday 27 September by the city of Geneva’s voters. The vote is a strictly municipal affair, and the outcome is not binding on the canton, which has the final say on city planning decisions. But this vote is being seen as a test of the city’s commitment to the concept of Genève internationale, host to the European headquarters of the UN and to more than 30 specialized UN organizations, as well as to a large number of non-governemental organizations (NGOs).
A strong “no” vote by the citizens of Geneva would seriously weaken that commitment. Pierre Vanek, leader of the project’s opponents, points out in an interview published in Le Temps that the canton can ignore the result of a refusal, but “people wouldn’t understand why it was going against a popular vote.”
The cantonal authorities approved the building extension because the WTO urgently needs the extra space.
WTO, a very large open house. Photo courtesy ®Jez S at flickr
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The World Trade Organization (WTO) throws open its doors Sunday 6 September to allow the community, both local and international, to become more familiar with its work and its site. The open house has been organized in response to an impending referendum, 27 September, a city-wide vote to on a planned extension to the WTO building at the Centre William Rappard, along Lake Geneva’s shore.
The extension and, earlier, threats by the WTO to move if it could not expand, have been hotly debated by the public and local media for several years.
The WTO is the world’s advocate for liberalizing international trade and solving trade disputes between its 153 member countries. On Sunday, it hosts a series of events, including guided tours and children’s activities, to highlight its presence in Geneva for over 60 years.
The WTO, founded in 1995, is the successor organization to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, Gatt.
Bern and Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The Swiss Federal Council Friday 29 May approved an interest-free 50 year loan for CHF20 million to cover part of the cost of the second phase of renovation at the World Trade Organization building, the Centre William Rappard, in Geneva. The first phase of renovations is underway and the second phase will start in 2010. The work will enlarge the usable space inside existing buildings, notably covering two courtyards. A key element will be a new, underground modular 400-person conference hall.
WTO aerial view (photo: WTO)
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Pedestrian access to the lake will not be hindered by the extension to the World Trade Organization (WTO) building in the Jardin Barton on Geneva’s lakefront, the City of Geneva and the WTO told journalists at a 7 May press conference.
