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 opens its doors
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The World Trade Organization (WTO) put on a grand show Sunday 6 September, with an assist from the excellent weather. The organization’s building, the Centre William Rappard, was open to the public, and offered guided tours that gave a feeling for the history of the building, which originally housed the International Labour Office, created after the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.
The artwork, much of it donated by foreign governments, is spectacular.
First floor of the WTO
Director-General's office
Several stands served food from the various member countries in the Parc Barton behind the building.
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.
