The WBG Geneva office:
- (i) Represents the WBG to the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, Switzerland, and other international organizations and stakeholders in international Geneva and broader Switzerland. The office has a representation role vis-à-vis the United Nations Office in Geneva (UNOG) and UN specialized agencies in Geneva, as well as UNIDO in Vienna, UNOPS in Copenhagen and the WTO. It also maintains strategic relations with other organizations based in Geneva including (but not limited to) the Red Cross movement (IFRC and ICRC), GAVI and the Global Fund. It nurtures dialogue with permanent representations of countries to the UN and the WTO, academia, the private sector, the financial community and sustainable financing ecosystem;
- (ii) Leverages WBG knowledge and data to help build consensus and inform deliberations around challenges and opportunities of emerging and developing economies;
- (iii) Fosters and supports partnerships with international organizations in Geneva, Swiss government counterparts, civil society, the private sector, academia and think-tanks in Switzerland to maximize impact.
Examples of WBG Geneva office engagements:
o Health: Supporting the Bank’s institutional relationship and collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), and the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM).
o Fragility, Conflict and Violence (FCV): Supporting the institutional partnership with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) on forced displacement, with the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) on conflict situations and representing the WBG in relevant Geneva processes linked to the humanitarian-development-peace nexus including i.a. the Grand Bargain on humanitarian action and the Inter-Agency Standing Committee.
o Social Protection and Jobs: The office maintains relations with the International Labor Organization (ILO) and facilitates dialogue on issues of common interest such as social protection, the future of work agenda, jobs and growth.
o Trade: The Geneva desk fosters coordination and cooperation with the World Trade Organization (WTO), the UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and the International Trade Centre (ITC), to drive consensus on global trade policies that promote poverty reduction, inclusive and sustainable growth, in line with the WBG’s mission to create a world free of poverty on a livable planet.