Strengthening the commitment to peace policy: President Burkhalter opens “Maison de la Paix” in Geneva

After three years of construction, the Maison de la Paix was officially inaugurated in Geneva today. In his opening address President Burkhalter said it was to be a place for meeting, reflection and action. The building houses the Geneva Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID), the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP), the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) and the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF). Additionally a number of other organisations and think tanks active in the areas of peace and security policy are to be housed in the Maison de la Paix. Covering an area of 33,000 square metres which offers modern infrastructure to some 2,000 students and experts, it is destined to be a multidisciplinary centre of expertise which, thanks to the presence of the IHEID, will encourage dialogue and exchanges between different generations on the various aspects of peace and security policy. Prior to the official opening ceremony President Burkhalter discussed current topics relating to international security policy with IHEID students. “Peace, which should be a stable home, remains a fragile structure on which we must continue to work. For this reason Switzerland, which many see as a symbol of peace, must constantly strengthen its commitment to security,” said President Burkhalter in his address. In this context Switzerland is already helping to develop new political institutions in Myanmar. It is perfectly conceivable that experts from the Maison de la Paix could be deployed to Ukraine to help draft a new constitution, support urgently needed training courses, or prepare maps of regions in which mines and other explosive ordnance lies buried.

During the opening ceremony President Burkhalter, assisted by Geneva State Council President François Longchamp, Geneva State Councillor Sandrine Salerno as well as one of the IHEID students, planted an oak tree in the garden of the Maison de la Paix to symbolise the dedication of the Swiss Confederation together with the cantons and the City of Geneva to building peace for the generations to come.

OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Geneva

This is equally the objective of Switzerland in the framework of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) whose Parliamentary Assembly (PA) is at present holding its Autumn Meeting in Geneva. Also present for the planting of the oak were PA President Finne Ilkka Kanerva of Finland, and Filippo Lombardi, member of the Council of States and member of the Swiss delegation. Before the official opening of the Maison de la Paix President Burkhalter, in his capacity as OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, attended the Parliamentary Assembly. In his address he looked back to 40 years earlier when delegates from 35 nations met in Geneva for negotiations which ultimately resulted in the Helsinki Final Act, the foundation charter of the OSCE. He also explained the priorities of the Swiss Chairmanship of the OSCE for the Ministerial Council meeting to be held in Basel in December: continuing the commitment to de-escalation in Ukraine, reform and strengthening of the OSCE, and the beginning of a process of reflection with regard to future security in Europe.

This evening at the Palais des Nations in Geneva there will be a reception on the occasion of the Parliament Assembly’s Autumn Meeting, in recognition of the cooperation that exists between the United Nations and the OSCE as the largest regional security organisation.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE, which has its international secretariat in Copenhagen, brings together parliamentarians from the 57 OSCE participating States and is intended to facilitate inter-parliamentary dialogue with the adoption of various declarations and resolutions on the many topics of concern to the OSCE. The positions taken by the assembly not only feed the discussions and work within the OSCE itself but also serve as recommendations for action to be taken in the national parliaments. The PA also plays a major role in the observation of elections. The Parliamentary Assembly meets three times a year. In addition to the Autumn Meeting in Geneva it held its Winter Meeting last February in Vienna and its Summer Meeting/Annual Session at the end of June in the capital of Azerbaijan, Baku.)

Further information:

Speech at the 24th session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE,Speech at the inauguration of the «Maison de la Paix» in Geneva,Geneva Centres/Maison de la Paix

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