Pierre-André Page and Stefan Engler met with Jürg Lauber to learn about the ICRC’s latest operations and the impact of international budgetary constraints on humanitarian work. As Switzerland’s main humanitarian partner, the ICRC can count on the continued support of the Swiss Confederation, which contributed CHF 182.3 million in 2025, making it the third-largest donor worldwide. From June, Switzerland will also co-chair the Donor Support Group, the ICRC’s main strategic forum for donors.
The discussions with the Geneva authorities provided an opportunity to reiterate Parliament’s support for International Geneva. In December 2025, the Federal Assembly adopted a package of urgent measures and a dispatch on Switzerland’s role as a host nation for the period 2026–2029, setting a spending ceiling of CHF 122.6 million. Furthermore, in 2025 both chambers adopted a motion to draw up an action plan to support the multilateral system and International Geneva. The visit also provided an opportunity to discuss upcoming major international events in Geneva and the surrounding region, notably the G7 summit in Évian, which will take place from 15 to 17 June.
The presidents also discussed issues relating to artificial intelligence and multilateral perspectives with Mr Henri Monceau, Permanent Observer of the International Organisation of La Francophonie to the United Nations and international organisations in Geneva and Vienna, as well as lead representative for digital and AI governance. On this occasion, discussions focused in particular on Switzerland's positions and capacities in this area, as well as the upcoming events dedicated to artificial intelligence to be held in Geneva in 2026 and 2027.
The visit gave the presidents the opportunity to meet with key stakeholders on the ground and to highlight the challenges facing the international community in Geneva, in particular the budgetary pressures facing several international organisations and the growing competition between states to host these international centres. It also provided an opportunity for discussions on current issues and recent developments regarding the international organisations based in Geneva.