FES in Geneva

The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) office in Geneva serves as a liaison between the UN (United Nations in Geneva), other Geneva-based international organisations, FES country offices, and partners in developing countries to strengthen the voice of the Global South.

The current focus of our work lies in four main areas of international Geneva, namely trade and development (World Trade Organization, UNCTAD), employment and social policy (International Labour Organization, UNRISD), human rights and development (UN Human Rights Council, OHCHR) as well as migration (UN Network on Migration, OHCHR, Treaty Body System). In addition, sustainable development (2030 Agenda) and climate change are two cross-cutting issues on our list of priorities.

Together with our local and international partners, we contribute to debates in all of those areas by organising and hosting conferences, seminars, workshops and panel discussions. These activities involve non-state actors (NGO-activists, trade unionists, journalists, academics and parliamentarians), representatives of governments (members of diplomatic missions) as well as staff from Geneva-based international organisations. In addition, we provide regular information and capacity-building programmes, e.g. for journalists on trade and development or for junior staff of national human rights institutions from the Global South, and facilitate the participation of human rights defenders in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of their countries. Activities are complemented by studies, reports and briefing papers. 

The FES Geneva office is part of the Berlin-based FES department for Global Policy and Development and has close ties to our UN-liason office in New York. We are located in close proximity to the Palais des Nations, the WTO building and the ILO. The office has seven permanent staff members and provides internships for students specializing in international affairs, economic and human rights policy.