Situated in the Délices neighboorhood, the Villa “Les Délices” is the historic residence that housed Voltaire during his stay in Geneva from 1755 to 1760. Today, it serves as a custodian of history, featuring a library dedicatd to the philosopher and his time, as well as a permanent collection rich in evocative artifacts. The villa opens its doors to the public during events and guided visits organised by the Bibliothèque de Genève.
Emiko Okamoto, Japanese tea ambassador for Switzerland, brings practical expertise in traditional tea practices and ceremonial preparation of sencha and matcha.
This session examines 18th-century European observations in Diderot’s Encyclopédie and their focus on Japanese tea, then explores cultural context through a sencha and matcha workshop. It investigates cross-cultural perspectives, historical descriptions, and the sensory techniques that define Japanese tea traditions.
Pierre-Etienne Bourneuf (Geneva Graduate Institute) and Olga Hidalgo-Weber (University of Geneva) are leading scholars of diplomatic history and international institutions.
They examine how Geneva’s identity as the ‘Capital of Peace’ was constructed by institutions from the Red Cross to the League of Nations, and they investigate contemporary challenges—erosion of liberal democracy, shifting negotiation venues, and doubts about effectiveness of multilateral organisations—asking how the city can rethink its diplomatic role.
In French.
Jean-Stéphane Bron, film director of the series The Deal, and Marie-Luce Desgrandchamps, scholar at the University of Geneva, bring cinematic and academic perspectives. Moderator Alexis Favre (RTS) frames the conversation.
The session examines how fiction and documentary practices shape narratives of International Geneva, exploring how cultural production constructs diplomatic imaginaries, illuminates the evolution from interwar institutions to contemporary summits, and reveals how storytelling influences public understanding of multilateralism.
In French.
Pierre Krähenbühl (International Committee of the Red Cross), Yannick Roulin (Foundation for International Organizations) and Marie‑Laure Salles (Geneva Graduate Institute) contribute expertise in humanitarian action, international institutions and multilateral research, with moderation by Alexis Favre, RTS journalist.
This panel examines whether “International Geneva” can reinvent itself amid competition from global cities and shifting geopolitical support, investigating how neutrality, technical expertise and multilateral frameworks can preserve influence and what adaptations diplomatic actors must consider.
In French.
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