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Backgrounder: Major int'l organizations in Geneva

Xinhua, January 16, 2017 Adjust font size:

Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is in Switzerland for a state visit and for the 2017 Davos forum, will visit major international organizations based in the country.

Geneva, the second largest city in Switzerland, is home to many international organizations, including headquarters and offices of many UN agencies. Here is a list of some major ones.

The United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG)

Housed at the Palais des Nations, the UNOG serves as the representative office of the secretary-general at Geneva. A major site for multilateral diplomacy, the UNOG services more than 8,000 meetings every year, making it one of the busiest conference centers in the world. With more than 1,600 staff, it is the biggest duty stations outside the UN headquarters in New York.

The World Health Organization (WHO)

With more than 7,000 people from around the world working in over 150 WHO country offices and six regional offices, the Geneva-headquartered WHO is a specialized UN agency that is concerned with international public health and sanitation issues.

The World Trade Organization (WTO)

The Geneva-based WTO is an organization that regulates international trade. It provides a framework for negotiating trade agreements and a dispute resolution process aimed at enforcing participants' adherence to WTO agreements.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

Established in 1863, the ICRC operates worldwide, helping people affected by conflict and armed violence and promoting the laws that protect victims of war.

An independent and neutral organization, its mandate stems essentially from the Geneva Convention of 1949. Based in Genera, the ICRC employs some 14,500 people in more than 80 countries and regions. Endi