Founded in 1927 to safeguard global stability and cultivate future diplomats, the Geneva Graduate Institute has spent nearly a century shaping international affairs. For the past 99 years, our students have advanced peacebuilding efforts and driven sustainable development across the world. Nurtured by Geneva’s unique multilateral ecosystem, this community has continuously launched initiatives that transformed international institutions, governments, and economies. Now, as we stand on the eve of the Institute’s centenary, current students are uniting to create a tangible, immediate impact right here in our host city.
100 Years, 100 Actions is a milestone community engagement programme led by the Graduate Institute Student Association (GISA). It challenges individual students, collaborative groups, and GISA initiatives to carry out 100 distinct civic actions, leaving a meaningful and lasting
imprint on Geneva. The programme provides a public platform for emerging leaders to apply their academic expertise and implement projects that are firmly grounded in the values of human rights. By bridging the campus and the city, it invites local residents to engage directly with the innovative work of our student body. All actions are streamlined under three driving themes: Social Impact, Knowledge for Impact, and Sustainability.
To facilitate this historic momentum, GISA will open submissions for proposals during the first half of each semester in this academic year. Participants can register projects, request needs-based microgrants of up to CHF 250, and submit post-event media through a streamlined digital portal. Allocation decisions, guided by the Centennial Taskforce, will prioritise thematic alignment, practical feasibility, and genuine community benefit. Each completed project will be publicly documented on a centenary webpage, which will serve as a living testament to how our student community steps forward to ignite change during this landmark year.
As we witness profound transitions in diplomacy, international institutions, and international affairs, it is important that innovative ideas and initiatives arise. The almost-century-long history of the Institute is defined by its contribution to the development of progressive and inclusive ideas that have consistently influenced international relations. Through the 100 Years, 100 Actions programme, GISA invites the stewards of tomorrow to add their own chapter to this rich history and showcase their ideas that will steer the world towards a brighter horizon.
This article was published in Globe #38, the Graduate Institute Review.
