The multilateral system is undergoing a profound structural transformation that is likely to accelerate in 2026. A first wave of budget cuts, downsizing, and delocalisation is already constraining operations and reversing achievements built over decades, often affecting those most in need. In multilateral hubs such as New York and Geneva, the mood is sombre. Resources are shrinking, rhetoric is hardening, and long-standing accomplishments are under pressure.
Yet this is not a story of collapse. Conversations held in the framework of the Geneva Policy Outlook throughout the year point instead to a reaffirmation of core values and mandates, and to a determination to continue addressing global challenges through international cooperation. Much of this work may be less visible than before, but it remains consequential. 2026 will be a decisive year: adaptation will shape whether Geneva consolidates its relevance or risks marginalisation in a changing world order.
Geneva has weathered systemic upheaval before. It witnessed the collapse of the League of Nations in the 1930s, yet today it stands stronger and more diversified. Its institutional footprint extends well beyond the United Nations and governments. The city hosts a dense ecosystem of political spaces that enable policy innovation and cross-sector alliance building, including humanitarian and faith based movements, scientific communities, and corporate networks with global reach. This diversity allows Geneva to connect diplomacy with implementation and to bridge global negotiations with local realities.
Security challenges illustrate the stakes. Nuclear arsenals are being expanded and modernised, and the multilateral arms control architecture is increasingly strained. In February 2026, the last remaining bilateral nuclear arms control agreement between the United States and Russia, the New START Treaty, expired. Its lapse removes constraints on the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals and could generate ripple effects among other nuclear-armed states. Whether 2026 becomes a moment for renewed negotiations — including ideally through a revitalised Conference on Disarmament — will test the resilience of multilateral diplomacy.
These developments underscore the need for Geneva to adapt proactively. Its future lies in strengthening its role in regulatory multilateralism — negotiating and administering norms, standards, and agreements — while embracing a more solution-oriented approach through scalable, cross-sector partnerships. It also requires weaving stronger bonds between official and private diplomacy and sustaining Geneva’s tradition of open dialogue, especially on the most difficult issues.
With its long history as a global hub, Geneva is not standing still. Its strength lies in the political energy between organisations, sectors, and communities, and in its capacity to innovate under pressure. The Geneva Policy Outlook 2026 is launched at a moment of strain, but also of opportunity: a moment to reflect soberly on what must be preserved, what should be adapted, and what needs to be created anew to ensure that Geneva remains central to international cooperation in a rapidly changing world.
Read the Geneva Policy Outlook.
This article was published in Globe #37, the Graduate Institute Review.
