The Geneva Policy Outlook is a finger on the pulse of Geneva’s policy space and helps in understanding multilateral negotiations or institutional reform processes. In practical terms, this means advancing three sets of activities in an integrated way – community building between senior policy makers and thinkers from International Geneva and other global hubs, strategic convening on emerging global trends or issues; and the production of an annual Geneva Policy Outlook published on www.genevapolicyoutlook.ch. 

The Geneva Policy Outlook 2023 publication features 18 articles in English, French and German on global issues to watch and key negotiations and reform processes happening in Geneva. It includes initial reflections from the pilot phase about how to keep Geneva relevant as a global hub in the future, underlining that complexity is the new ‘capital’ of International Geneva. 

Harnessing complexity into something that is operationally valuable to address global common challenges will be at the heart of Geneva’s continued relevance. However, it will need a lot of courage to walk the talk of change. The Geneva Policy Outlook also highlights that multilateral negotiations continue to be relevant for dealing with key challenges in the long term; yet, in the current era of rapid change, an even stronger connection to the insight and experience from outside the formal diplomatic world of governments is important to speed and scale-up change. This is where 'classic' diplomacy needs to reinvent itself and open up to other sectors. 

Moderating the interaction between multilateral negotiations and more agile and inclusive approaches to global governance will likely become a more important field of activity for International Geneva. As part of this moderation, it will be critical for Geneva to stay connected to what is happening in other hubs around the world dealing with global commons issues. Geneva should therefore stay global in its identity so that it can have the legitimacy to deal with global commons challenges. It should remain a global city in the heart of Europe, and not become just another city in the Global North. 

By focusing on the research-policy interface and on community building, the Geneva Policy Outlook inscribes itself in the continuity of the redefinition of the Institute’s vision and mission and of the collective work that “opens creative spaces for diverse communities and fosters the understanding and engagement essential to a peaceful, equitable and sustainable world.”

This article was published in Globe #31, the Institute Review