In a world where global challenges demand collective responses, international cooperation — and more specifically, multilateral diplomacy as embodied at the highest level by the United Nations — is not a choice, but a necessity.
Every day, we benefit from countless, and often invisible, forms of harmonization that make our lives easier. Many of these standards are negotiated and adopted within UN bodies based in Geneva, in fields as diverse as health, employment, the environment, telecommunications, and innovation.
But are we fully aware of this? What tools do we have to better understand the stakes of multilateralism? Who explains the role and daily work of UN Member States and institutions?
This is precisely the mission of the Fondation Portail des Nations: to raise awareness of the importance of multilateralism and the essential role of the United Nations.
And what better place to do so than Geneva — the cradle of humanitarian action, human rights, sustainable development, and international cooperation? What better setting than the Palais des Nations, a living symbol of multilateral diplomacy in action?
This ambition began to take shape in 2019 with a major first project: to provide UN Geneva with a visitor facility capable of welcoming up to 200,000 people a year at the Palais des Nations. Designed as a contemporary visitor experience, this new space will be an innovative educational tool and a place to explore the role of multilateralism in global governance.
The construction is underway. The opening to the public is planned for March 2026.
