Director-General's remarks at the Relaunch of the Mix & Mash Events

Relaunch of the Mix & Mash Events

Wednesday, 25 June 2025, at 7.00 p.m.
Brasserie des Halles de l’île, Geneva

Excellencies, 
Dear Colleagues, 
Dear friends,

It is my pleasure to welcome you this evening to the relaunch of the Mix & Mash, to reconnect, celebrate, and strengthen our community.

We gather on the eve of a significant milestone: the 80th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter, the foundational document of an enduring vision for peace, dignity, and cooperation among nations.

This anniversary is not only a time to look back on eight decades of multilateralism, but also a call to look forward, to reaffirm our common values, and to renew our shared commitment to dialogue, solidarity, and hope in a world facing deep and interconnected challenges.

In these difficult times for the world, for the United Nations, and for our own Geneva community, spaces like this one matter. Moments like this one matter.

They remind us of the human dimension of our work. That beyond institutions, mandates and missions, we are above all a community of people.

Mix & Mash is a celebration of that spirit. It is an opportunity to step beyond formalities and meet each other simply as neighbours, living and working in this remarkable city.

Geneva is a global city with a local heart: a meeting place of cultures, ideas, and commitments. The richness of this ecosystem lies in its diversity, and in the bridges we build between its parts.

International and local Geneva may often move in parallel, but this evening is about bringing those paths closer, to listen, to connect, and to recognize how much we can learn from each another.

Let tonight be the spark for many new conversations. Let us honour the path we have travelled, and walk forward together, toward all that still lies ahead.

To dialogue, to community, and to the next 80 years.

I wish you and enjoyable evening!
Thank you