A unique new international organization
The Global Humanitarian Forum was founded in 2007 as an independent and impartial international platform.
Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey and Kofi Annan announcing the formation of the Global Humanitarian Forum(Keystone, Geneva, 2007)
A non-profit foundation under Swiss law, the Forum was launched in late 2007 by Kofi Annan and Swiss Foreign Minister and then President, Micheline Calmy-Rey. The idea to create a Global Humanitarian Forum arose from a study commissioned by the Swiss foreign ministry and carried out by the Graduate Institute for International and Development Studies, Geneva. The study aimed at identifying ways of strengthening the links between the various international communities in Geneva. One of its recommendations was the creation of a Forum able to reflect on how to boost the performance of the humanitarian system as a whole while reinforcing links between wide-ranging international actors. The Forum was initially launched immediately following the first gathering of its Foundation Board on 17 October 2007.
The Secretariat is based in Geneva, home to the European Headquarters of the United Nations and a large number of humanitarian, trade, health, development, scientific, information and communication organizations, as well as 161 diplomatic missions. The Secretariat is housed in the eighteenth century Villa Rigot, which was a gift to Geneva from John D. Rockefeller. The Villa is sited just steps away from the Place des Nations in the heart of international Geneva.
Speech of Kofi Annan at the Launch of the Global Humanitarian Forum, 17 October 2007 (pdf, 62 KB)
Press release at the Launch of the Forum, 17 October 2007 (pdf, 23 KB)
Presentation by Rajendra K. Pachauri, Climate change: The urgency for action to support the poor and the vulnerable, 17 October 2007 (pdf, 763 KB)
Presentation by Jeffrey D. Sachs, Aspects of the Climate Adaptation Challenge, 17 October 2007 (pdf, 1.09 MB)
