Ambassador's Welcome Word
Dear visitor,
I am pleased to welcome you on the website of the EU Delegation to the UN and other international organisations in Geneva.
The Lisbon Treaty gives the European Union the tools for a stronger foreign and security policy and provides for continuity in external representation. Together with the European External Action Service (EEAS), the new European diplomatic service, which assists the High Representative of the European Union for foreign affairs and security policy, Catherine Ashton, it has strengthened the EU's capacity to act more cohesively on the international scene. The enhanced role of the EU, also with regard to the UN bodies and agencies, has required that we upgrade our presence here in Geneva with the establishment of two separate representations, the Delegation to the UN, which I am heading, and the Mission to the WTO, headed by Ambassador Angelos Pangratis.
The European Union is fully committed to an effective multilateral system. Its action on the international scene is guided by the principles that have inspired the creation of the European Union and its development: democracy, the rule of law, the universality and indivisibility of human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the respect for the United Nations Charter and international law. We seek to promote and advance these principles in the wider world and within the international fora here in Geneva.
The Delegation is active across a wide range of issues from Human Rights, Disarmament, Trade and Development to humanitarian assistance, migration and asylum, health and labour issues, intellectual property and the environment. We work closely with the Diplomatic Missions of the Member States of the European Union, to represent the interests of the European Union as a whole in the international organisations in Geneva and with the wider Geneva community - universities, policy centres and civil society.
You will find on this website an introduction into the policy areas we cover with links providing you with more detailed information and all the news on our activities.
I hope that you will find our website useful. If you have comments you can refer them by mail to: delegation-geneva-un@eeas.europa.eu.
Enjoy your visit!
Mariangela Zappia
Ambassador