City of international organizations

Geneva, Switzerland, began to attract inter-government organizations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Telecommunication Union from the 19th century. The headquarters of global organizations are located mostly on the right side of the Rhone River stemming from Lake Leman. The European headquarters of the United Nations is in the Palais des Nations, where its predecessor League of Nations were located. Within about 500 meters from the building are the headquarters of the International Labor Organization, the World Trade Organization and the World Intellectual Property Organization. Within a five-minute drive are the World Health Organization, the Red Cross and the telecommunication union. Diplomats around the world want to work in Geneva because English is the official language and they can have robust cultural exchanges even in everyday life.

Brussels, Belgium, which is called the capital of Europe, has an EU district housing the European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament. The headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is located in Brussels. Eurostar, which connects the U.K. to the European continent, runs in a triangle, as in from London to Brussels, from Brussels to Paris, and from Paris to London. Tourists still visit the old downtown centered on the Grand Palais. Without the modern EU district, however, the city would give the impression of being cozy but stagnant.

If the world sets up a station on earth for a train bound for space, the site would be New York, Paris or London. New York emerged as one of the world’s best cities after World War II partly because the U.N. and its agencies are nestled in the city. Paris has many big-name international organizations such as the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. London has the International Maritime Organization. Berlin and Bonn of Germany, however, have no global organizations.

Songdo International Business District in Incheon has won the bid to host the Green Climate Fund, which has 500 employees and is the largest global organization based in Asia. The Asian Development Bank in Manila has about 2,000 employees but is an Asia-based organization. Switzerland and Belgium are relatively small countries compared to France and Germany. Though Korea is smaller in size than China and Japan in Northeast Asia, it might have more advantages in attracting global organizations. Therefore, Korea could be the better country in international vitality.

Editorial Writer Song Pyeong-in (pisong@donga.com)