Sustainable development

If the Earth’s entire population lived like Swiss people, we would need three planets! Today more than ever, we must reduce the environmental and social impact of our activities and fight inequalities while developing a sustainable and innovative local economy. Satisfying the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to satisfy theirs – this is the main thrust of the concept of sustainable development promoted at the Rio Summit in 1992. Today, this global ambition has been distilled into 17 sustainable development goals, adopted by 195 countries in September 2015 within the framework of the United Nations Agenda 2030.

Geneva, sustainable city: What action does the municipality take?

The administrative council of the City of Geneva is fully committed to being a sustainable city and asserts this in its Administrative Council Roadmap (2015-2020) : “Welcoming, innovative, committed and ecological, Geneva will meet the challenges of the 21st century”. This desire is reflected in a number of sector-based policies and cross-cutting measures presented on the “Geneva, sustainable city” page.

• Feuille de route du Conseil administratif - Législature 2015-2020 (PDF - 637.59 KB)

The City of Geneva supports and promotes sustainable development, in particular through its Agenda 21 – Sustainable city department, which coordinates the municipal strategy in collaboration with all the municipal departments concerned. The municipal administration participates in numerous local and international networks with a view to sharing best practices. The city’s progress in terms of sustainability is assessed, among other things, by Geneva’s participation in the national Cercle indicateurs programme.

Furthermore, the City of Geneva supports the associations, organisations and other partners which promote sustainable development by defining forums for participation and providing regular subsidies for numerous projects.

• All the City of Geneva’s measures in terms of sustainable development

Geneva, sustainable city: What can you do?

Everyone can contribute to sustainable development at both the local and global level. You can find a number of tips together with useful information to help you reduce your environmental and social impact in the “What can you do?” section.

To stay informed of the city’s activities and the local events linked to this topic, you can subscribe to our newsletter.