Press release of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Geneva, 4 January 2001
N° 104

The Inter-parliamentary Union (IPU)and the Fondation des immeubles pour les organisations internationales (FIPOI) are pleased to invite you to the opening of their architectural exhibition on the Villa Gardiol, the new headquarters of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in the delegates' hall on the ground floor of the Geneva International Conference Centre (CICG) on Tuesday 9 January, at 5.30 p.m. The exhibition will run from 9 to 25 January 2001. Earlier in the day, at 3 p.m., there will be a visit of the Villa Gardiol, the future House of Parliaments, which is located in Chemin du Pommier in Grand-Saconnex. Photographs will be provided for journalists.

On 20 December 2000, the Swiss Federal Council approved a loan to the FIPOI of SF 9.5 million for the renovation and enlargement of a building destined to become the new headquarters of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. The decision will be put to the Swiss Parliament for endorsement under tthe first supplement to the 2001 budget.

Switzerland's Federal Department for Foreign Affairs (DFAE) issued a press bulletin on 20 December 2000 stating: " The Federal Council is thus supporting an international organisation which is important not only for Swiss parliamentarians but also for Geneva as a centre for international cooperation." The loan will be used to renovate the Villa Gardiol and to build an annex. The new building will have public areas and reception rooms, two conference halls, a cafeteria, a library and some fifty offices. The loan is interest-free and reimbursable over 50 years, while the land has been provided by the Canton of Geneva. Work is to start in the spring of 2001 and be completed one year later.

The project which the jury for the IPU architectural competition chose on 13 June 2000 is the work of the Brauen and Wälchli firm in Lausanne.

Founded in 1889 and based in Geneva, the IPU, the oldest multilateral institution, is the organisation of world Parliaments. It currently has 140 national Parliaments affiliated and five regional parliamentary organisations associated. The IPU also has a Liaison Office with the UN in New York.

FIPOI is a foundation established under private law by the Swiss Confederation and the Canton of Geneva for the purpose of providing suitable premises for international organisations.