23 February 2015 – Philippine Ambassador Cecilia B. Rebong and the officers and staff of the Philippine Mission in Geneva welcomed Filipinos working in the United Nations (UN) and other international organizations during a reception held at the Philippine Mission premises.
The “Salu-Salo / Get Together” was aimed at strengthening the synergy between the Philippine Mission and Consulate General in Geneva and the Filipinos working in the United Nations Office and other international organizations based in the Swiss city. The Mission/Consulate General also took the opportunity to inform Filipinos of the numerous initiatives of the Mission in the fields of climate change, disarmament, disaster risk reduction, environment, health, human rights, intellectual property, labor, migration, telecommunications and trade and development, as well as cultural and community projects that benefit the Filipino community in Geneva.
Ambassador Rebong expressed her appreciation to the Filipinos for their excellent and diligent work in the United Nations which bring honor and pride to the Philippines. She expressed the hope that the Salu-Salo will lead to further collaboration and cooperation between the Mission/Consulate General and the Filipino community in the UN system for the benefit of the Philippines and the Filipino people.
Further, Ambassador Rebong called on their support for the various projects of the Mission/Consulate General, such as overseas voting, Women’s Wellness Series, Financial Literacy Seminars, and Entrepreneurial Workshops.
The group wholeheartedly recognized the efforts of the Mission/Consulate General in reaching out to the Filipino community, especially those working in the UN and other international organizations. They expressed pride in seeing the Philippines take leadership roles in the UN.
There is an estimated 400 Filipino personnel in the different international institutions in Geneva, holding various positions, and with ranks ranging from Director to General Staff.
Geneva is host to the United Nations and other international organizations, such as the World Health Organization, World Trade Organization, International Telecommunications Union, International Labour Organization, International Organization for Migration, World Intellectual Property Office, World Meteorological Organization, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Office of the High Commission for Human Rights, International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, and International Federation of the Red Cross, among others. END