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Aux organisations pionnières établies à Berne au XIXe siècle (Union télégraphique internationale, 1868; Union postale universelle – UPU, 1874; Office central des transports internationaux par chemin de fer, 1893) se sont ajoutées à Genève les organisations issues de la première guerre mondiale (Société des Nations et Bureau international du travail – BIT, 1919), puis toutes celles apparues dès 1945, dont la majorité sous l’égide des Nations Unies.
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Switzerland has been hosting international organizations for over 100 years. Since the pioneer organizations were set up in Berne in the 19th century (the International Telecommunication Union in 1868, the Universal Postal Union in 1874, the Intergovernmental Organization for International Carriage by Rail in 1893), Geneva has seen the arrival of various organizations established following the First World War (the League of Nations and the International Labour Organization in 1919) plus all those which were founded after 1945, most of them under the aegis of the United Nations. The number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) has also grown since the 19th century. Examples of the oldest include the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC, Geneva, 1863), the International Olympic Committee (IOC, Lausanne, 1915) and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU, Geneva, 1950). However, Geneva is not the only city in Switzerland to host international organizations, be they governmental or non-governmental. The shores of Lake Léman are home to the World Conservation Union (IUCN, Gland), the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF, Gland) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC, Lausanne), to mention but a few examples. Basel is the seat of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), and the Universal Postal Union (UPU) is still based in Berne, along with the Intergovernmental Organization for International Carriage by Rail (OTIF).
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