On the 75th anniversary of the United Nations Charter, Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, will co-chair, together with his German counterpart, Heiko Maas, a ministerial meeting of the Alliance for Multilateralism via video conference. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, and nearly 50 ministers from all regions of the world will take part in this meeting. Christophe Deloire, Secretary General of Reporters Without Borders, will also participate in the meeting.

The meeting will focus on strengthening the multilateral architecture for health and the fight against infodemics.

The World Health Assembly, which took place from May 18 to 19, demonstrated the international community's broad support for multilateral management of health issues. The resolution on Covid-19 adopted by consensus, at the initiative of the European Union, notably underscored the WHO's coordinating role in the management of the health crisis and the need to work toward strengthening global health governance. The meeting of the Alliance for Multilateralism will provide an opportunity to explore practical ways to reform and modernize the global health system.

The meeting will also focus on improving access to reliable information and the fight against false rumors and the manipulation of information, notably during a pandemic.

Switzerland – Visit to Geneva by Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne (June 26, 2020)

Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, Minister of State attached to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, will be in Switzerland today at the invitation of Ignazio Cassis, federal councillor and head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.

At the French-Swiss customs office in Thônex-Vallard, they will attend a ceremony celebrating the reopening of the internal borders of the Schengen area and solidarity among European neighbors in the face of the Covid-19 crisis.

The minister of state will take stock of our close bilateral relationship during a meeting with Ignazio Cassis and Antonio Hodgers, president of the Council of State of Geneva.

He will chair a meeting with Swiss travel professionals to promote French destinations on this major market for the French tourism sector. Indeed, France is the leading foreign destination for the Swiss. Switzerland is our third-largest foreign client in terms of revenues, accounting for €5 billion per year, nearly 40 million overnight stays, and 27 million day trips.

In this city that is so important for multilateralism, Mr. Lemoyne will underscore the importance we attribute to the rule of law and international cooperation, and the holding of a videoconference of the Alliance for Multilateralism, of which Switzerland is also a member, co-chaired by French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian and his German counterpart.