SAMI KANAAN
President of the General Assembly
Sami Kanaan became engaged in public affairs at an early age. Elected to the Parliament of the City of Geneva (Municipal Council) in 1997, he became a member of the Parliament of the Canton of Geneva (Grand Council) in 2001, before being elected to the Executive Council of the City of Geneva (Administrative Council) in spring 2011. Reelected twice in 2015 and 2020, he is currently in charge of the Department of Culture and Digital Transition, having been in charge of the Department of Culture and Sport.
Mayor of Geneva on three occasions, he focused his mayorality on treating borders as bridges (rather than ditches), and promoting the cultural and creative economy, the media, the digital transition, and the resilience of cities in times of crisis.
He is vice-president of the Union of Swiss Cities and since 2016 has been mandated by the Swiss Federal Council to chair the Federal Commission for Children and Youth (CFEJ).
BEATRICE FERRARI
President of the Board & Vice President of the General Assembly
Beatrice Ferrari is the Director of International Affairs for the Canton of Geneva. She holds a doctorate in science from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, where she specialized in urban development issues related to innovation and globalization.
She has extensive experience in international relations, acquired in particular at the State Secretariat for Training, Research and Innovation (SEFRI) where she was head of bilateral relations.
DORINA XHIXHO
Vice President of the Board
Dorina Xhixho is currently a member of the Executive Management of the Department of Culture and Digital Transition of the City of Geneva in her capacity as political advisor to Mr Kanaan.
A political scientist and lawyer by profession, she is an expert in advocacy processes and political analysis and strategy. She has more than ten years of experience in multilateral diplomacy, negotiations and lobbying. She began her career as an Albanian diplomat at the United Nations Office and other international organizations based in Geneva. She later served as a project manager at the International Telecommunication Union, focusing on digital innovation initiatives. Most recently, she coordinated the development of the Legislative Programme of the Administrative Council of the City of Geneva 2020-2025.
OLIVIER COUTAU
Board member
After joining the Government of Geneva in 2005, Olivier Coutau became the Delegate to International Geneva in 2008. Prior to this, he spent 15 years as an ICRC delegate, working both in the field (Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East) and at headquarters (operations in Latin America and diplomatic adviser).
He holds a Diploma in Advanced European Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges, and a Diploma in Art Market Studies from the University of Zurich.
PASCAL RAPILLARD
Board member
Pascal Rapillard heads the Office for External Affairs and Communications of the City of Geneva.
Before joining the City of Geneva, he worked for the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining as Head of Division for External Relations, Governance, Policy and Cooperation.
He started his career at the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in the Humanitarian Policy Section. He holds a Master in International Relations from the Geneva Graduate Institute of International Studies, and a Master in Public International Law from the University Panthéon-Sorbonne.
ANDREA AEBY
Partner invited to the Board
Andrea Aeby is currently Counselor for Peace and Security at the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the UN Office at Geneva. She is also in charge of issues relating to cities and other local and regional governments.
As a human rights, peace and global governance expert, she has worked for the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, the universities of Geneva and Bern, the OSCE, and the Swiss Federal Department of Justice and Police. She has extensive experience in political analysis and strategy, as well as in developing diplomatic initiatives and building partnerships with State and civil society actors. She played a key role in developing the Swiss Government’s strategy as Host State of International Geneva. Andrea holds a degree in Law from the University of Fribourg, and a Master degree in International Relations from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies.