The trip is organised by DIPLOCAT and the Delegation of the Government of Catalonia to Switzerland, bringing together 27 professionals from the Catalan administration and the consortium's member organisations.

DIPLOCATand the Delegation of the Government of Catalonia to Switzerland began organising a two-day study visit to Geneva yesterday as part of the second edition of the "Action in International and European Organisations" course. The aim of the trip is to identify interesting opportunities in Geneva, to learn first-hand about the extensive United Nations system and to find out how the Catalan administrations and civil society can work alongside them.

Through this activity, DIPLOCAT encourages participants to put into practice the topics covered during the previously amended course through direct contact with the heads of these institutions and with Catalans who work in them. The group of 27 people who travelled to Geneva included employees from the Catalan Government, ACCIÓ, the Catalan Agency for Cooperation, the CTTI, the Parliament of Catalonia, the Ramon Llull Institute, the Sant Boi de Llobregat City Council, the Girona Provincial Council, the Catalan Third Social Sector Bureau, the CAC and the UOC.

The agenda kicked off with a meeting at the Delegation of the Government of Catalonia to Switzerland followed by a welcome address by the head of the Delegation, Gabriel Boichat. Visits and meetings with organisations such as the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT); the Geneva Environment Network, which works to raise public awareness of environmental and sustainable development issues; and the UN Women and UN Aids agencies are included in the agenda. Visits are also planned to the UNHCR Archive and the Palais des Nations, together with a meeting with Catalans working in international organisations based in Geneva.

The "Action in International and European Organisations" course, now in its third edition after the summer, is co-organised by DIPLOCAT and the Barcelona Institute of International Studies (IBEI), in collaboration with the Department of Foreign Action and the European Union, and the School of Public Administration of Catalonia. Designed exclusively for Catalan public administration staff and DIPLOCAT member entities, the course is specifically aimed at training professionals who must act or have relations with international bodies, representing and defending their own interests with expertise, efficiency and flexibility.