The 17th century chalet was built in Montbovon in 1668 and transported to Geneva more than 200 years later for the 1896 Swiss National Exhibition. This was the humble beginnings for the 400-year-old chalet which is now a part of the UN Geneva campus, nestled in a discreet corner of Ariana Park. The green, blue and yellow colours would have complemented the seasonal alpine flowers and natural grass growing around it. Somewhere high up in the mountains along the border between the cantons of Fribourg and Vaud, deep in the Gruyère Pays-d’Enhaut Regional Nature Park, a Swiss man once carved and painted flowery embellishments onto the wooden facade of his mountain home.

The maintenance of Ariana Park in a natural manner will hopefully inspire and encourage staff members and all who come to visit the Park to apply the same principles in their activities and thereby provide further impetus for a greener United Nations in our collective efforts to combat climate change. A team of five gardeners maintains the park and its alleys and plants the flower beds. Plaques indicating the country of origin, Latin and common names and species have been affixed to 120 of the trees in the areas of the park most frequented by visitors. Over 800 species can be found in the park. The award of the Certificate constitutes an acknowledgement of UNOG’s firm commitment to climate neutrality and enables the Office to show an important example in line with the Secretary-General’s priorities.Īs a result of these concerted efforts over several years, visitors can enjoy the rich biodiversity of the 46-hectare park, with majestic trees over 100 years old. UNOG’s many initiatives to qualify for the Certificate include, among others, avoiding pesticides, utilizing compost and making use of sheep instead of lawnmowers.

This well-known environmental quality label is awarded to entities that protect nature and contribute to biological diversity by managing at least 30 per cent of the green areas around buildings in a natural manner.

On 9 June 2009, the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) was awarded the prestigious Nature Reserve Certificate by the Swiss non-profit organization Fondation Nature & Economie.

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