Decrease in international cooperation funding and impact on Geneva stakeholders

On April 16, the State Council submitted to the Grand Council’s Finance Committee a request for a supplementary credit of 10 million francs to support Geneva’s non-governmental organizations (NGOs). This funding follows the Grand Council’s vote on February 14, 2025 on PL13593 concerning extraordinary financial aid from the State to NGOs affected by the freeze on international aid (LAFONG).

As the referendum filed against it failed to gather sufficient signatures, Law 13593 came into force on April 25, 2025.

Application form for financial support.

For more information regarding the procedure and conditions for granting aid, as well as the terms for processing the aid request, please consult the dedicated booklet.

You may also consult the presentation materials of the information session dedicated to the extraordinary financial aid for Geneva-based NGOs that took place on Tuesday, 6 May 2025.

Permis de travail : peut-on changer d’emploi si l’on perd le sien auprès d’une OI/ONG ? – OCIRT, État de Genève (French only).

Possible options for extending the stay in Switzerland, depending on the nationality and the length of the stay with a legitimation card of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA).

To assist the staff members whose employment contracts will not be extended or renewed, we have prepared an information note explaining the options available to those who are domiciled in Switzerland and who wish to extend their stay (see enclosure).

The information is provided for guidance only. It is not legally binding on the Cantonal and Federal Authorities responsible for issuing stay permits under ordinary Swiss law. They will examine each application individually according to the circumstances of the applicants.

Courtesy periods

We remind you that the usual courtesy period of 2 months applies automatically. We are prepared, if necessary and based on circumstances justified and supported by the Organisation, to extend this period provided that the staff members have sufficient financial means.

The other courtesy periods granted to staff members retiring or taking early retirement and to family members when the staff member is transferred (relocated) abroad remain applicable (see Section 11 of the Guidelines on the issuance of FDFA legitimation cards).

Each request must be made by the Organisation before the end of duties of the staff member.

Information note for staff members of international organizations