IOCM Study Trip 2026

From March 29th to April 2nd, 2026, the sixth cohort of the IOCM program travelled to Geneva, Switzerland, for the program’s annual study trip under the guidance of Professor Christian Kreuder-Sonnen. For IOCM students, the trip is a unique opportunity to move beyond classroom discussions and experience international cooperation where it takes place: in direct exchange with practitioners working at international organizations, diplomatic missions, and humanitarian actors. This year’s visits once again focused on how international cooperation operates under increasingly difficult global conditions.

The first day brought students to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), where staff members shared first-hand field experiences from humanitarian operations and explained how neutrality, impartiality, and independence shape decision-making in crisis environments. A guided visit to the United Nations Palais des Nations then offered insights into the history and everyday practice of multilateral diplomacy, including the chance to observe diplomats and interpreters at work. The day concluded at the World Trade Organization (WTO), where discussions addressed current developments in global trade, digital transformation, and the growing relevance of artificial intelligence for international economic cooperation.

On the second day, students met with experts from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to learn how humanitarian responses are coordinated across the UN system and how international actors respond to sudden crises. At the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF), discussions focused on security sector reform and the long-term political challenges of institutional change. The day ended with a visit to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), where practitioners shared field experiences from politically sensitive contexts and offered valuable insights into career paths in international humanitarian work.

The final day included meetings with UNHCR, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Permanent Mission of Hungary to the United Nations in Geneva, and the World Health Organization (WHO). Across these visits, students explored current debates on forced displacement, human rights monitoring, diplomatic negotiation, and global health governance. Particularly striking throughout the day was how often political tensions, funding pressures, and shifting geopolitical priorities emerged as shared challenges across very different organizations.

For many students, the Geneva study trip is one of the highlights of the IOCM program: an opportunity to connect academic debates with professional practice, ask questions directly to experienced practitioners, and gain a clearer sense of future career perspectives in international organizations. A full report on this year’s study trip can be found here.

This study trip was only made possible by the generous contributions of our friends and partners, the Ernst Abbe FoundationExternal link and the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences at Friedrich Schiller University Jena.