Geneva Center for Multilateral Journalism
Strengthening independent journalism and research on global governance.
Our Mission
Strengthening independent journalism and research on global governance.
The Geneva Center for Multilateral Journalism (GCMJ) is a Geneva-based nonprofit association dedicated to strengthening independent journalism and research on global governance, with the aim of improving public understanding of international organizations.
At a time when international cooperation faces growing complexity, political pressure, and public mistrust, informed public debate depends on the ability of journalists and researchers to interpret, explain, and scrutinize institutional processes accurately and independently. GCMJ exists to support the professional capacity, institutional literacy, and analytical tools required for that work.
The Challenge
Complex systems, shrinking coverage.
Multilateral institutions operate through layered governance structures, technical processes, and long-term negotiations that are often difficult for non-specialists to understand. As specialist international reporting capacity has declined globally, public discussion of these institutions has become more vulnerable to simplification, misinterpretation, and misinformation.
When institutional processes are poorly understood, accountability weakens, trust erodes, and legitimate scrutiny becomes harder to sustain. This affects both public accountability and the functioning of international cooperation.
At the same time, newsroom contraction and economic pressure have made it increasingly difficult for journalists and researchers to develop sustained expertise in multilateral governance. Institutional memory is lost, entry pathways narrow, and fewer professionals are equipped to report on complex global systems with depth and independence.
Our Approach
Institutional literacy as a public good.
GCMJ addresses this gap by treating institutional literacy as a public good.
Rather than engaging in advocacy, GCMJ strengthens the conditions for independent, informed, and critical scrutiny. Its work focuses on equipping journalists and researchers with the knowledge, access, and professional standards necessary to report accurately on both successes and failures within multilateral systems.
Through training programs, research initiatives, and partnerships, GCMJ develops:
- Deep understanding of the UN system and affiliated international organizations, including both formal mandates and informal dynamics
- Practical fluency in navigating negotiations, technical processes, and accountability mechanisms
- Analytical frameworks for interpreting how global decisions affect national and local outcomes
- Professional standards appropriate to complex governance environments, including verification, ethics, and independence
By investing in people and knowledge systems rather than individual media outputs, GCMJ creates lasting multiplier effects across media ecosystems and public discourse.
Why Geneva
Proximity to the multilateral system.
Geneva is a central operational hub of the multilateral system, hosting organizations active in global health, humanitarian response, migration, human rights, telecommunications, standards-setting, and scientific cooperation.
This concentration allows journalists and researchers to observe institutional processes directly, understand interactions between organizations, and build the long-term relationships required for accurate and responsible reporting. For GCMJ, Geneva is an operational necessity that enables depth, credibility, and firsthand institutional insight.
Founders
Independent expertise at the core.
The Geneva Center for Multilateral Journalism is led by professionals combining decades of international reporting on global governance with executive-level experience in institutional leadership and nonprofit governance.
This combination of journalistic depth and operational expertise enables GCMJ to bridge editorial rigor with institutional design. Our programs are grounded both in professional reporting standards and in practical understanding of how complex organizations function under political, financial, and operational constraints.
John Heilprin
Award-winning journalist covering the United Nations system from Washington, New York, and Geneva, and founder of Arete News and The Science Diplomat.
Ronald Powers
Journalist and editor with four decades at The Associated Press, including reporting, national editing, and Washington bureau leadership.
Dr. Christoph B. Egger
Physician, healthcare and social services executive, board member, entrepreneur, and independent consultant.
GCMJ builds on many years of sustained institutional journalism and research conducted by its founders, including extensive experience covering the United Nations system from Geneva and other international centers.
The organization maintains a clear separation from commercial media activity. Its nonprofit structure ensures transparent governance, political independence, and exclusive dedication to public-interest capacity building in journalism and research.
GCMJ is a Swiss nonprofit association governed by its founding members and board. Membership categories and future participation structures will be defined as the organization develops its programmatic activities.
Contact
Geneva Center for Multilateral Journalism
Overview
Address
Geneva Center for Multilateral Journalism (GCMJ)c/o ExpertFid & Audit SA
Rue de la Tour-de-l'Île 4
1204 Genève, Suisse