The palace at the centre of world peace

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The first General Assembly of the League of Nations was held in Geneva on November 15, 1920. Between 1920 and 1929, the organisation held its annual general assembly in the Reformation Hall located on the edge of rue du Rhône. The Hotel Victoria, located adjacent, hosted the secretariat. ville de geneve

President of the 10th Assembly of the League of Nations, Salvadorian diplomat José Gustavo Guerrero leads the foundation stone ceremony on September 7, 1929. Behind him, the architects of the Palais des Nations: from left to right, Julien Flegenheimer (Geneva), Henri-Paul Nénot and Camille Lefèvre (France), Joseph Vago (Hungary), Carlov-Broggi (Italy). Bibliothèque de Genève

Library staff in the conference room of the Hotel Palais Wilson. From 1920 to 1936, the League of Nations was housed in the large, refurbished hotel before moving to the Palais des Nations building, whose construction had just been completed. UN Archives

The main courtyard of the Palais des Nations seen in the direction of the library, June 1934. Bibliothèque de Genève

Construction of the Palais des Nations in June 1934. Bibliothèque de Genève

The Palais des Nations in 1958. Resolutely neo-classical, the building was the polar opposite of the United Nations Headquarters in New York, a "Glass Palace" designed by architects such as Oscar Niemeyer and Le Corbusier and inaugurated in 1951. UN Archives

The Assembly Hall at the Palais des Nations in 1936. Bibliothèque de Genève

On April 25, 1945, US President Harry Truman's motorcade crossed the Golden Gate Bridge on its way to San Francisco where an international conference was held for the signing of the UN Charter. UN Archives

From April to June 1945, the San Francisco Opera hosted the representatives of the 50 member states of the UN Conference that signed the founding Charter of the global institution. UN Photo

The snack bar in the basement of the Veterans Building in San Francisco frequented by journalists covering the signing of the United Nations Charter in June 1945. UN Photo

The Charter of the United Nations was signed on June 26, 1945 by the representatives of 50 countries. UN Photo

The United Nations officially came into being on October 24, 1945, when its Charter was ratified by China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States and a majority of other signatories. United Nations Day is celebrated on October 24 each year. UN Photo

A stamp produced by the United Nations Postal Administration. Akg-images / De Agostini Picture Library

Soviet Premier Nikolai Bulganin, the President of United States Dwight Eisenhower, French President of the Council of Ministers Edgar Faure and British Prime Minister Anthony Eden heading for a group photo on the lawns of the Palais des Nations, July 18, 1955. Akg-images / Mondadori Portfolio

Photographers await the start of a summit at the Palais des Nations devoted to disarmament, global security and German unification on July 18, 1955. Akg-images / Mondadori Portfolio

Soviet Premier Nikolai Bulganin, US President Dwight Eisenhower, French leader Edgar Faure and British Prime Minister Anthony Eden pose for the press in the courtyard of the Palais des Nations in July 1955. A summit on disarmament and German reunification was held there. Akg-images / Erich Lessing

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Throughout the 20th century, the Palais des Nations building in Geneva was at the centre of global peace negotiations. A look back at its history in black and white. 

The foundations of international law were laid during the two world wars that ravaged the first half of the 20th century. The League of Nations, founded 100 years ago, put down the initial groundwork. This was followed by its successor, the United Nations, which turned 75 this year. It took on the role with European powers exhausted by war.

But the UN can only act within the limits set by its 193 member states, especially the most powerful ones. In this regard, the progress agreed between nations has been quite remarkable. Whether it is the recognition of refugee status and an agency to help them, international conventions encouraging greater respect for human rights, technical standards established in the field of telecommunications or intellectual property rights, the UN has enabled countries to come together around many different issues.

These accomplishments cannot be taken for granted, as shown by the renewed tensions between global powers in a today’s multipolar world. But as every country is a member of the UN, and civil society is given an important role, the global body remains a key institution to try to resolve the balance of powers between member states.

Correction: An image caption in the gallery erroneously stated that US President Eisenhower’s motorcade crossed the Golden Gate Bridge on its way to San Francisco where an international conference was held for the signing of the UN Charter. It was Harry Truman.