Of Franco-Indian nationality, Mathias Roche is studying hotel management at the Vatel School in Martigny, Switzerland. Currently in his third year of a Bachelor's degree, he has gained a wide range of experience in several establishments in Europe, working in reception, concierge services, catering and customer experience management. Passionate about the hotel industry and with an eye for detail, he seeks to combine operational efficiency with quality of service.
Immerse yourself in a unique adventure at the heart of a committed foundation! Are you creative, passionate about communication and want your work to have a real impact? Join Caux Initiatives of Change as a Communications Coordinator Intern (6 months - 100%, based in Geneva/Switzerland)!
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What an extraordinary day at the Caux Palace! On Saturday, 15 March 2025 at the Caux Encounters event, the halls of this iconic venue came alive with music, meaningful encounters and laughter as 200 people from diverse backgrounds across the region came together to connect.
For decades, the Caux Palace has been a safe space—a place where people from all walks of life come together to reflect, engage in dialogue and explore ways to live together in harmony and the event, organised to open the historic building to the local public, was a beautiful continuation of this tradition with:
💬 Inspiring conversations and workshops opening new perspectives on living together.
🎭 Compagnie Zappar’s enchanting performance filling the Caux Palace with wonder and delight, proving that creativity knows no boundaries.
🎹 16-year-old prodigy Xavier Silva Ferreira’s piano concert, organised with the support of Septembre Musical Montreux-Vevey, captivating the audience with his talent.
🎨 Syrian artist Dilawer Dildar’s exhibition "Suspended Horizons", curated by Andrea Wolfskämpf in collaboration with Private P'Arts and Anne-Catherine Sutermeister, Head of Community Engagement, Culture and Training in Switzerland at the Caux Foundation, telling stories of resilience and identity.
🍽️ A shared meal, organised in collaboration with the women of Femmes du Monde of the Maison de Quartier Jaman-Montreux, and beneficiaries of EVAM, as a powerful symbol of togetherness.
😂Renowned Swiss humorist Thomas Wiesel delivering a witty and insightful summary of the day, leaving everyone in stitches!
With the majority of participants visiting Caux for the first time, Executive Director Ignacio Packer warmly invited everyone to return and keep building this spirit of connection and community.
A heartfelt thank you to all who joined and helped make this event a success. Let’s keep this spirit alive—because when we come together, real change begins.
Photos: Maria Berezkina, Egzone Halitaj & others
Nestled in the mountains above Lake Geneva, the Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation and its emblematic centre for peace and reconciliation, the Caux Palace, pursue their mission of dialogue and exch...
Ines Mokdadi is the 2025 Global Engagement Events Coordinator. Alongside this role, she is a Professor of English at the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences in Kairouan, Tunisia, where she specializes in Linguistics. Her research focuses on critical discourse analysis, power dynamics, and narrative transformation. When she’s not in the classroom, Ines works as a freelance translator and interpreter, and is a proud Caux Scholar alumna (2025).
A French national, Matthieu Leroux has followed a diverse academic path combining architecture, plant technology and commerce. His passion for exploration led him to undertake a cycling trip around the world, an experience that took him as far as Norway, where he discovered the hotel sector for many years. This professional immersion allowed him to see the enriching parallels between his cycling adventures and the hotel business: the need for constant adaptation, creative problem solving and the ability to react effectively to the unexpected.
Eve Brenot is a French student with a passion for international cooperation and geopolitical issues. Currently completing a Master's degree in International Relations - Expertise and International Risks, she is particularly interested in crisis management, foreign policy and global governance. Her background, combining studies, associative commitments and professional experience, has enabled her to develop an approach combining strategic thinking and concrete action.
The 1st of March is a significant date for the Marshall Islands, as it marks the anniversary of the Castle Bravo nuclear test conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll in 1954. This was the most powerful nuclear bomb ever tested by the U.S., with an explosion 1,000 times stronger than the Hiroshima bomb, causing displacement, radiation-related illnesses, and environmental devastation.
Each year, the Marshall Islands observe Nuclear Victims Remembrance Day on 1 March, honouring those affected by the nuclear testing programme that took place between 1946 and 1958 (download the flyer).
On 28 February 2025, the Permanent Mission of the Marshall Islands in Geneva, the World Council of Churches, and the Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation organised a special commemoration at Maison de la Paix (DCAF) in Geneva. The solemn gathering brought together ambassadors, other Permanent Mission representatives, UN agencies and NGOs of International Geneva for a powerful moment of reflection and commitment, to honour survivors and call for justice, recognition, and disarmament.
We were honoured to welcome the Honourable Kalani Kaneko, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, who emphasised the need for collective action: “True justice has to be a collective effort. I call on the UN and all Permanent Missions to assist the Marshallese in the pursuit of nuclear justice.”
Peter Prove, Director of the CCIA at the World Council of Churches, praised the leadership of the Marshall Islands government in healing past wounds through accountability and justice.
Ambassador Doreen Debrum of the Permanent Mission of the Marshall Islands in Geneva highlighted the crucial role of youth, welcoming collaboration and celebrating a traditional Pacific dance performed by ten children and young people.
True justice has to be a collective effort.
Hon. Kalani Kaneko, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Republic of the Marshall Islands
As Ignacio Packer, Executive Director of Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation, reminded us in his welcoming words:
“Today, as we honour the victims and survivors of the nuclear weapons tests conducted in the Marshall Islands, we are reminded of the devastating consequences when trust is broken, when power overshadows responsibility, and when collaboration fails. The theme of this year’s remembrance, Ain Bartak Ju Ae Maroñroñ—unite and work collaboratively— is not just a call for today but a guiding principle for how we must move forward: by creating inclusive and safe spaces where people from all walks of life can come together, share their experience, learn from each other and work collaboratively on sustainable solutions for the future. May this commemoration not only serve as a tribute to those who have suffered but also as an urgent call to action. Let us redouble our efforts to build a world where trust prevails over division, where dialogue leads to understanding, and where peace is not just an aspiration but a reality."
Let us redouble our efforts to build a world where trust prevails over division, where dialogue leads to understanding, and where peace is not just an aspiration but a reality.
Ignacio Packer, Executive Director, Caux Initiatives of Change
In the currenct global context, it is more crucial than ever to keep the conversations for peace, collaboration and dialogue going.
The Caux Forum 2025 at the Caux Palace, Switzerland, offers a safe space of trust, care, solidarity and respect and encourages each of us to reflect on our roles, explore our resources, and connect with our responsibilities as changemakers.
Join us this summer at the Caux Forum and let's collaboratively address the burning issues of our time to find innovative, creative and sustainable answers!
We can all make a difference! Let's be united for change!
REGISTER NOW and stay tuned by signing up for our newsletter!
"It's time to speak up and stand up for democracy! This is the future we are talking about, and we have to let young people have their say and give them a platform!", explained Heinrich Pick, board member of IofC Germany and Co-Executive Director of Elfgenpick.
"In a time where discussions become heated and different opinions seem more and more irreconcilable, it is crucial to create spaces where we can exchange ideas and perspectives. Without headline rhetoric, but with respect, openness and a willingness to listen. This is the main reason why we decided to organise a dialogue on democracy in Germany, just two days prior to the German federal elections".
In the presence of a local TV channel, 65 people joined the event on 21 February 2025 in Augsburg, Germany, to listen to panelists from politics, academia and civil society and local artists on the theme "Are we out of our minds?" and to discuss what is needed to strengthen democracy in current times.
The event was a direct result of last summer's Caux Democracy Forum and organised by Elfgenpick in collaboration with Initiatives of Change Germany, as a contribution to the initiative "1000 Spaces for Democracy" by the German Federal Agency for Civic Education (Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung).
It is essential to keep the conversation on democracy going. Therefore join us next July for the second edition of the Caux Democracy Forum!
The Caux Democracy Forum, taking place at the Caux Palace, Switzerland, from 8 to 12 July, 2025, comes at a critical juncture for global democracy. It creates a unique platform, bringing together voices from civil society, youth, grassroots movements, governments, academia, corporations and non-traditional sectors to delve deeper into the values essential to strengthen democracy in a rapidly evolving world!
Sign up here and secure your seat at the Caux Democracy Forum! Let's talk about democracy!
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