Commitment to the ICRC’s Memorial Initiative

Our ICRC Alumni Association supports and promotes the creation and installation of a memorial in the heart of the Garden of Remembrance at the ICRC headquarters in Geneva.

This significant, artistic installation will pay tribute to colleagues who lost their lives in the service of the ICRC. The complete installation is part of a broader project to redesign the garden as a place of reflection, recognition, and remembrance. In a later phase, the demolished chalets will make way for a pavilion capable of hosting events.

The Artwork

Conceived by artist Sophie Guyot, the work will take the form of a constellation of polished steel star-shards—mirrors bearing the names of fallen colleagues, engraved in transparency, suspended and held together by rods above a small stream.

Sophie Guyot is not only an internationally acclaimed artist but also spent part of her youth working at the ICRC.

• A powerful symbol: each shard represents an individual, their commitment, and their now indelible bond with the ICRC’s mission.

• A place of memory and unity: this space will allow families, colleagues, and future generations to remember and pay homage.

• A collective project: this memorial arose from a need expressed by current and former ICRC employees and bereaved loved ones.

Funding

The total estimated cost is CHF 185,000, which includes:

• the design and fabrication of the artwork (selection of materials, cutting, and engraving of names)

• the engineering and installation of the structure on site

• the landscape design and garden layout, since the garden is an integral part of the artwork

In agreement with the ICRC, the ICRC Alumni Association has reached out to private foundations supportive of the ICRC’s activities and hopes to cover more than 85 percent of the projected budget. 

The association is appealing to all its members to contribute to this project. No donation is too small: every gesture matters, for it comes from the heart, from the symbol, from the memory we wish to inscribe in this work. Please share this appeal with your families, friends, and loved ones—everyone is welcome to join in this collective tribute.

From today until December 15, 2025, you can support the creation and installation of this work in the Garden of Remembrance at the ICRC in Geneva by using the following QR code.