In late September, as world leaders gathered in New York for the UN General Assembly High-Level Week, a different kind of diplomacy unfolded just down First Avenue. From September 23 to 25, Swissnex transformed a theater in the East Village into the world’s first Planetary Embassy, inviting visitors to imagine a new form of diplomacy – one that represents the more-than-human world. The centerpiece of the Swiss presence at Climate Week NYC, the Planetary Embassy hosted eight events and two installations highlighting Swiss projects that are rethinking our relationship with nature.
“At its core, the Planetary Embassy asks how we might represent the interests of the more-than-human world – ecosystems and life forms who are rarely factored into governance and negotiation,” said Philippe Roesle, CEO of Swissnex in Boston and New York. “What if the Amazon rainforest, the fauna of the Indian Ocean, or even the aerosols of the atmosphere participated in the global negotiations that shape our collective future?”
At the opening event, “Imagining a Planetary Embassy,” a panel explored how indigenous cultures, education, and science might help us hear and represent the natural world. “We call it ‘Kahèsëna Hàki,’ which means ‘our mother earth,’” said Tecumseh Ceaser of the Metoac Indigenous Collective. “That’s not excluding any animal or tree or human.”
Throughout the week, discussions connected innovation, education, and the arts, with contributions from Switzerland and around the world. Swiss startups showcased technologies that are reshaping our relationship to nature, from flood risk analysis tools to AI-driven food waste reduction to 3D-printed structures for coral reef restoration. “What I like about the concept of a Planetary Embassy is trying to bring ecosystems to the table,” said Ulrike Pfreundt, co-founder of rrreefs. “We need a voice for the reefs, for the rainforest – if we could hear ecosystems and what they need, we could get a step further.”
Art and design were central to the week, from film screenings and workshops to immersive installations. Urban Refuge, created by students from the Institut auf dem Rosenberg with MIT, invited visitors to co-create visions of resilient urban futures. In Arboreal Severance, Swiss artist duo Kieffer Woodtli evoked nature’s presence through its absence. “Art and design have the potential to attune us in an ethical, embodied, sensory way to the more-than-human world,” said Rory O’Dea, Associate Professor at Parsons, who moderated a session on biodesign. “That deep engagement and active connection with the world sets the foundation for all the work we need to do.”
Youth and education were recurring themes, with many events featuring students or recent graduates. Projects from the Zurich University of the Arts included CHORNOZEM, which detects and remediates war-related soil pollution in Ukraine and won the 2025 Biodesign Challenge. The Embassy also showcased the short film Tschäggättä a plant-based ink project, both winners of the Swissnex-sponsored Punch Prize. In a session co-hosted with the Villars Institute, educators and innovators discussed preparing the next generation for planetary stewardship in an age of AI. During a talk on food circularity, Gerardo Martinez of Wild Kid Acres emphasized training young farmers in sustainable practices.
This was the first in a series of Planetary Embassies across the global Swissnex network, which will continue at COP30 in Belem in November.
