Join us at the first ever Effective Altruism Summit in Switzerland, on 24 October 2026
This one-day event brings people together around effective altruism, a growing global movement dedicated to doing good more effectively. Geneva is a city built on international cooperation, and this summit is for people here who want to think deeply about how to do the most good with the resources they have. You'll hear from inspiring speakers who have built their careers around that question, and leave motivated by the ideas and the community you've connected with.
- Date
- Saturday, 24 October 2026
- Venue
- Crowne Plaza Geneva, next to Geneva Airport
- Format
- 09:00–18:00 · One day · In English
Who is this event for
For professionals with a policy-related, international background.
No prior EA exposure needed.
This event might be especially useful for:
Professionals in global health and development, humanitarian response, biosecurity, AI, animal welfare, or related fields, interested in using their skills to address some of the world's most pressing problems.
Researchers and academics working on policy-relevant questions excited about applying critical thinking to complex social problems.
People already working in effective altruism related roles that are interested in networking and providing mentorship during the conference, or in supporting regional efforts.
Recent graduates or final-year students in international relations, public health, development, law, or a related field, who want to start building the connections and thinking that will shape their career.
If you want to attend but are unsure whether this event is for you, we strongly recommend applying anyway.
Speakers
The people you'll hear from
Updated every week
-
Melissa Parke
Executive Director, International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN)
The Hon. Melissa Parke was appointed as the Executive Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) on 1 September 2023. Ms Parke is a former Australian Minister for International Development, and former Australian federal Member of Parliament (2007 to 2016). Prior to being elected to the Australian Parliament, Ms Parke worked as an international lawyer with the United Nations in Kosovo, Gaza, New York and Lebanon (1999 to 2007). Ms Parke also served as a member of the UN Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen, mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate violations of international human rights and humanitarian law during the conflict in Yemen (2017–2021).
-
Léo Le Ster
Principal Strategist, The Humane League
Léo Le Ster is the Principal Strategist for The Humane League, advising and training 80 member organisations of the Open Wing Alliance in 70 countries on their corporate campaigns, targeting major global food corporations to abolish extreme confinement and cruel practices in factory farming.
-
Loic Watine
Head of EA Funds, Centre for Effective Altruism
Loic works at the Centre for Effective Altruism (CEA), where he leads EA Funds, a portfolio of cause-area philanthropic funds that lets individual donors pool their giving and rely on subject-matter experts to identify and fund highly cost-effective projects. Current funds cover global health and development, risks from transformative AI, animal welfare, and EA community building. Prior to joining CEA, he spent 15 years at Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), a research and policy organization in international development, most recently as its Chief Research and Policy Officer, overseeing IPA's Sector Programs, Policy team, and the Right-Fit Evidence Unit, a monitoring and evaluation advisory unit he founded.
-
Hannah Betts
AI Governance Programme Lead, Talos Network
Hannah Betts is an AI Governance Programme Lead at Talos Network, where she co-leads the Policy Leaders Programme, a fellowship for experienced professionals entering European AI governance. Her career focuses on supporting institutions, governments and civil society to govern advanced AI. She previously led special projects and managed business operations at FAR.AI. Hannah holds a Master of Science from Te Herenga Waka | Victoria University of Wellington, examining challenges faced by journalists covering AI in New Zealand.
-
Romain Barbe
Co-founder and Director, Mieux Donner
Romain Barbe co-founded Mieux Donner on the conviction that we can have far greater impact once we have the right information. He helps foundations, companies and individuals support effective organisations, using evidence and prioritisation to decide where the money goes. An INSA engineering graduate, he has worked in humanitarian aid in India, served as a French Navy officer, and built sustainable solutions at an electric bicycle startup. He pledged 10% of his income in 2023, translated 80,000 Hours' career guide into French in 2024, and founded Mieux Donner through the Charity Entrepreneurship incubator. He has spoken on effective giving before the French National Assembly.
-
Naoki Peter
President, Sentience
Naoki Peter is President of Sentience, a Swiss nonprofit working to improve the lives of animals through political and societal change. He has been active in the effective altruism community since 2015, in roles including volunteer, board member and IT contractor. Alongside his nonprofit work, Naoki teaches computer science at a high school in Zurich and previously worked as a software engineer.
-
Antonin Broi
Postdoctoral Researcher in Philosophy, University of Geneva
Antonin Broi is a postdoctoral researcher in philosophy at the University of Geneva. He has been active in the effective altruism movement for over ten years, including two years as President of EA France, where he continues to serve on the board. His research, grounded in ethics, focuses on the philosophical foundations of EA, well-being, and philanthropy.
More speakers confirmed each week.
Organisations
Organisations taking part
Updated every week
More organisations confirmed each week.
Program
The day runs 09:00–18:00 on Saturday,
24 October, in English
Below is the draft shape of the day. Sessions may still shift, and the timed agenda follows closer to the event.
-
Opening talk
How to think about doing good
Where effective altruism came from, what it claims, and where those claims hold up.
-
Talk
How do you compare problems that look incomparable?
Frameworks for weighing trade-offs and judging impact.
-
Fireside chat
The moment they changed course
People who reorganised their careers around these ideas, on what convinced them and what it cost.
-
Talks
Problems worth your attention
What puts them among the most pressing problems of our time.
-
Lunch
-
Workshops
- Planning a career around impact.
- Giving effectively: doing more good without changing jobs.
-
Organisation fair
Meet the organisations hiring, funding and running programmes in these fields.
-
Office hours
One-on-one time with speakers and organisations
-
Closing
One thing to do on Monday
-
Apéro
Application process
Applications are now open.
This is how our application process works:
-
Select your ticket and complete a short application (~5-15 minutes).
-
Our team will review your application and will be in touch with you within 10 working days.
-
You'll receive an email with our decision and more information. Your card is only charged if and when you're accepted.
Ticket pricing
Ticket options and what's included
We suggest a CHF 40 contribution to help cover event costs, but we don't want price to be a barrier, so we also include reduced-price options.
All tickets include access to the full programme, a vegan lunch, and refreshments.
If you require a free ticket, please email us to request it.
- SupporterCHF 40
- StandardCHF 20
- BasicCHF 10
If you know someone who might want to attend the conference, please share this event with them and encourage them to apply!
Whether or not you can join us in October, subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date on Effective Altruism events across Switzerland.
Subscribe to the newsletter →Propose a session
We're also in the process of designing the event program and accepting session proposals via our session proposal form.
Contact us
Email us at conferences@effectivealtruism.ch with any comments, suggestions, or questions.