Practical answers about the forum, eligibility, the venue, and how to be involved. If something here isn't covered, write to us — we answer every serious note.
Évian III is a four-day educational leadership forum bringing together thirty-two exceptional student delegates — each representing one of the original nations of the 1938 Évian Conference — at the Hôtel Royal in Évian-les-Bains, France. The program combines historical study, structured dialogue, and a Model-UN-style format designed to cultivate principled leadership.
The Hôtel Royal is the original site of the 1938 Évian Conference, where delegates from thirty-two nations met to address the refugee crisis created by Nazi persecution of Europe's Jews. Convening at the same address is deliberate: it transforms remembrance into a setting for reflection and constructive engagement.
The forum was founded by Elihu "Hugh" Baver, founder of the non-profit Sosúa 75 and convener of the 2018 Évian Revisited commemorative symposium. Hugh's earlier work at the Hôtel Royal — including the 2018 dedication of the historic plaque — laid the institutional groundwork for Évian III.
Évian Revisited was a commemorative symposium of historians, foundation leaders, and government officials marking the conference's 80th anniversary. Évian III is the next chapter — the same dignity and the same hotel, scaled to a deliberate purpose: thirty-two students, four days of structured dialogue, and a body of work the delegates carry home.
Neither. Évian III is non-political and ecumenical. It engages Jewish and non-Jewish students alike in a conversation about history, leadership, and moral responsibility that belongs to all of us.
Sunday 8 November through Wednesday 11 November 2026. Check-in opens at 3:00 pm on the 8th; departure is on the morning of the 11th.
Évian-les-Bains is a small town on the French shore of Lake Geneva (Lac Léman), directly across the water from Lausanne, Switzerland. The Hôtel Royal is set above the lake with views of the Swiss Alps.
Geneva-Cointrin International Airport (GVA) in Switzerland — about 45 minutes by road. Geneva is well-served by direct flights from major cities across Europe and North America.
Yes. Private ground transfers between Geneva-Cointrin and the Hôtel Royal are arranged for all delegates and educators on arrival and departure days, included as part of the conference program.
France is part of the Schengen Area. Citizens of countries within the Schengen visa-waiver program (including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and most European nations) do not require a visa for short stays. Delegates from countries that require a Schengen visa will be supported with a formal letter of invitation. Please contact us if visa support is needed.
Évian III is designed for exceptional undergraduate, graduate, and PhD-level students connected — by citizenship, study, or institutional affiliation — to one of the thirty-two nations that participated in the 1938 conference. Each nation is represented by one delegate.
The student application process is being finalized in coordination with our partner educational organizations. To be among the first to receive details when applications open, join the waitlist.
Yes. We welcome nominations from universities, foundations, and educational organizations with established track records in Holocaust memory, human rights, or international leadership. Please write to elihubaver@gmail.com to begin a conversation.
Thirty-two student delegates and a circle of approximately eight educators and institutional leaders — a four-to-one student-to-teacher ratio. The intimacy of that ratio is deliberate. The forum is designed for conversation, not spectacle.
English. Delegates should be comfortable participating in academic-level discussion in English. Translation support may be arranged for specific delegates as needed.
The forum itself is provided to selected delegates at no charge, thanks to the contributions of our sponsors and institutional partners.
Students are responsible for their own travel to and from Geneva-Cointrin Airport (GVA). All other expenses — accommodation at the Hôtel Royal, meals, ground transfers, materials, and programming — are covered by the conference.
Four nights at the Hôtel Royal, all meals (opening reception, three full days of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, plus the closing gala), ground transfers between GVA and Évian, all educational programming and materials, and a guided tour of Évian-les-Bains.
The Hôtel Royal will accommodate kosher, halal, vegetarian, vegan, and other dietary requirements. Please indicate needs at the time of confirmation. Quiet space for prayer is available on request.
The program is intentionally substantive but not relentless. The third day includes a morning tour of the town of Évian-les-Bains and the Évian water company, with afternoon time for walks along the lake and conversations between sessions.
We welcome universities, foundations, educational organizations, and media partners whose work advances Holocaust memory, global human rights, and international leadership. Please see the Partner With Us page or write directly to elihubaver@gmail.com.
Yes. Individual delegate sponsorship is one of the most direct ways to support the forum: your contribution underwrites one student's full participation. See the Partner With Us page for details.
Yes. Évian III is convened by Sosúa 75, a non-profit organization founded by Hugh Baver to preserve and educate about the historical legacy of Évian and the Sosúa refugee settlement. For tax-deduction details specific to your jurisdiction, please write to us directly.
For US-based donors, contributions to Sosúa 75 are intended to be tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. Please contact us to confirm receipt and acknowledgement details for your jurisdiction.
Selected programming may be recorded for later educational use, with the consent of all participants. Closed working sessions and dialogues will not be recorded, in keeping with the forum's commitment to candour.
The forum is convened as a private working gathering. Media engagement is curated in advance and limited to opening and closing public events. Media inquiries should be addressed to elihubaver@gmail.com.
The Évian III Student Accord is a collaborative document drafted by the delegates over the course of the forum — a shared statement on principled leadership, moral courage, and international responsibility, which they bring back to their respective communities and institutions.
Write to elihubaver@gmail.com. Hugh and the convening team answer every serious note, usually within a few days.
Write to us. We answer every serious note.