In the interest of safety, meetings that take place in these eight rooms — located in tightly secured buildings, sometimes within huge secured complexes — are closed-door affairs.
It's that secrecy that fascinated photographer Luca Zanier, who was granted access to rooms in the buildings of the UN, FIFA, the Council of Europe, and other international government agencies — while they were completely empty.
It's in these rooms where world-changing decisions are made by just a few individuals. These decisions "determine a large part of our collective existence," Zanier says, which is exactly what he set out to convey in his photo series, "Corridors of Power." He also created a photo book for the project, which recently reached its crowdfunding goal.
Check out the rooms in all their quiet glory below.
The United Nations General Assembly in the UN Headquarters in New York City is possibly the most powerful room that Zanier photographed. Here, representatives from 192 state delegations vote on essential UN regulations and functions.
The UN Trusteeship Council hasn't met in this room since 1994, after its goal of guiding post-WWII "trust territories" was achieved. However, they're still a part of the UN charter and remain an organization on paper.
UN Room XXIV is a 260-person capacity conference room in the UN's Geneva office. Though it lacks the glitz of the New York headquarters, it's certain that some important meetings are held here.
The FIFA executive committee meets in this villainous hall in Zurich, Switzerland. The executive committee is the main decision-making organization of FIFA; it is elected during a yearly meeting of FIFA's 209-member congress.
The headquarters of the French Communist Party in Paris contains this cavernous meeting hall. The 94-year-old political party's influence has waned in recent years, but it's still a major force in French politics.
The National Council Hall in Bern, Switzerland is located in the Swiss Federal Palace. It holds the meetings of both the national council (lower house) and the council of states (upper house).
The library at Humboldt University of Berlin counts its power in books. With 6.5 million volumes and 9,000 held magazines and journals, it's one of the largest libraries in Germany.
The press conference room for the Council of European Union in Brussels, Belgium is a bit more public-facing. The council is one half of the EU legislature and consists of 28 members representing the governments of
the EU member states. They use this room to spread their message to the press.
