Here you can find the last 12 media releases and other news published by the FDFA, such as statements, announcements and articles, in chronological order.
All media releases can be found on the Administarions's website.
28.03.2024
—
Press releases
EDA
At the end of 2023, 813 400 Swiss nationals were living abroad. This number has increased since 2022 (+13 400 people or +1.7%). Almost two-thirds of the Swiss abroad live in Europe and more than a quarter in France, but many also live on other continents.
27.03.2024
—
Press releases
EDA
On the basis of a new comprehensive reassessment, the Federal Council decided at its meeting on 27 March 2024, that there is currently no reason to change its position on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which entered into force in 2021. It has therefore reaffirmed the conclusion it reached in 2018 and 2019 and has decided that Switzerland will not join the TPNW for the time being. The Federal Council's conclusion is based both on the assessment made in 2018–19 and recent security policy developments in Europe and globally. The Federal Council considers Switzerland's commitment to a world without nuclear weapons, pursued within the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), to be a more effective approach.
25.03.2024
—
Press releases
EDA
On 25 March, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution on the situation in the Middle East. The Council calls for an immediate ceasefire for the remainder of Ramadan, which should lead to a lasting sustainable ceasefire. The resolution was submitted to the Security Council for a vote by Switzerland together with the nine other non-permanent Council members as co-penholders.
21.03.2024
—
Press releases
EDA
Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, head of the FDFA, officially concluded his multi-day trip to East Africa today with a visit to the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, following earlier stops in Ethiopia and Djibouti. Mr Cassis' talks with the presidents and foreign ministers of the three countries focused on bilateral relations, regional challenges and opportunities, and multilateralism. The trip also provided important insights for the new Sub-Saharan Africa Strategy that is currently being drawn up.
18.03.2024
—
Press releases
EDA
On Monday, 18 March, President Viola Amherd and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen officially opened negotiations between Switzerland and the European Union (EU) in the presence of the chief negotiators from both sides. While in Brussels, Ms Amherd also met with Maroš Šefčovič, Executive Vice President of the European Commission. In addition to bilateral relations between Switzerland and the EU, geopolitical and security policy challenges facing Europe were also discussed.
18.03.2024
—
Press releases
EDA
The third edition of the Summit for Democracy is scheduled to be held in the Republic of Korea from 18 to 20 March under the banner of 'Democracy for Future Generations'. Ambassador Simon Geissbühler delivered a statement at Monday's ministerial meeting which focused on the impact of artificial intelligence and digital technologies on democracy.
14.03.2024
—
Press releases
EDA
Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis will travel to Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya from 17 to 22 March 2024. Discussions will focus on bilateral relations and regional geopolitical issues. Possible avenues for a peace process in Ukraine will also be explored. The Greater Horn of Africa is one of the most dynamic regions in the world, but is also one of the most fragile and severely affected by conflict. Mr Cassis will meet with the presidents and foreign ministers of all three countries. A meeting is also scheduled with the chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission. The AU joined the G20 earlier this year.
14.03.2024
—
Press releases
EDA
On 13–14 March 2024, representatives of the more than 30 member states of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) met in Geneva to discuss their progress and challenges in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. At the 2024 Regional Forum on Sustainable Development, discussions focused on how to find sustainable and innovative solutions to implement the goals of the 2030 Agenda at a time dominated by crisis and conflict. Sustainable food systems are one of Switzerland's priority areas for action.
13.03.2024
—
Press releases
EDA
Since the beginning of the war against Ukraine, Switzerland has sent regular shipments of relief goods to those impacted, with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) spearheading the effort financially and logistically. The first of three aid consignments in 2024 arrived in Kyiv today. The deliveries are made up of spare parts for fire engines, humanitarian demining equipment and medical supplies. This aid, valued at around CHF 900,000, is provided from the stock of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports (DDPS) and the city of Burgdorf in the Canton of Bern.
08.03.2024
—
Press releases
EDA
At its meeting on 8 March 2024, the Federal Council approved the negotiating mandate with the EU in its definitive form. The mandate adopted takes account of the results of the consultation with the foreign affairs committees (FACs) and other interested parliamentary committees, the cantons and the views of the social and economic partners. Negotiations will begin as soon as the European Commission has adopted its own definitive mandate, expected sometime in March 2024.
05.03.2024
—
Press releases
EDA
In 2023, Switzerland received enormous attention in the international media due to the collapse of Credit Suisse and its consequences. As in 2022, Switzerland's position regarding the war in Ukraine continued to receive regular media coverage. Switzerland's image among the general public abroad remained very good overall. However, in a number of countries Switzerland also faced some criticism.
28.03.2024 —
Press releases
EDA
At the end of 2023, 813 400 Swiss nationals were living abroad. This number has increased since 2022 (+13 400 people or +1.7%). Almost two-thirds of the Swiss abroad live in Europe and more than a quarter in France, but many also live on other continents.
27.03.2024 —
Press releases
EDA
On the basis of a new comprehensive reassessment, the Federal Council decided at its meeting on 27 March 2024, that there is currently no reason to change its position on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which entered into force in 2021. It has therefore reaffirmed the conclusion it reached in 2018 and 2019 and has decided that Switzerland will not join the TPNW for the time being. The Federal Council's conclusion is based both on the assessment made in 2018–19 and recent security policy developments in Europe and globally. The Federal Council considers Switzerland's commitment to a world without nuclear weapons, pursued within the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), to be a more effective approach.
25.03.2024 —
Press releases
EDA
On 25 March, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution on the situation in the Middle East. The Council calls for an immediate ceasefire for the remainder of Ramadan, which should lead to a lasting sustainable ceasefire. The resolution was submitted to the Security Council for a vote by Switzerland together with the nine other non-permanent Council members as co-penholders.
21.03.2024 —
Press releases
EDA
Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, head of the FDFA, officially concluded his multi-day trip to East Africa today with a visit to the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, following earlier stops in Ethiopia and Djibouti. Mr Cassis' talks with the presidents and foreign ministers of the three countries focused on bilateral relations, regional challenges and opportunities, and multilateralism. The trip also provided important insights for the new Sub-Saharan Africa Strategy that is currently being drawn up.
18.03.2024 —
Press releases
EDA
On Monday, 18 March, President Viola Amherd and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen officially opened negotiations between Switzerland and the European Union (EU) in the presence of the chief negotiators from both sides. While in Brussels, Ms Amherd also met with Maroš Šefčovič, Executive Vice President of the European Commission. In addition to bilateral relations between Switzerland and the EU, geopolitical and security policy challenges facing Europe were also discussed.
18.03.2024 —
Press releases
EDA
The third edition of the Summit for Democracy is scheduled to be held in the Republic of Korea from 18 to 20 March under the banner of 'Democracy for Future Generations'. Ambassador Simon Geissbühler delivered a statement at Monday's ministerial meeting which focused on the impact of artificial intelligence and digital technologies on democracy.
14.03.2024 —
Press releases
EDA
Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis will travel to Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya from 17 to 22 March 2024. Discussions will focus on bilateral relations and regional geopolitical issues. Possible avenues for a peace process in Ukraine will also be explored. The Greater Horn of Africa is one of the most dynamic regions in the world, but is also one of the most fragile and severely affected by conflict. Mr Cassis will meet with the presidents and foreign ministers of all three countries. A meeting is also scheduled with the chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission. The AU joined the G20 earlier this year.
14.03.2024 —
Press releases
EDA
On 13–14 March 2024, representatives of the more than 30 member states of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) met in Geneva to discuss their progress and challenges in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. At the 2024 Regional Forum on Sustainable Development, discussions focused on how to find sustainable and innovative solutions to implement the goals of the 2030 Agenda at a time dominated by crisis and conflict. Sustainable food systems are one of Switzerland's priority areas for action.
13.03.2024 —
Press releases
EDA
Since the beginning of the war against Ukraine, Switzerland has sent regular shipments of relief goods to those impacted, with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) spearheading the effort financially and logistically. The first of three aid consignments in 2024 arrived in Kyiv today. The deliveries are made up of spare parts for fire engines, humanitarian demining equipment and medical supplies. This aid, valued at around CHF 900,000, is provided from the stock of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports (DDPS) and the city of Burgdorf in the Canton of Bern.
08.03.2024 —
Press releases
EDA
At its meeting on 8 March 2024, the Federal Council approved the negotiating mandate with the EU in its definitive form. The mandate adopted takes account of the results of the consultation with the foreign affairs committees (FACs) and other interested parliamentary committees, the cantons and the views of the social and economic partners. Negotiations will begin as soon as the European Commission has adopted its own definitive mandate, expected sometime in March 2024.
05.03.2024 —
Press releases
EDA
In 2023, Switzerland received enormous attention in the international media due to the collapse of Credit Suisse and its consequences. As in 2022, Switzerland's position regarding the war in Ukraine continued to receive regular media coverage. Switzerland's image among the general public abroad remained very good overall. However, in a number of countries Switzerland also faced some criticism.
Interview with Yaya Sarria, dancer and choreographer of the Chadian company «Sabot du Vent»
Choreographer Yaya Sarria shares his experience as an artist in Chad and talks about the liberating role of contemporary dance in a country facing considerable challenges. In 2013 as part of the dance festival «juilletdanse» in Fribourg, Yaya Sarria presented a production created in conjunction with Tonia Schilling and supported by the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation. His diligence, creativity and desire to succeed show that Chadian artists have a role to play on the international scene.
The international community has a duty to step up its commitment to combat violence against women and girls, particularly in conflict and emergency situations. That is why the British government has launched the initiative «Call to Action on Violence against Women and Girls in Emergencies»: to send a political signal for better protection of girls and women in crisis situations. On 13 November 2013, a high-level conference will take place to bring together humanitarian actors, donor states and recipient countries and reaffirm the joint responsibility of all stakeholders. Switzerland will be represented by Maya Tissafi, deputy director general of the SDC.
The SDC vice-director and head of the Global Cooperation directorate takes stock of his career before assuming the vice-presidency of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in Rome on 1 December. He explains the strategic role of the global approach to development being integrated into the SDC, both as an actor and witness.
Excellence in the training of future humanitarian professionals
In partnership with the SDC, the Geneva Centre for Education and Research in Humanitarian Action has presented the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Award to its first winner. The prize honours the Centre’s best English-language master’s degree thesis.
Conclusion of school construction project in the Ayeyarwaddy Delta
After four years of work, the last of the 42 storm-resistant school houses in the Ayeyarwaddy Delta in Myanmar have been completed. The project led by Swiss Humanitarian Aid provides a safe and comfortable learning environment for more than 7,000 children as well as protection in the event of a disaster for up to 1,000 people per school house.
Paleoanthropologists of the University of Zurich in collaboration with Georgian colleagues in Dmanisi in the south of Georgia have found the intact skull of an early human being. The find demands a re-examination of current scientific thinking on this subject: Human diversity two million years ago was much smaller than thought up to now. The research is being supported and financed by the Swiss National Fund and the SDC.
Swiss cooperation experts met on the eve of the International Development Cooperation Forum organised by the SDC and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs in Montreux on 24-25 October 2013. Their aim was to prepare a key Swiss message before the forum itself which seeks to define the post-2015 agenda. Portraits of some of the participants.
The documentary film «The Long Way Out», telling the story of six children who escaped from a European human trafficking ring, will be screened on Sunday, 20 October 2013, at the Rex cinema in Fribourg. A discussion with the participation of the president of the Swiss Social Democratic Party, Christian Levrat, and the head of the SDC programme on migration and development, Odile Rittener, will follow.
Since the 1980s, growing numbers of people from South Asia in search of work and a better livelihood have been migrating to countries in the Middle East and to economically thriving Asian countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, and India. The destination countries usually lack binding and fair regulations for migrants. The SDC works on behalf of migrant workers on various projects in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. Now it also aims to apply these experiences and results in the Middle East.
In Niger, pastoralists are nomadic. Profound changes in the country are making their livelihoods more and more difficult. The SDC supports the Rural Code, a collection of laws aimed at preventing and regulating conflicts in rural areas. In this interview on the sidelines of the SDC annual conference 2013, Fatima Sidikou, administrative assistant to the Permanent Secretariat of the Rural Code, talks about pastoralism in her native Niger and the importance of the Rural Code.
For the first time, a Swiss person has been awarded the Alternative Nobel Prize. With his foundation, Biovision, Hans Rudolf Herren was honoured for his achievements in the field of food security and his work in «promoting a safe, secure and sustainable global food supply» according to the jury.
At the 11th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Switzerland achieved an important breakthrough. The states gathered in Namibia from 16 to 27 September 2013 recognised the World Overview on Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT) network as a reference for documentation and databases. WOCAT is a worldwide network that receives substantial funding from the SDC. The network's secretariat is at the University of Bern.