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Natural disasters and climate-related risks: Switzerland appeals for closer links between disaster risk reduction, climate change and development cooperation

26.05.2017 — Press releases EDA
Natural disasters and climate-related risks threaten to reverse hard-won gains in development. These and other challenges were the focal point of the fifth session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, which took place from 22 to 26 May 2017 in Cancún, Mexico. At the conference, Switzerland appealed for closer cooperation in the fields of disaster risk reduction, climate change and development cooperation.


Resilience is key

Around 10 villagers building water-retention walls out of bamboo in a sloping field.

18.05.2017 — Article DEZA

From 22 to 26 May 2017, Switzerland will participate in a global conference on disaster risk reduction organised by the UN in Cancun, Mexico. The goal is to deliver on the commitments made under the Sendai Framework in 2015 in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. A project co-financed by the SDC in Nicaragua has proven that prevention in this respect can be hugely beneficial to small farmers.


Coordinating assistance for people in need: Swiss and foreign search and rescue teams train in Switzerland

Seventy-six search and rescue professionals and eight search dogs are practising in the Swiss Armed Forces training village at Epeisses.

09.05.2017 — Press releases EDA
Expertise, rapid response and good coordination save lives. Five teams from four countries are taking part in a training exercise designed to test their operational capabilities in a simulated emergency following a virtual earthquake. Swiss Humanitarian Aid, part of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and the Swiss Armed Forces are hosting the three-day ACHILLES exercise, which is taking place between 8 and 10 May, mainly in the Swiss Armed Forces training village at Epeisses in the canton of Geneva. Alongside Swiss Rescue, teams from Germany, France and the UK are also taking part.


Mental health: a neglected aspect of development

Groups of people standing in front of various counters at a hospital in Chad.

06.04.2017 — Article DEZA

Access to physical and mental healthcare is a basic human right – one which for many people remains a luxury. The third Sustainable Development Goal stresses the right to health in general terms, highlighting the importance of access to healthcare for all and of promotion and prevention for mental health. 


UN session on women’s economic empowerment: Switzerland campaigns for equal pay

13.03.2017 — Press releases EDA
The 61st session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) will kick off on 13 March 2017 in New York. Women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work is the focus of this year’s session. Equal pay will be one of the focal points of Switzerland's efforts during the session. Representing the country is a delegation led by FDFA Secretary General Benno Bättig and Director of the Federal Office for Gender Equality Sylvie Durrer. Together with other partners, Switzerland is launching the Global Equal Pay Coalition, which seeks to eliminate wage inequality by 2030.


Munich Security Conference: Didier Burkhalter rates OSCE as a major actor for rebuilding trust in Europe

Conseiller fédéral Didier Burkhalter à son arrivée à la Conférence de Munich sur la sécurité

18.02.2017 — EDA
At the Munich Security Conference last Saturday, Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter expressed the view that the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) now more than ever had a key role to play in strengthening security in Europe. The head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) called on members of the OSCE to advance common action to reduce uncertainty and rebuild trust through a structured dialogue within the framework of the OSCE.


Bundesrat Parmelin und Bundesrat Burkhalter an der Münchner Sicherheitskonferenz

16.02.2017 — Press releases EDA
Bundesrat Guy Parmelin, Chef des Eidgenössischen Departements für Verteidigung, Bevölkerungsschutz und Sport, und Bundesrat Didier Burkhalter, Vorsteher des Eidgenössischen Departements für auswärtige Angelegenheiten, nehmen an der Münchner Sicherheitskonferenz teil, die vom 17. bis am 19. Februar 2017 dauert. Die jährlich stattfindende Sicherheitskonferenz ist weltweit eines der wichtigsten Foren für Sicherheitspolitik.



Chinese President XI Jinping ends state visit to Switzerland

18.01.2017 — Press releases EDA
The Chinese president, XI Jinping, ended his state visit to Switzerland on Wednesday and was seen off by Federal Councillor Alain Berset, the vice president of the Federal Council, in Geneva. Earlier Federal Councillor Berset and President XI Jinping met for informal talks with the new UN secretary general, António Guterres.


Sustainable Development Goals

16.01.2017 — Article Agenda 2030

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals and their 169 targets are the cornerstone of the 2030 Agenda, which gives equal priority to the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. The new goals combine eliminating poverty with sustainable development for the first time in a shared agenda.



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