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.
15.07.2024
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Press releases
EDA
NATO is opening a multilateral liaison office in Geneva to engage with the international and non-governmental organisations based there. In Bern today, the director general of the Directorate of International Law at the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), Franz Perrez, and John Swords, the legal adviser and director of the NATO Office of Legal Affairs, signed an agreement governing the office's legal status.
15.07.2024
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Press releases
EDA
Switzerland is continuing to act for a world without capital punishment. Universal abolition is one of the Federal Council's 2024–27 Foreign Policy Strategy objectives and one of the four thematic focus areas of the FDFA's 2021–24 Guidelines on Human Rights. The new action plan translates Switzerland's commitment into concrete measures and sets out its priorities in the fight against the death penalty.
15.07.2024
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Press releases
EDA
Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis's visit to San José, Costa Rica, today concludes his journey through Latin America. Discussions focused on bilateral and trade relations, the follow-up to the Summit on Peace in Ukraine at the Bürgenstock resort, and global geopolitical challenges and their regional and global impact. In Peru and Costa Rica, the head of the FDFA met with members of the Swiss community at celebrations organised to mark Swiss National Day on 1 August.
12.07.2024
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Press releases
EDA
The 56th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC), based in Geneva, concludes today after four weeks of intensive work and the adoption of more than 20 resolutions. Switzerland presented a resolution on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of peaceful protests, which was adopted by consensus, and participated in discussions on a range of issues and geographical contexts.
08.07.2024
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Press releases
EDA
Where does the international community stand in the fight against poverty and hunger? This year's High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development at the UN in New York will scrutinise the progress made towards implementing these two goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Switzerland is calling for the inclusion of a new indicator to measure food diversity, thereby strengthening food systems.
08.07.2024
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Press releases
EDA
From 10 to 15 July 2024, Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, head of Switzerland's Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, will pay an official visit to Brazil, Costa Rica and Peru. The implementation of the Federal Council's Americas Strategy 2022–25 will be at the heart of this trip. With the various meetings also focusing on global geopolitical challenges, there will be opportunities to take stock of the Summit on Peace in Ukraine held on the Bürgenstock in mid-June. Mr Cassis will use his time in Costa Rica and Peru to meet with the Swiss community there. He will conclude his trip with a stop in New York to take part in an open debate at the UN Security Council on the preservation of international peace and security.
03.07.2024
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Press releases
EDA
Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis' trip to Central Asia ends today. The head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) visited Tajikistan before travelling on to Kyrgyzstan. Both countries are part of Switzerland's voting group in the Bretton Woods institutions, and the trip reaffirmed the strong cooperation among the group's members. There was also praise for the positive results of international cooperation programmes in the fields of digitalisation and water.
28.06.2024
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Press releases
EDA
Federal Councillor Karin Keller-Sutter and Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, together with Swiss National Bank Chairman Thomas Jordan, will travel to Dushanbe in Tajikistan from 1 to 3 July 2024. There, they will meet with the members of the Swiss constituency in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, the two Bretton Woods institutions. Both Federal Councillors will take the opportunity to hold bilateral talks with representatives of the constituency. Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis will then travel to Kyrgyzstan.
26.06.2024
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Press releases
EDA
The Federal Council is set to propose legislative amendments to enshrine in law Switzerland's practice, developed over the last two decades, on the restitution of illicitly acquired assets of foreign politically exposed persons (PEPs). At its meeting on 26 June 2024, it approved the report in response to the postulate of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Council of States (FAC-S) of 4 April 2019, which asked the Federal Council to examine whether legislation in this area should be harmonised.
26.06.2024
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Press releases
EDA
The Swiss private sector is to play a key role in Ukraine's recovery. Switzerland's Federal Council plans to make CHF 500 million available over the next four years to better involve the private sector in these efforts. The funds will come from the CHF 1.5 billion earmarked for Ukraine in the International Cooperation Strategy 2025–28. In addition, the Federal Council intends to provide CHF 66 million to support early recovery in the east of the country as well as the reconstruction and modernisation of basic infrastructure in the areas of energy security, water supply and public transport. All of this was decided by the Federal Council at its meeting on 26 June 2024.
26.06.2024
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Press releases
EDA
At its meeting on 26 June 2024, the Federal Council took stock of the negotiations with the EU and the internal implementation of the package which aims to stabilise and further develop the bilateral path. While tangible progress has been made in several areas, in others, such as immigration and wage protection, the positions of the two sides have not yet converged sufficiently. Meanwhile parallel discussions continue in Switzerland with interest groups on key sectors.
26.06.2024
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Press releases
EDA
At its meeting of 26 June 2024, the Federal Council decided to allocate CHF 39 million to the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) in order to help tackle food insecurity and malnutrition. The WFP is the world's largest humanitarian organisation, fighting hunger across the globe. It is also one of Switzerland's main international cooperation partners.
15.07.2024 —
Press releases
EDA
NATO is opening a multilateral liaison office in Geneva to engage with the international and non-governmental organisations based there. In Bern today, the director general of the Directorate of International Law at the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), Franz Perrez, and John Swords, the legal adviser and director of the NATO Office of Legal Affairs, signed an agreement governing the office's legal status.
15.07.2024 —
Press releases
EDA
Switzerland is continuing to act for a world without capital punishment. Universal abolition is one of the Federal Council's 2024–27 Foreign Policy Strategy objectives and one of the four thematic focus areas of the FDFA's 2021–24 Guidelines on Human Rights. The new action plan translates Switzerland's commitment into concrete measures and sets out its priorities in the fight against the death penalty.
15.07.2024 —
Press releases
EDA
Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis's visit to San José, Costa Rica, today concludes his journey through Latin America. Discussions focused on bilateral and trade relations, the follow-up to the Summit on Peace in Ukraine at the Bürgenstock resort, and global geopolitical challenges and their regional and global impact. In Peru and Costa Rica, the head of the FDFA met with members of the Swiss community at celebrations organised to mark Swiss National Day on 1 August.
12.07.2024 —
Press releases
EDA
The 56th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC), based in Geneva, concludes today after four weeks of intensive work and the adoption of more than 20 resolutions. Switzerland presented a resolution on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of peaceful protests, which was adopted by consensus, and participated in discussions on a range of issues and geographical contexts.
08.07.2024 —
Press releases
EDA
Where does the international community stand in the fight against poverty and hunger? This year's High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development at the UN in New York will scrutinise the progress made towards implementing these two goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Switzerland is calling for the inclusion of a new indicator to measure food diversity, thereby strengthening food systems.
08.07.2024 —
Press releases
EDA
From 10 to 15 July 2024, Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, head of Switzerland's Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, will pay an official visit to Brazil, Costa Rica and Peru. The implementation of the Federal Council's Americas Strategy 2022–25 will be at the heart of this trip. With the various meetings also focusing on global geopolitical challenges, there will be opportunities to take stock of the Summit on Peace in Ukraine held on the Bürgenstock in mid-June. Mr Cassis will use his time in Costa Rica and Peru to meet with the Swiss community there. He will conclude his trip with a stop in New York to take part in an open debate at the UN Security Council on the preservation of international peace and security.
03.07.2024 —
Press releases
EDA
Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis' trip to Central Asia ends today. The head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) visited Tajikistan before travelling on to Kyrgyzstan. Both countries are part of Switzerland's voting group in the Bretton Woods institutions, and the trip reaffirmed the strong cooperation among the group's members. There was also praise for the positive results of international cooperation programmes in the fields of digitalisation and water.
28.06.2024 —
Press releases
EDA
Federal Councillor Karin Keller-Sutter and Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, together with Swiss National Bank Chairman Thomas Jordan, will travel to Dushanbe in Tajikistan from 1 to 3 July 2024. There, they will meet with the members of the Swiss constituency in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, the two Bretton Woods institutions. Both Federal Councillors will take the opportunity to hold bilateral talks with representatives of the constituency. Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis will then travel to Kyrgyzstan.
26.06.2024 —
Press releases
EDA
The Federal Council is set to propose legislative amendments to enshrine in law Switzerland's practice, developed over the last two decades, on the restitution of illicitly acquired assets of foreign politically exposed persons (PEPs). At its meeting on 26 June 2024, it approved the report in response to the postulate of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Council of States (FAC-S) of 4 April 2019, which asked the Federal Council to examine whether legislation in this area should be harmonised.
26.06.2024 —
Press releases
EDA
The Swiss private sector is to play a key role in Ukraine's recovery. Switzerland's Federal Council plans to make CHF 500 million available over the next four years to better involve the private sector in these efforts. The funds will come from the CHF 1.5 billion earmarked for Ukraine in the International Cooperation Strategy 2025–28. In addition, the Federal Council intends to provide CHF 66 million to support early recovery in the east of the country as well as the reconstruction and modernisation of basic infrastructure in the areas of energy security, water supply and public transport. All of this was decided by the Federal Council at its meeting on 26 June 2024.
26.06.2024 —
Press releases
EDA
At its meeting on 26 June 2024, the Federal Council took stock of the negotiations with the EU and the internal implementation of the package which aims to stabilise and further develop the bilateral path. While tangible progress has been made in several areas, in others, such as immigration and wage protection, the positions of the two sides have not yet converged sufficiently. Meanwhile parallel discussions continue in Switzerland with interest groups on key sectors.
26.06.2024 —
Press releases
EDA
At its meeting of 26 June 2024, the Federal Council decided to allocate CHF 39 million to the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) in order to help tackle food insecurity and malnutrition. The WFP is the world's largest humanitarian organisation, fighting hunger across the globe. It is also one of Switzerland's main international cooperation partners.
17.12.2019 —
EDA
Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis has opened the Global Refugee Forum together with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. The purpose of the forum, which takes place on 17 and 18 December at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, is to find shared solutions to meet the needs of refugees and their host communities.
13.12.2019 —
EDA
On 13 December 2019, the Federal Council decided to extend for one year the preventive freeze on the assets relating to Tunisia and Ukraine. The purpose of this decision is to support the judicial cooperation between Switzerland and these two states.
13.12.2019 —
EDA
On 13 December 2019, the Federal Council approved the proposal to establish a national human rights institution (NHRI). The Federal Council has thereby strengthened its constitutionally enshrined commitment to human rights. With the model of a public corporation, it takes into account the results of the consultation procedure. The NHRI will be independent, include members from across society and receive an annual financial support from the Confederation.
12.12.2019 —
EDA
The 33rd International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent ended today in Geneva. The conference adopted six resolutions that will enable the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to improve its actions and adapt them to the needs of vulnerable groups, in a world where the demand for humanitarian aid has never been so high. The topic of digitalisation was on the agenda for discussion, for example in restoring family links broken by crisis situations. The conference was opened by Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis on Monday 9 December.
09.12.2019 —
EDA
Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis called for international humanitarian law to be strengthened in his opening speech at the 33rd International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent taking place in Geneva from 9 to 12 December. Mr Cassis praised the vital work of the 17 million volunteers who make up the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
06.12.2019 —
EDA
Following a Swiss initiative, the International Criminal Court (ICC) will from now on be able to prosecute the intentional starvation of civilians in civil wars as a war crime. The ICC Assembly of States Parties took a unanimous decision to this effect earlier today. It strengthens the protection of victims of war.
05.12.2019 —
EDA
In a triumph for Swiss diplomacy, the 26th Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has opened with the Chairperson-in-Office, Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák, appointing Ambassador Heidi Grau as Special Representative for Ukraine. A renowned Swiss expert on Eastern Europe, Ambassador Grau thus assumes a key role in working towards an end to the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis welcomes the news of her appointment and considers this a testament to the reputation Swiss diplomacy enjoys within and beyond the OSCE.
05.12.2019 —
EDA
Switzerland and the United Nations cooperate closely in the fight against terrorism. On Thursday in New York, Switzerland presented to the Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) the latest developments in its anti-terrorism measures following last year's visit by UN experts.
04.12.2019 —
EDA
The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) welcomes UN Secretary-General António Guterres' decision to appoint Swiss law professor Walter Kälin as one of the experts of the UN's newly established High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement, which is tasked with finding solutions to internal displacement and alleviating its impact.
04.12.2019 —
EDA
Humanitarian action is centred on the principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence. Together with the Musée de l'Elysée in Lausanne and the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is hosting an exhibition and forum for debate on humanitarian action and its founding principles. The art installation will run until March 2020 at the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum in Geneva.
02.12.2019 —
EDA
Following several demarches from the FDFA over the incident concerning an employee of the Swiss embassy in Colombo, State Secretary Pascale Baeriswyl has received the Sri Lankan ambassador to Switzerland based in Berlin, Karunasena Hettiarachchi, in Bern. Ms Baeriswyl confirmed at the meeting that Switzerland supports measures to investigate and settle this matter by due process of law. However, the employee concerned still cannot be questioned on health grounds.
02.12.2019 —
EDA
During its 5th meeting held at Luxembourg on 2 December 2019, the Swiss-EU statistics committee adopted a decision concerning the revision of Annex A of the bilateral agreement in the area of statistics. This revision, which results from a decision of the Federal Council from 22 May 2019, thus makes it possible to continue the good statistical collaboration between Switzerland and the EU. The new Annex A comes into force with immediate effect.