"This is the reason for IC Forum: thought and action"

On 15 and 16 February 2023, Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis hosted the 2nd International Cooperation Forum Switzerland (IC Forum) in Geneva. Entitled 'Education4Future', the IC Forum was focused on education. The two days of the conference as seen by the head of the FDFA in a video.

17.02.2023

Development and Cooperation FDFA

A group of young people discuss in a room.

IC Forum brought together representatives from the political arena, research, the private and financial sectors, NGOs and young people. © FDFA

"Education4Future" was the leading topic of the second annual IC Forum. Why is it important for Switzerland to have a Forum for International Cooperation? Federal Councillor Cassis stresses three reasons.

“Geneva has become a global hub for education in emergencies, bringing together many actors for joint action, deeper collaboration and greater commitment," stressed Cassis. Bringing together 1300 actors from 120 countries to discuss solutions for innovative education systems, the second edition of the IC Forum was a clear demonstration of this. “I spent two very enriching days with young people who shared an important message of hope, commitment and optimism for access to education for all," added Ignazio Cassis.

Further articles on "Education4Future"

Further interviews on the topic of the IC Forum 2023 are available here:

Interview with Ursula Renold, ETH Zürich
"Education empowers people to shape their own lives"
Interview with Anja Hochberg, Zürcher Kantonalbank
"The financial sector can play an important role on the path to sustainable funding for education"
Interview with Donika Dimovska, Jacobs Foundation
"Investing in education is one of the most important things we can do as a society"
Interview with Patricia Danzi, SDC director
"We don't want to talk about young people – we want to talk with them"

Links

Development and Cooperation FDFA

Back to the news overview

Applying lessons from the Swiss school system to development cooperation

A solid school education is crucial to development. The Swiss school system is highly regarded and has considerable as yet underused potential to serve as an inspiration for development cooperation work. That is about to change. Switzerland creates added value in developing countries and can help shape educational agendas, says Sabina Handschin, education expert at the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), in this interview.

A young woman teaches children from a boat on a river in the Philippines.

Health, education and social welfare 25.01.2022

"The question of who provides education needs to be addressed"

The international community has committed itself to the goal of securing a high-quality education for everyone by 2030. Non-state actors make a fundamental contribution to achieving this goal and are the focus of this year's UNESCO Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report. On 3 February, the report will be presented in Switzerland at a virtual event. Basilio Ghisletta, education adviser at the SDC, speaks in the interview below on the report's significance for the 2030 Agenda's education targets.

Girls' school in Syria: SDC Director General Patricia Danzi, Ambassador Maya Tissafi and others talking in front of a blackboard to a classroom of schoolgirls.

Europe, Middle East and North Africa 15.11.2022

Syria: humanitarian aid regardless of conflict lines

Together with Ambassador Maya Tissafi, SDC Director General Patricia Danzi has visited Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. The focus of the visit was on Switzerland's humanitarian work.