Migration

During his trip to the West African country of Niger with National Council President Irène Kälin and ICRC President Peter Maurer, President Ignazio Cassis stopped in the city of Agadez, among other places. The large region is marked by a migration crisis because it is situated on the transit route for refugees and people seeking protection in Europe. The Swiss delegation visited a migration centre in Agadez and a project financed by the ICRC to support people with disabilities.

Just a few weeks after the institutional agreement negotiations with the EU were terminated, the Federal Council started working towards the unblocking of the second Swiss contribution to selected EU member states. These framework credits are intended to contribute to greater cohesion within the EU and to improved migration management in Europe. Ruth Huber, head of the SDC's Cooperation with Eastern Europe Department, answers our questions on this topic.

From 3 to 8 April 2021, Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis will visit Iraq, Oman and Lebanon. Switzerland's strategy for the Middle East and North Africa aims to strengthen bilateral relations in the region and thus promote peace, security and prosperity. The head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs will discuss these objectives with his counterparts in Iraq and Oman. While in Lebanon, he will also be updated on Switzerland's humanitarian work there.

Switzerland remains fully committed to the search for a political solution to the Syrian conflict. The decade-long war has left Syria and the region facing a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented proportions. On 30 March, the Fifth EU–UN Conference on Syria took place in Brussels. At the meeting, Deputy State Secretary Johannes Matyassy announced that Switzerland will provide the Syrian people in Syria and the region with CHF 60 million in aid.

The Federal Council has adopted its dispatch on the United Nations Global Compact for Migration, laying the foundations for Parliament to focus more closely on the UN member states' framework for action on international cooperation in the area of migration. The Federal Council concludes that the objectives defined in 2018 are consistent with Switzerland's migration policy priorities.

The Geneva Global Hub for Education in Emergencies, initiated by Switzerland, was officially launched on 25 January 2021, making International Geneva a global centre for education in emergencies. Over 127 million children in humanitarian crises and conflict regions cannot go to school. More than 40% of the 80 million displaced people are children; the majority of these children have no access to education, resulting in a lack of future prospects. The Hub aims to change this situation.