President of the Swiss Confederation attends high-level conference in Paris in support of Ukraine

Press releases, 13.12.2022

Co-chaired by France and Ukraine, the high-level conference aims to coordinate the emergency and humanitarian response in support of Ukraine ahead of the winter months. An international network has been established to represent the states and international organisations in the future mechanism to coordinate aid to Ukraine, particularly in the areas of electricity, water, food security, health, and transport. Switzerland is contributing CHF 100 million to the international aid effort for Ukraine this winter.

In Paris to attend the conference, President Ignazio Cassis reiterated, together with Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the need for the community of states to be united in its support for the reconstruction of Ukraine. The conferences held in Warsaw, Berlin and today in Paris serve to build on the joint commitment made in Lugano. "I expect this conference to marshal all the means and resources necessary to help the Ukrainian people through the crisis and to give them hope for the future," said Cassis.

Setting up an emergency response coordination mechanism
The Paris conference aims to set up a mechanism to coordinate the emergency and humanitarian response over the next four months. Energy, water, food security, health, and transport have been identified as priority areas in light of Russia's targeted attacks on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure. Switzerland will play an active role in the coordination mechanism because of its expertise in these areas.


A long-standing commitment to Ukraine
Switzerland has been engaged in international cooperation activities in Ukraine since the 1990s and has an extensive network and considerable experience in the country. In addition to cooperation activities, Switzerland has provided humanitarian assistance to the civilian population since 2014. The CHF 100 million the Federal Council allocated in November as part of its action plan for winter relief for 2022–23 will be used to support the civilian infrastructure and the population of Ukraine. Switzerland has recognised expertise in this area. "Be it through the principles of the Lugano Recovery Conference or our humanitarian expertise on the ground, Switzerland is actively involved in relief and reconstruction efforts in Ukraine," noted Cassis.

Earlier this week, Switzerland delivered a shipment containing 30 power generators to Ukraine. Switzerland has also purchased and intends to deliver an additional 40 mobile heating units, including components and generators, to Ukraine by the end of the year. Furthermore, Switzerland has allocated CHF 23 million through multilateral channels to support Ukraine.


Further information:

Information on Switzerland's engagement in Ukraine
Federal Council press release 02.11.22: Winter Aid Action Plan: Switzerland helps Ukraine through the winter
Address by the President of the Swiss Confederation


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