CANactions is the main architecture event in Ukraine. It is held in Kyiv every year, this year from May 14 to 16. CANactions is a platform for sharing ideas between urbanists, architects, politicians and a wider public. In times of crisis, architecture has an important role to play. It is a mirror and a driver of change in society. 

CANactions is attended by urbanists and architects from Ukraine and other European countries. This year, architects from Switzerland, Austria, France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands take part. They hold workshops, give lectures, share ideas and experiences and engage in discussions with a wider public and the media. Politicians and investors are offered the opportunity to get acquainted with contemporary trends in international architecture.

CANactions has been held annually since 2008. In recent years, it has attracted more than 2500 professional attendees and up to 10'000 interested lay people.

In 2015, as in 2014, Switzerland is the main partner of CANactions. There will be workshops and lectures by Swiss architects Sebastian Carella (Valerio Olgiati Architects), Verena Huber (VSI SWB) and Markus Schaefer (Hosoya Schaefer Architects).

More information and festival’s program can be found under: http://www.canactions.com/

Various publications, interviews and videos from CANactions 2014 are available on the website of the Embassy of Switzerland in Ukraine.

Switzerland held the OSCE Chairmanship in 2014 – for the second time since it first held the post in 1996. In 2015, Switzerland continues at the helm of the OSCE within the framework of the Troika, which comprises the current Chair, Serbia, the previous year's Chair, Switzerland, and the country that takes over the Chair in the following year, Germany. The purpose of the Troika is to ensure continuity in the OSCE's political priorities.

Of prime important for the OSCE is the need to continue in 2015 its efforts to de-escalate and overcome the crisis in Ukraine. Switzerland remains committed to finding a political solution to the conflict on the basis of the Minsk agreements of September 2014 that were negotiated between the Trilateral Contact Group and representatives of the separatist groups from eastern Ukraine. The Trilateral Contact Group comprises representatives of Ukraine and Russia. Ambassador Heidi Tagliavini of Switzerland continues to work in this body as special envoy of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office.  Switzerland supports the Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (SMMU) financially and by seconding experts. The SMMU was established on 21 March 2014 under the Swiss Chairmanship and with the agreement of all OSCE participating States.

The Ukraine crisis has brought to the surface a crisis of confidence among the participating States. For this reason Switzerland attaches great importance to cooperative security and restoring confidence within Europe. In close cooperation with Serbia and Germany, Switzerland set up a group of 15 eminent persons mandated to draw conclusions from the Ukraine crisis and to support the OSCE participating States in conducting an inclusive and constructive dialogue on security in the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian region.