All news (849)
Greater understanding of the Swiss vocational and professional education and training system
20.10.2015
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Article
DEZA
From 19 to 22 October, the Croatian minister Vedran Mornar is visiting businesses and higher education institutions in Switzerland. This visit is taking place as part of the Swiss enlargement contribution to Croatia. One aspect of the contribution agreement is Swiss support for the modernisation of the Croatian vocational and professional education and training system.
The SDC has supported Fondation Hirondelle for 20 years
20.10.2015
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Article
DEZA
Fondation Hirondelle, a Swiss NGO based in Lausanne, supports independent media in crisis zones. For the past 20 years, it has been committed to free journalism, contributing to re-establishing dialogue, fostering peace and promoting economic growth and democracy.
Switzerland’s Middle East Cooperation Strategy: ensuring the long-term security of civilian populations
19.10.2015
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Article
DEZA
Switzerland’s Middle East Cooperation Strategy for the years 2015-2018 focuses on the security of the populations of Syria, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon at a time of persistent conflict in the region. The humanitarian aid at the heart of Switzerland’s commitment is supported by development assistance projects as well as efforts in the area of humanitarian diplomacy and various initiatives aimed at improving human security and the conditions of migration.
Schools and water: Swiss emergency aid is implemented in Jordan
19.10.2015
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Press release
EDA
On the first day of his two-day stay in Jordan, Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter visited on Monday a school in a deprived suburb of Amman and the Azraq refugee camp, where Switzerland has been supporting a project aimed at ensuring the efficient supply of water to the some 24,000 Syrian refugees there. Mr Burkhalter, who is head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), thanked Jordan for its efforts in taking in more than 600,000 refugees fleeing Syria to date.
Syria crisis: Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter to visit Jordan
16.10.2015
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Press release
EDA
Bern, 16.10.2015 - The head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter, will travel on 19 October 2015 for a two-day visit to Jordan, where he will take part in the OSCE Mediterranean Conference and meet with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Judeh, for bilateral talks. Mr Burkhalter will also visit a school in Amman which is supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) as well as the Azraq refugee camp, where the SDC is active in the water sector.
Humanitarian action: Didier Burkhalter calls for a greater commitment from the international community
15.10.2015
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Press release
EDA
Bern, 15.10.2015 - Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter, head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA, has emphasised that the security and dignity of persons affected by humanitarian crises and disasters are priorities of Swiss foreign policy. He was speaking in front of some 900 representatives of the international community at a meeting in Geneva to prepare for the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul in May 2016. The Global Consultation on humanitarian action, which Switzerland is co-chairing, is being held in the lakeside city from 14 to 16 October. This conference represents a decisive stage in discussions on the future of humanitarian aid.
International community meets in Geneva to set course for future humanitarian action
13.10.2015
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Article
DEZA
A lengthy consultation process will culminate in a meeting of the international community in Geneva from 14 to 16 October 2015 with the aim of defining the principles of tomorrow's humanitarian action. The discussions will serve as a basis for the World Humanitarian Summit planned for May 2016 in Istanbul. The need to place the victims of disasters and conflict at the centre of all humanitarian action is a top priority.
Working visit to Bern by Tunisian Foreign Minister Taieb Baccouche
13.10.2015
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Press release
EDA
The President of the Swiss Confederation, Simonetta Sommaruga, received the Tunisian Foreign Minister, Taieb Baccouche, on a courtesy visit on Tuesday, 13 October 2015. They discussed the state visit to Switzerland by the President of Tunisia, which is scheduled for November of this year. Mr Baccouche also met with Federal Councillor and Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Didier Burkhalter for a working visit in Bern.
Switzerland calls for preventive measures for people displaced by natural disasters and the effects of climate change
12.10.2015
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Press release
EDA
Better protection is needed for people who are forced to flee their homes as a result of disasters or the effects of climate change. That is why in 2012 Switzerland and Norway launched a global consultation process (the Nansen Initiative), in order to better understand population movements caused by disasters and the effects of climate change and to identify measures to provide better protection for those affected. The results of this consultation process – the Protection Agenda – are being presented in Geneva on 12 and 13 October 2015. In his opening address at the Nansen Initiative Global Consultation, Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter expressed satisfaction that the consultation process was able to heighten awareness of the situation these people face. The important thing now, he said, is for states to implement the agenda.
Beyond one’s own four kitchen walls – the SDC opens a window on development cooperation
08.10.2015
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Press release
EDA
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) will be welcoming visitors to discover a world of exotic fragrances and tastes at this year's Swiss Agriculture and Food Fair, the OLMA (Hall 9.0). At a special exhibition, the SDC will be presenting seven selected projects from different continents illustrating its efforts to help reduce poverty and hunger in the world while promoting environmentally sound agriculture. This year’s OLMA will be held in St. Gallen, from 8 to 18 October 2015.
Disasters: what can be done to protect displaced people?
05.10.2015
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Article
EDA
The Nansen Initiative, launched by Switzerland and Norway in 2012, will present its findings on 12-13 October in Geneva. For three years its members collected best practices from states that have faced an influx of people displaced by disasters. Walter Kälin, a professor of public international law at the University of Bern who also serves as Envoy of the Chairmanship of the Nansen Initiative, describes the consultation process and discusses the next steps.
Didier Burkhalter at UN General Assembly: the international community should double its efforts to end the war in Syria and reduce suffering
28.09.2015
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Press release
EDA
Stop the war in Syria, respond to immediate humanitarian needs created by the crisis in the region, introduce long-term prevention measures and make a case for a reform of the UN in order to serve the international community – these are the priorities which Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter will be speaking out in favour of at the annual general debate of the UN General Assembly, which opened on Monday in New York. The 70th session of the Assembly is being held at a time marked by numerous crises throughout the world, in the most troubled period the world has known since the Second World War.