All news (850)
President Didier Burkhalter pays an official visit to Poland
27.01.2014
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Press release
EDA
On 27 January President Didier Burkhalter will be received in Warsaw by the Polish President Bronisław Komorowski for an official presidential visit, the equivalent of a state visit in Switzerland. The three bilateral talks with President Komorowski, Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski will focus on bilateral relations, European policy, Switzerland's chairmanship of the OSCE, as well as a range of international and multilateral issues. On the morning of 28 January President Burkhalter will travel to Cracow where he will visit projects supported by Switzerland as part of its contribution towards EU enlargement. The afternoon will be set aside for a visit to the concentration camps of Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau.
New partnership to support access to health interventions
23.01.2014
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Press release
EDA
Switzerland and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation join forces to improve access to health interventions through the strengthening of regulatory systems
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA) and the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) have agreed on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to improve and accelerate access to health interventions and therapeutic products in resource-constraint countries. This should be achieved by coordinating and leveraging resources in a cooperation for the purpose of strengthening regulatory systems in these countries in order to bring quality life-saving medicines to patients as quickly as possible.
Switzerland supports humanitarian aid for the Syrian crisis with a further CHF 30 million
13.01.2014
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Press release
EDA
War has been raging in Syria for more than 1000 days; the humanitarian situation in the region is catastrophic. According to UN estimates, approximately 9.3 million people in Syria need humanitarian aid. The number of refugees has more than tripled to 2.3 million over the last 12 months and is expected to exceed 4 million by the end of 2014. In view of the situation, the UN is about to convene another donor conference in Kuwait during which it will call on the international community to provide USD 6.5 billion in assistance this year. Switzerland will pledge additional assistance in response to this appeal for humanitarian aid – the largest the UN has made to date.
«Development is a human right»
10.01.2014
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Article
DEZA
The Asia Brief from December 2013 on the SDC’s programmes in South Asia shows that a human rights approach is important for development. What is the basic premise of the human rights approach and how is it applied? The ethnologist Pia Lignell, who worked from 2011 to 2013 as SDC deputy country director in the Afghan capital, Kabul, answers our questions.
Leveraging the OSCE's and Switzerland's common goals
09.01.2014
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Article
DEZA
Switzerland is to chair the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in 2014. Switzerland is thereby stepping up its efforts to promote stability in Europe and in neighbouring regions. The SDC is also involved in the countries of Eastern Europe. Ambassador Kurt Kunz, head of the Cooperation with Eastern Europe Directorate, explains how Switzerland's and the OSCE's shared goals can be leveraged.
CHF 67 million committed to the Slovak Republic
06.01.2014
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Article
DEZA
Training, Roma integration, help for the homeless, conservation of ecosystems, waste-water management... With a budget of CHF 67 million, Switzerland is active in a number of areas in the Slovak Republic. On the occasion of the official visit to Switzerland of the Slovak minister of foreign affairs, Miroslav Lajčák, on 9 January 2014, below are some examples of ongoing projects.
CHF 67 million committed to the Slovak Republic
06.01.2014
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Article
EB
Training, Roma integration, help for the homeless, conservation of ecosystems, waste-water management... With a budget of CHF 67 million, Switzerland is active in a number of areas in the Slovak Republic. On the occasion of the official visit to Switzerland of the Slovak minister of foreign affairs, Miroslav Lajčák, on 9 January 2014, below are some examples of ongoing projects.
Philippe Lazzarini appointed Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Somalia
31.12.2013
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Press release
EDA
The FDFA is pleased to note the appointment of the Swiss expert.
«2013: the year it was possible to pinpoint the global water crisis»
23.12.2013
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Article
DEZA
Interview with François Münger
The International Year of Water Cooperation draws to a close at the end of 2013. François Münger, head of the SDC Global Programme Water Initiatives, takes stock of what has been achieved.
Switzerland steps up support for victims of crisis in Central African Republic
20.12.2013
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Press release
EDA
In view of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Central African Republic (CAR), Switzerland has allocated CHF 800,000 for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to protect internally displaced persons. This commitment is in addition to the support totalling CHF 2.7 million that Switzerland has already earmarked for 2013 for the emergency operations of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the World Food Programme (WFP), the UNHCR and Médecins sans frontières (MSF).
Switzerland steps up its commitment to the fight against malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis
13.12.2013
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Press release
EDA
The Federal Council has approved a contribution of CHF 60 million for the 2014-2016 period for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM). Switzerland was one of the founders of the Geneva-based fund in 2002 and has been one of its key partners since the beginning. Malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis remain the leading causes of death in sub-Saharan Africa. These three diseases are among the most important factors hampering development.
Post-2015 agenda: taking stock of Switzerland’s contribution to the formulation of global sustainable development goals
12.12.2013
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Article
DEZA
On 9 December 2013, the SDC organised a panel discussion entitled «Towards a sustainable future: Switzerland and the post-2015 agenda». Representatives from the scientific and academic communities, NGOs, the private sector and the federal administration examined Switzerland’s contribution to the UN’s post-2015 sustainable development goals and took stock of the consultation process that has taken place so far in Switzerland. Among other topics, the participants discussed the significance of food security and the role of the private sector.