All news (849)
«We have created a network of film-makers»
20.09.2013
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Article
DEZA
11.08.2013, Locarno
Armenian producer and director Hovhannes Galstyan presented Bonded Parallels at the Locarno Festival last August. This was an opportunity to return to the decisive role played by the SDC in his early career and to the development of Caucasian cinema.
Official working visit to Switzerland by the Estonian foreign minister
19.09.2013
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Press release
EDA
Today, Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter, head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), has received the foreign minister of Estonia, Urmas Paet, for talks in Bern. Both ministers described relations between Estonia and Switzerland as very good. In addition to bilateral issues, the talks focused above all on the EU policy and Switzerland’s chairmanship of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in 2014.
Launch of global «Migration and Development» knowledge management platform
18.09.2013
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Article
DEZA
With the launch of the Global Knowledge Partnership on Migration and Development (KNOMAD) in Geneva, researchers from around the world are being called upon to share their knowledge, generate new knowledge and make it accessible to the public. Switzerland provides financial support to this new World Bank instrument and is a member of its steering committee.
Twenty-four Myanmar nationals studying in Switzerland
16.09.2013
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Press release
EDA
Twenty-four Myanmar nationals who are currently in Switzerland taking a course on international relations, democracy, and human security met the president of the Council of States, Filippo Lombardi, on 16 September in Bern. They also met the state secretary of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), Yves Rossier. Relations between Switzerland and Myanmar and Switzerland's contributions to Myanmar were among the topics they discussed.
Switzerland increases support for the Federal Government of Somalia at ministerial Somalia conference in Brussels
16.09.2013
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Press release
EDA
On 16 September, Switzerland is taking part in the international conference on Somalia in Brussels, with a delegation headed by Martin Dahinden, director-general of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). The outcome of the conference is to be a "compact" with Somalia to rebuild the country. Within the framework of its 2013-2016 Horn of Africa strategy, Switzerland is active in the region in a number of areas: diplomacy, humanitarian aid, development cooperation, the promotion of peace and security, and migration.
Switzerland consolidates its commitment in Jordan
13.09.2013
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Press release
EDA
During its meeting on Friday 13 September, the Federal Council adopted an agreement with Jordan on humanitarian aid as well as technical and financial cooperation. Jordan has been severely impacted by the crisis in Syria and is currently hosting more than 500,000 of the 2 million refugees from the conflict. Thanks to this agreement, there is now a formal legal basis for Swiss (particularly humanitarian) assistance, which will facilitate cooperation in assisting the most vulnerable populations in the region.
Precarious humanitarian situation for Sudanese refugees in Maban, South Sudan
10.09.2013
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Article
DEZA
Interview with Lukas Rüst, a member of the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit (SHA) who is working as a protection expert in Maban County, South Sudan on sec
Continued fighting in the states of Blue Nile and South Kordofan in the south of Sudan has caused more than 200,000 people to flee to neighbouring South Sudan. Many were forced to leave all of their possessions behind when they fled. Since June 2012, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has been providing emergency aid to more than 115,000 people in the north of South Sudan (Upper Nile state). The UNHCR and its partners are offering these displaced people protection in four refugee camps in Maban County. This emergency aid operation is taking place in a very remote region, which makes it very demanding from a logistical perspective. The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is supporting this humanitarian operation through multilateral contributions and the secondment of experts. Protection is one of the priorities for the SDC in South Sudan.
Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter on official working visit to Morocco
05.09.2013
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Press release
EDA
Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter will make an official working visit to Morocco on Friday 6 September 2013. It is the first official visit of a head of Swiss diplomacy to the country. Mr Burkhalter will meet with the Moroccan minister for foreign affairs and cooperation, Saad-Eddine El Othmani. He will also talk with the Moroccan head of government, Abdelilah Benkirane, and interior minister, Mohand Laenser.
Renaissance of the South Caucasian Cinema
14.08.2013
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Article
DEZA
Georgian film director Rusudan Pirveli has had the support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) for much of her career. Selected for the Open Doors competition of the Locarno International Film Festival she presented her Sleeping Lessons project. Interview.
Swiss national appointed Vice-President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development
12.08.2013
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Press release
EDA
Ambassador Michel Mordasini, currently Assistant-Director-General of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs has been appointed to the post of Vice-President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The official announcement was made today in Rome by the President of IFAD, Kanayo F. Nwanze.
An Ethiopian heads icipe
09.08.2013
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Article
DEZA
Ethiopian national Segenet Kelemu has been appointed Director-General of the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) in Nairobi. The institute, which conducts research on tropical insects to promote development, is funded by a consortium of donors, including the SDC.
The Role of Forests within the Frame of a «Green Economy»
11.07.2013
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Article
DEZA
«The traditional Forest Sector is undervalued in numerous Countries»
Discussion with Jürgen Blaser, forest expert at the SDC’s Global Programme on Climate Change, Doctor of Natural Sciences, Graduate Engineer in Forestry from the Zurich Federal Institute of Technology (EPFZ), and Professor of International Forestry at the Bern University of Applied Sciences.