Le Mémoire d’entente concernant la contribution de la Suisse à l’UE élargie a été signé lundi à Bruxelles. Le Mémoire fixe les modalités générales de l’engagement suisse en faveur des dix nouveaux Etats membres de l’UE. Le document a été signé du côté suisse par la Conseillère fédérale Mme Micheline Calmy-Rey et du côté de l’UE par la Ministre autrichienne des affaires étrangères en charge de la Présidence du Conseil, Mme Ursula Plassnik, ainsi que par la Commissaire européenne aux relations extérieures, Mme Benita Ferrero-Waldner.
29.07.2021 —
Press release
EDA
Switzerland announced a contribution of CHF 52 million for the period 2021–25 at the GPE's replenishment conference on 28–29 July 2021 in London. A commitment to equitable, inclusive and crisis-resilient education systems is one of Switzerland's priorities within the GPE.
28.07.2021 —
Press release
EDA
Switzerland is helping Thailand to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. This Wednesday, Swiss Humanitarian Aid dispatched 100 respirators and more than a million antigen tests to Bangkok. The provision of this aid coincides with a tour of Southeast Asia by Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis that will include a visit to Thailand.
24.07.2021 —
Press release
EDA
Switzerland is helping Indonesia to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Swiss Humanitarian Aid sent 600 oxygen concentrators to Jakarta on Saturday, with a total value of nearly CHF 1 million. This is the sixth delivery of oxygen concentrators and other medical supplies that Switzerland has made to another country since May 2021, worth over CHF 15 million in total.
16.07.2021 —
Press release
EDA
Switzerland is helping Tunisia to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Swiss Humanitarian Aid dispatched 15 respirators and 60 oxygen concentrators to Tunis this Friday, with a total value of nearly CHF 335,000. It is Switzerland's fifth international delivery of this type in recent weeks.
12.07.2021 —
Press release
EDA
Switzerland is helping Mongolia to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday 12 July, Swiss Humanitarian Aid sent 40 respirators and 45 oxygen concentrators to Ulaanbaatar with a total value of around CHF 850,000.
30.06.2021 —
Press release
EDA
The Federal Council is committed to eradicating extreme poverty and hunger in rural areas. At its meeting on 30 June 2021, it decided to renew and increase its contribution to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). With a contribution of CHF 47 million, Switzerland is supporting IFAD's ambition to double its impact by 2030 by enabling 74 million people living in rural areas to raise their incomes by at least 20%. The focus will be on women and young people.
25.06.2021 —
Press release
EDA
Finding new ways to respond to challenges exacerbated by COVID-19. This was one of the key issues discussed at the humanitarian affairs segment (HAS) of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), which was held in Geneva from 23 to 25 June 2021 and was chaired by Switzerland. A resolution to strengthen coordination of humanitarian aid was adopted, sending an important political signal.
17.06.2021 —
Press release
EDA
On 17 June the international community came together at the Canada-organised International Donors' Conference in Solidarity with Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants. Patricia Danzi, Director General of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), represented Switzerland. This year, Switzerland will commit over CHF 12 million to humanitarian aid in Venezuela and the region.
11.06.2021 —
Press release
EDA
The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) is an important multilateral partner of Switzerland for the implementation of its international cooperation objectives in the field of education. At its meeting on 11 June 2021, the Federal Council therefore decided to continue its support for the GPE and is making CHF 52 million available to the organisation for the period 2021–25.
21.05.2021 —
Press release
EDA
Switzerland is helping Nepal cope with an extremely difficult health situation caused by COVID-19. Today, Friday, Swiss Humanitarian Aid, part of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), dispatches 1.1 million antigen tests, 40 respirators, 10 oxygen concentrators and personal protective equipment to Kathmandu. This humanitarian aid shipment is worth around CHF 7.5 million.
06.05.2021 —
Press release
EDA
Switzerland is supporting India in its fight against COVID-19. Swiss Humanitarian Aid has sent several hundred oxygen concentrators and 50 respirators, worth about CHF 3 million, to assist hospitals in India.
28.04.2021 —
Press release
EDA
Bern, 28 April 2021 – The Federal Council is committed to ensuring equitable access to vaccines, tests and medicines worldwide in order to combat the COVID-19 pandemic sustainably. Accordingly, it decided at its meeting today to support the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator initiative with CHF 300 million. This initiative aims to improve access to immunization, testing and medication in developing countries and bolster local healthcare systems.
24.06.2020 —
Article
DEZA
The international community has committed to ensuring access to quality education for all by 2030. However, nearly 265 million children and young people are currently neither in school nor in training. UNESCO's 2020 Global Education Monitoring Report reminds countries to focus on those who are left behind and progress towards inclusion in education. Inclusion plays a very important part in Switzerland's development cooperation.
17.01.2020 —
Article
EDA
Just what is the perfect trip abroad? And where would it take you? Swiss travellers have different needs and expectations – some prefer to go on their own, others would rather choose an organised tour. It doesn't matter if you're a backpacker or a jet-setter: the FDFA provides a wide range of services for anyone who wants to travel abroad.
14.01.2020 —
Article
DEZA
Honeyland has been nominated for an Oscar in the categories Best International Feature Film and Best Documentary. The film’s hero, Hatidze Muratova, champions environmental protection and the sustainable management of natural resources. She was discovered through the Nature Conservation Programme launched by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
17.12.2019 —
EDA
Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis has opened the Global Refugee Forum together with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. The purpose of the forum, which takes place on 17 and 18 December at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, is to find shared solutions to meet the needs of refugees and their host communities.
12.12.2019 —
EDA
The 33rd International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent ended today in Geneva. The conference adopted six resolutions that will enable the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to improve its actions and adapt them to the needs of vulnerable groups, in a world where the demand for humanitarian aid has never been so high. The topic of digitalisation was on the agenda for discussion, for example in restoring family links broken by crisis situations. The conference was opened by Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis on Monday 9 December.
09.12.2019 —
EDA
Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis called for international humanitarian law to be strengthened in his opening speech at the 33rd International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent taking place in Geneva from 9 to 12 December. Mr Cassis praised the vital work of the 17 million volunteers who make up the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
06.12.2019 —
EDA
Following a Swiss initiative, the International Criminal Court (ICC) will from now on be able to prosecute the intentional starvation of civilians in civil wars as a war crime. The ICC Assembly of States Parties took a unanimous decision to this effect earlier today. It strengthens the protection of victims of war.
05.12.2019 —
EDA
In a triumph for Swiss diplomacy, the 26th Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has opened with the Chairperson-in-Office, Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák, appointing Ambassador Heidi Grau as Special Representative for Ukraine. A renowned Swiss expert on Eastern Europe, Ambassador Grau thus assumes a key role in working towards an end to the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis welcomes the news of her appointment and considers this a testament to the reputation Swiss diplomacy enjoys within and beyond the OSCE.
04.12.2019 —
EDA
The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) welcomes UN Secretary-General António Guterres' decision to appoint Swiss law professor Walter Kälin as one of the experts of the UN's newly established High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement, which is tasked with finding solutions to internal displacement and alleviating its impact.
04.12.2019 —
EDA
Humanitarian action is centred on the principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence. Together with the Musée de l'Elysée in Lausanne and the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is hosting an exhibition and forum for debate on humanitarian action and its founding principles. The art installation will run until March 2020 at the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum in Geneva.
20.11.2019 —
EDA
The right to education, protection, play and leisure – children have certain rights that, alongside their general welfare, states are obliged to guarantee. These obligations are enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which was adopted 30 years ago today. To mark the occasion, Mr Cassis, head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, opened the doors of the Federal Palace in Bern to two school classes from the canton of Ticino.
21.10.2019 —
EDA
Federal Councillor and head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Ignazio Cassis has met with the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, in Bern to discuss the situation in Syria and possible ways of finding a political solution. They conferred about the most recent escalation of the conflict in north-eastern Syria and the upcoming first meeting of the Syrian Constitutional Committee in Geneva by the end of the month. Switzerland provides humanitarian support for the people of Syria and neighbouring countries.