Digitalisation Division

The Switzerland in the World in 2028 report published in 2019 serves the FDFA as a source of inspiration for the further development of Swiss foreign policy. It identified technological developments such as digitalisation as important drivers of foreign policy and recommended that technology be defined as a new foreign policy theme. In the Foreign Policy Strategy 2020–23, the Federal Council set out digitalisation as one of the four priorities for the first time. The thematic Digital Foreign Policy Strategy 2021–24 derived from this defines Switzerland's interests in the digital space and organises its digital engagement into four fields of action:

• Digital governance
• Prosperity and sustainable development
• Cybersecurity
• Digital self-determination

The Digitalisation Division (DIGI) was established in 2021 to ensure the coherent representation of Swiss interests in the digital space. It bears overall responsibility for the implementation of the Digital Foreign Policy Strategy 2021–24, as well as the related cross-cutting coordination with the stakeholders responsible for the various fields of action. The DIGI's remit also includes the following priorities:

• Strengthening International Geneva both as a hub for digital governance and in the area of cyber resilience (digital host state)
• Making a Swiss contribution to finding innovative solutions in the area of AI governance
• Conducting bilateral digital and cyber dialogues with partner states
• Positioning itself as a centre of expertise for relations with the private sector on digital governance issues, for example through the Geneva Dialogue on Responsible Behaviour in Cyberspace
• Leading the Digital Foreign Policy Expert Group to ensure the implementation of the Digital Foreign Policy Strategy 2021–24
• Establishing a network of “Digital Knots” among Swiss representations abroad