News overview Humanitarian aid

The Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Week focuses on the "Humanitarian Reset", with local organisations playing an increasingly central role.

Mines and other explosive ordnance still kill and injure around 5,000 people every year. In 2024, the Swiss Confederation further strengthened its commitment to humanitarian demining through the implementation of the 2023-2026 action plan, with a special focus on Ukraine. The FDFA and DDPS report on their activities in the previous year on the occasion of the International Mine Awareness Day.

Due to the precarious humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, as of March 2025 Switzerland is once again present on the ground with a humanitarian office in Kabul.

Switzerland had a seat on the UN Security Council in 2023 and 2024. Its priorities were peace, climate security and the protection of civilians.

FDFA news ticker on the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, which Switzerland organised on 15 and 16 June 2024 at the Bürgenstock.

All those involved in humanitarian demining must remain at the cutting edge of technological developments (drones, ground-penetrating radar, etc.).

Humanitarian demining aims to allow farmers to return to their land.

Switzerland has selected a limited number of partners for its mine action in Ukraine. The FSD, its main partner, exemplifies Switzerland's expertise in this field.

On 17-18 October 2024, Switzerland and Ukraine are jointly organizing the Ukraine Mine Action Conference UMAC2024 in Lausanne. In the run-up to the Conference, the Swiss activities in humanitarian demining in Ukraine are presented, starting with one of its closest partners, the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD). The GICHD supports the Ukrainian authorities in adapting its mine action programme to the new realities and planning ahead.

On 24 May 2024, the UN Security Council adopted a Swiss resolution for the protection of humanitarian personnel in conflict zones.

The subject of peace is at the heart of this third edition of the IC Forum. Five examples of Switzerland's commitment to promoting peace.

The consequences of climate change, for example on the food security of societies, can exacerbate conflicts. Switzerland is committed.

Switzerland supports the peace process in Colombia and co-organised the Security Council's trip to this South American country.

Ukraine, Kosovo and the Middle East are among Switzerland's priority countries and regions for its support in the field of missing persons.

Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis took part in the Moldova Support Platform in Chisinau on 17 October 2023.

Switzerland is stepping up its support for civilians in Armenia and the region by releasing almost CHF 1.5 million in funding, to be shared among the main humanitarian actors on the ground.

Switzerland's offer of assistance following the earthquake in Morocco remains valid. It includes support in various areas such as emergency shelter, access to clean water and sanitation, as well as medicine and construction technology. The FDFA has no information on Swiss victims of the earthquake in Morocco.

FDFA Humanitarian Aid has activated a crisis cell and is monitoring the situation in connection with the floods in Libya.

In a video interview the new Swiss ambassador to Ukraine and Moldova, Félix Baumann, explains the priorities and tasks of his new role.

Interview with Stefano Toscano, Director of the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), about their support in the fight against landmines.

The Director of the Fondation Suisse de déminage (FSD) explains the organisation's activities, particularly in Ukraine, in an interview.

Switzerland is active in humanitarian demining and supports several mine action centers.

Starting on 22 May, the UN will be hosting the Week for the Protection of Civilians. Switzerland is committed to this cause at the multilateral level and directly on the ground.

In April 2022, evidence of war crimes against residents of the Ukrainian town Bucha became public. Attacks against civilians are prohibited by international humanitarian law.

The UN Water Conference will take place in New York from 22 to 24 March 2023. A Swiss delegation is participating.

In the UN Security Council as elsewhere, Switzerland is working to ensure that children affected by conflict have a future.

One year after the Taliban's abrupt return to power, the SDC remains active in Afghanistan in order to help people whose living conditions have deteriorated under the new regime.

Switzerland promotes compliance with international humanitarian law, which includes the right to clean water for people caught up in armed conflicts and is essential for survival.

Geneva: a centre of multilateralism. What role for the FDFA? Interview with Anne de Riedmatten, Head of Humanitarian Affairs at the Swiss Mission to the UN.

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a devastating impact, especially in developing countries. In the context of its international cooperation efforts, the FDFA has responded swiftly and effectively to the challenges posed by COVID-19.

On 2 November, Switzerland and Indonesia celebrate 70 years of diplomatic relations. Batik culture, an economic partnership agreement that came into force on 1 November, Swiss vocational education and training in Indonesia, traditional shadow theatre, gamelan music, a hand-made road and Swiss disaster relief – the stories behind an excellent partnership.

On 29 October 2021, Federal Councillor Cassis launches the process ‹On the Road to Lugano› in preparation for the Ukraine Reform Conference 2022, to be held in Switzerland. Increasing responsibility at local level, lowering the cost of heating, contributing towards conflict prevention – Switzerland has been supporting Ukraine for more than 20 years in the areas of international cooperation, peacebuilding and humanitarian aid. Thanks to this long-standing engagement and its chairmanship of the conference, Switzerland will be able to make a lasting contribution in 2022 to stability and prosperity in Ukraine.

COVID-19 has an impact on our lives in Switzerland and abroad. The FDFA summarises the most important information regarding life abroad in its news ticker.

Switzerland holds the Vice-Presidency of ECOSOC and will chair the Humanitarian Segment from 23.6.-25.6. 2021 in Geneva.

Civilians pay a high price in armed conflicts. In the context of a UN Security Council debate, Switzerland is working towards their protection and towards compliance with international humanitarian law.

The amendment to the Rome Statute aims to extend the ICC's jurisdiction over the war crime of starving civilians to civil wars.

Development of the tracing work of the Red Cross, the work's 150th anniversary and Switzerland's continued support.

Switzerland is assisting the Indian government in its fight against COVID-19: a cargo plane organised by Swiss Humanitarian Aid left for New Delhi with medical supplies on 6 May 2021.

Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis is visiting Iraq, Oman and Lebanon from 3–8 April. There he will meet with various representatives to discuss the priorities set out in the Federal Council's MENA Strategy and will be updated on the humanitarian situation there.

Switzerland is supporting the fight against the devastating drought in Madagascar.

Swiss Humanitarian Aid completed the first phase of its mission following the earthquake in Croatia. Ambassador Emilija Georgieva reports from Zagreb.

The Geneva Global Hub for Education in Emergencies, launched on 25 January 2021, has the potential to create long-term prospects for children and youth affected by humanitarian crises.

On 27 November 2020, Switzerland and the ICRC signed a protocol amending the agreement that governs the ICRC's status in Switzerland.

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women takes place on 25 November. Switzerland is committed to securing respect and equal rights for women.

Switzerland is providing emergency aid following the hurricanes in Central America. Flisch Jörimann from the Cooperation Office in Managua is coordinating efforts locally.

Two members of Swiss Humanitarian Aid tell their experiences in Sudan, including emergency missions and projects to help the population.

Interview with Corinne Cicéron Bühler, Director of the Directorate of International Law of the FDFA.

The FDFA, the DDPS, the Swiss Red Cross and Parliament discuss international humanitarian law at a virtual round table open to all.

Switzerland is providing CHF 700,000 in emergency aid to help people in Central America affected by hurricane Eta.

Switzerland puts words into action: face masks, medicines and water purification equipment cross the only checkpoint still open – although the journey to Eastern Ukraine is extremely perilous.

An interview with Constance Jaillet of the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit on disaster risk reduction projects in Haiti.

The SDC's partner organisation, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Die Humanitäre Hilfe des Bundes spricht Unterstützung in Höhe von einer Millionen Franken. Die Schweiz ist seit vielen Jahren im Sudan aktiv.

Following the fire in the refugee camp on the island of Lesbos, Switzerland is delivering urgently needed humanitarian aid to Greece.

Interview with the Head of Swiss Humanitarian Aid Manuel Bessler during an official visit to the migrant and refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos on Tuesday 29 September.

A teaching video, part of continuing training for members of the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit, will be used to disseminate technical expertise in various countries.

Several Beirut hospitals were damaged in the explosion. Nurse anaesthetist Jean-Daniel Junod talks about the joint effort with local staff.

Regina Wenk, a member of the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit, talks about her work in Beirut as a structural engineer.

On 13 and 14 August 2020, the FDFA sent another SHA emergency aid team to Beirut where Switzerland is focusing on health needs and building safety.

A team of Swiss specialists arrived in Beirut on 6 August 2020. The mission is coordinated by Swiss Humanitarian Aid in Bern. Silvio Flückiger, head of the Staff Office and deputy head of the Humanitarian Aid Department, explains the stages from the first news of a disaster to the dispatch of the team.

During a media conference, Patricia Danzi reviews her first 100 days as Director of the SDC and stresses the importance of providing support on site.

On 23 July 2020, a convoy of trucks containing equipment to provide clean drinking water for people living on both sides of the contact line reached the Ukrainian city of Sloviansk.

At the fourth Syria conference co-chaired by the UN and the EU, Switzerland pledged CHF 61 million to support people in need in Syria.

For displaced people, it is often impossible to follow hygiene and social distancing measures. The FDFA is actively involved in helping to reduce these risks for refugees.

The economic and social situation of Venzuela has been deteriorating for several years. COVID-19 aggravates the situation. Switzerland has organised a transport for 100 tonnes of relief supplies.

Call for Action: Switzerland calls for education to be strengthened in emergencies.

In keeping with its humanitarian tradition, Switzerland is contributing CHF 12 million to help the Yemeni people.

Switzerland's international cooperation in 2019 focused on environmental issues, vocational education and training, and closer cooperation with the private sector. Activities in the health sector were also a priority.

The SDC is running awareness campaigns and promoting the use of handwashing stations in the fight against the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Reacting quickly, but with a long-term perspective: this is how the Swiss ambassador to Nepal, Elisabeth von Capeller, sees the role of development cooperation - especially in the fight against COVID-19.

8 May is World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day – and an occasion to highlight the FDFA's cooperation with the world's leading humanitarian actor.

The COVID-19 pandemic is having an especially severe impact on developing countries. Switzerland is responding quickly and effectively through its international cooperation in the spirit of solidarity.

The work in Nepal after the earthquake serves as an example of successful interaction between various types of support provided by Switzerland and, more specifically, by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

Forest fires in the Amazon basin, calculations of hurricane trajectories, seasonal climate forecasts for agriculture: the early warning systems set up by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) facilitate preventive measures to protect communities against natural disasters. At its meeting on 3 April 2020, the Federal Council decided to support a new WMO programme to enable developing and emerging countries to better meet the challenges of climate change. Currently based in Peru, humanitarian expert Omar Bellprat has been working for the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs for two years. He gives us an insight into his daily work and its importance for local communities.

The Federal Council has adopted the new strategy for Switzerland's international cooperation work. Its purpose is to alleviate need and poverty, to foster respect for human rights, to promote democracy and to conserve the environment.

The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) has donated CHF 1 million to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to combat the upsurge in desert locusts in East Africa.

At an international donors' conference in Brussels on 17 February, Switzerland pledged some CHF 10.2 million to help Albania rebuild after the 2019 earthquake.

The Federal Council approves the 2019 foreign policy report which prioritises EU relations, global partners, peace and security, and sustainable development. It takes a positive view of implementation of the foreign policy strategy in 2019.