Members of the international community, which is continuing to provide financial support for the humanitarian response to the crisis in Yemen, joined the pledging event co-hosted by the governments of Sweden and Switzerland and organised in conjunction with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Targeted attacks on energy infrastructure and basic supply systems have aggravated the situation for civilians in Ukraine. Since September, the SDC has prepared an action plan to help the population to cope this winter. This plan, in the amount of CHF 100 million, includes the reprogramming of SDC-supported activities, the delivery of winter equipment and the rehabilitation of housing and energy infrastructure.

One of the biggest humanitarian crises in the world is taking place in and around Syria. Switzerland's international cooperation has been active on the ground since the outbreak of the conflict in 2011 to alleviate suffering and save lives. In this interview, Caroline Tissot, the SDC's regional head of international cooperation for the Middle East, explains how Switzerland is working to protect the Syrian civilian population and their livelihoods, and to provide education.

Nigeria and Chad are caught up in the throes of deadly floods. Switzerland is very concerned about the situation, which raises fears of increased food insecurity. It has decided to allocate CHF 750,000 as an emergency response to the crisis in Nigeria, and an additional CHF 300,000 for Chad.

Switzerland has a long-standing commitment to stability in the Western Balkans and, through its international cooperation work, supports a wide range of projects covering vocational education and training, the promotion of dialogue, dealing with the past and waste management. FDFA State Secretary Livia Leu is travelling to Kosovo and Serbia at the end of June 2022 at a time when the impact of the war in Ukraine on the Western Balkans is still unclear.

Switzerland and Ukraine intend to use the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Lugano on 4 and 5 July as a springboard for a broad-based political and diplomatic process that sets out a path to reconstruction for Ukraine. Around 40 states and 20 international organisations have been invited to the conference.

In line with the Framework Agreement signed in September 2020 and in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Switzerland and Uzbekistan are negotiating a restitution agreement for the return of assets definitively forfeited in criminal proceedings in connection with Ms. Gulnara Karimova. These assets will be returned for the benefit of the population of Uzbekistan through a new United Nations Multi-Partner Trust Fund (the Fund) once the details of the mechanism have been agreed upon and a legally binding restitution agreement has been signed.

This year, Switzerland celebrates 100 years of its diplomatic presence in the Kingdom of Morocco. It all began with the opening of the first representation in Casablanca. A century later, relations have expanded considerably and are very wide-ranging. Morocco is a major partner in the implementation of the Federal Council's Middle East and North Africa (MENA) strategy. This anniversary highlights the strong ties that bind the two countries.

As every year, from 22 to 25 May, a week at the UN in New York will be devoted to the protection of civilians. This is also one of Switzerland's thematic priorities for its membership of the UN Security Council. Find out how Switzerland is working in this area at the multilateral level and directly on the ground in conflict areas.

During Switzerland's presidency of the UN Security Council, the ACT Group, which advocates for an effective UN, celebrated its tenth anniversary. Within the group, Switzerland has promoted a code of conduct by which states voluntarily commit themselves not to vote against resolutions in the UN Security Council aimed at preventing or ending war crimes and crimes against humanity. 129 UN members or observers have signed it to date. This is a strong signal to the Council and should strengthen its effectiveness – a priority for Switzerland for its Council membership.

In May 2023, Switzerland will hold the presidency of the UN Security Council. Switzerland's one-month presidency will allow it to put its thematic priorities of building sustainable peace and protecting civilians at the forefront and to give impetus to the Security Council's work. What does the presidency mean for Switzerland? We provide an overview of Switzerland's powers, practices and priorities during its month-long presidency of the Security Council.

A Swiss delegation will participate in the United Nations Water Conference from 22 to 24 March. It will emphasise the importance of the transboundary management of this vital resource, which is at the heart of the country's Blue Peace initiatives beyond its borders. The latest news on Switzerland's participation in the UN 2023 Water Conference.

At the end of 2021, more than one in ten Swiss nationals were living abroad – some 788,000 in total. The share of the Swiss population living abroad increased by 1.5% compared to 2020. Almost two-thirds were living in Europe. A few countries experienced significant increases. Below are the main findings of the Federal Statistical Office's statistics for 2021 on the Swiss abroad, published at the end of March.

You've got your hotel room with sea view sorted. But unwelcome surprises frequently crop up during a trip. To take the stress out of travel, the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) recommends that you download the Travel Admin app, register, and enter your trips abroad before leaving for your holiday. The free app provides useful information, tips and checklists so that you may carefully plan your trip; what's more, it can prove to be an essential tool offering assistance in the event of an emergency.

The Consular Directorate (KD) provides a wide range of services – including the issuing of passports, emigration advice and emergency assistance abroad – to support Swiss citizens in Switzerland and abroad. Read on to learn about some of the wide range of services provided by the KD.

This year's launch of Mission August 1st marks the first time the FDFA is celebrating Switzerland's national holiday online. At the heart of the project is a multilingual and interactive website to help the Swiss community abroad and Swiss enthusiasts around the world celebrate this day together.

During his trip to the West African country of Niger with National Council President Irène Kälin and ICRC President Peter Maurer, President Ignazio Cassis stopped in the city of Agadez, among other places. The large region is marked by a migration crisis because it is situated on the transit route for refugees and people seeking protection in Europe. The Swiss delegation visited a migration centre in Agadez and a project financed by the ICRC to support people with disabilities.

The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs are announcing the second edition of the Swiss Youth and Future Prize. The 'Together we're better' competition is asking young people up to age 35 to submit projects that promote sustainable development and help fight poverty in the Global South. Another goal of the competition is to offer young people the opportunity to become involved in international cooperation work.

Carl Emery (52), an officer in Geneva's cantonal police force, has been working on his first mission in Africa since October 2020. He is a member of the FDFA's Swiss Expert Pool for Civilian Peacebuilding and runs projects that aim to reform Mali's national security institutions. The programme is in keeping with the commitment to multilateral peace efforts emphasised by Ignazio Cassis on his visit to the country at the beginning of February. Read on for a first-hand account.

More than 600 million children and young people worldwide are still deprived of an education. The UNESCO International Day of Education on 24 January reminds us of this and highlights the importance of education for equality of opportunity and for peace. Switzerland - with its high-quality school system and the successful recipe of dual vocational education and training - helps to create sustainable opportunities.

On 28 February 2022, the Federal Council decided to join the EU sanctions against Russia. Questions and answers regarding Switzerland's neutrality in view of this decision.

The FDFA has been supporting the Middle East Mediterranean Summer Summit organised by the Università della Svizzera italiana for five years. The summit brings together young people from the Middle East, North Africa and Mediterranean Europe. And the dialogue resonates far beyond Lugano: listening to the younger generation is key to implementing a foreign policy that reflects the challenges in this region. Ambassador Maya Tissafi explains.

Armed conflicts increases the use of terms that are closely related to international humanitarian law, such as the Geneva Conventions and war crimes. International humanitarian law, also known as the law of armed conflict or the law of war (ius in bello), applies only in armed conflicts and has two functions: it regulates the conduct of hostilities on the one hand and protects the victims of armed conflicts on the other. Q&As.

On 4 and 5 July, the city of Lugano will host the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC2022), bringing together representatives of states and international organisations committed to supporting Ukraine's recovery. Four people from Italian-speaking Switzerland voice their thoughts on the importance of this conference and their own contribution to peace. Solidarity, dialogue and exchange are the key words here.

5 May is Europe Day – in memory of the founding of the Council of Europe on 5 May 1949, when Europe lay in ruins. Since then, the Council of Europe has promoted human rights, the rule of law and democracy. In the face of war, these values are of particular importance, writes President Ignazio Cassis in his message for this year's Europe Day.

President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Leendert Verbeek, visited Switzerland between 30 April and 3 May. The aim of the visit was to present Swiss federalism in situ. Are there any experiences from his visit that he could now apply profitably in the Netherlands and in the Congress? He answers our questions.

President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Leendert Verbeek, is visiting Switzerland between 30 April and 3 May. The aim of the visit is to present Swiss federalism in situ. David Eray, president of the Cantonal Council of Jura and head of the Swiss delegation to the Congress, is accompanying Mr Verbeek on his trip, which will also include a visit to the Landsgemeinde in Glarus. Interview.

Current foreign policy issues are being discussed at the Ambassadors' and Foreign Network Conference from 23 to 26 August 2021 in Bern. The topics range from cyber security to equal opportunities and also include European policy. In this context, it is interesting to take a look at other countries that, like Switzerland, do not belong to the EU and have chosen their own paths in bilateral relations – such as the United Kingdom and Norway.

The presidential and parliamentary elections held on 25 February and 18 March respectively were vitally important for Nigeria's future. But they also came at time when the country's economic and security situation was highly precarious. Prior to the elections, the presidential candidates therefore signed the National Peace Accords, in which they pledged not to use language likely to incite violence, to accept the officially declared election results and not to challenge the results through the courts. The FDFA assisted the parties in drawing up the agreement.

On 4 April 2023, International Mine Awareness Day, the FDFA and the DDPS are jointly launching their new Action Plan for Mine Action, thereby carrying forward Switzerland's long-standing commitment in this area. The action plan focuses not only on implementation of the relevant conventions and support for the clearance of contaminated areas, but also on innovative approaches. In addition, Switzerland will provide targeted support to Ukraine in the coming years.

Dozens of people are killed and injured every day by mines and other explosive ordnance. In recent years, the number of victims has been rising. Switzerland has therefore continued its commitment to mine action around the world, allocating in 2022 a total of CHF 17.5 million to activities in 20 countries in order to promote the protection of civilians and the implementation of relevant agreements.

International humanitarian law (IHL) governs the conduct of armed conflict and prohibits, among other things, attacks on civilians and civilian objects. Switzerland is committed to protecting the victims of armed conflicts and calls for respect for international humanitarian law. It has done so, for example, throughout Russia's war against Ukraine, where images and reports of war crimes in Bucha and other localities surfaced a year ago.

Meet Séverine Weber and Andrea Inglin. To follow their careers, which have taken them around the world, we're going to need a map and a geography lesson. In fact, that's exactly what it means to be a member of the FDFA's transferable staff: moving to a new post every three to four years. The competitive selection process (concours) for a career in one of the department's three areas abroad – diplomacy, consular affairs, management and finance (KBF), or international cooperation – is starting on 26 May. If you're interested in the last one, here's what you need to know.

Violent clashes in the heart of the capital, Khartoum, have brought the process of transition that Sudan has been pursuing over the past few years to an abrupt end. Switzerland is a long-standing supporter of the transition to democracy in this country in north-east Africa. But in view of the recent outbreak of violence, the safety of Swiss nationals and Swiss embassy staff is now the FDFA's top priority. The FDFA has set up an interdepartmental crisis cell.

To mark International Women's Day, we take a look back at women's roles and careers in the Swiss diplomatic service. We talked to Sacha Zala, historian and director of the Diplomatic Documents of Switzerland (Dodis) research centre.

Today sees the start of the third international Romansh Language Week ('Emna rumantscha'), an initiative promoted by the FDFA in cooperation with the canton of Graubünden and the Lia Rumantscha. This year's scheduled events include a cookery workshop in Bern, a themed evening in London and language courses in New York. The aim is to raise awareness abroad of multilingual Switzerland.

The global power structure is in flux. New technologies and the nature of conflict are changing radically. This is highlighted by the crisis in Ukraine and unresolved issues concerning Europe's security architecture. In the Federal Council's Arms Control and Disarmament Strategy, President of the Confederation Ignazio Cassis indicates that Switzerland wishes to continue tried-and-tested approaches while also adopting innovative new ones. This contributes to greater security and strengthens Switzerland’s role.

The priorities of Switzerland’s action plan for 2022–25 are to develop a dialogue process with a view to an anniversary summit in Helsinki in 2025, to consolidate the foundations of the OSCE, strengthen arms control and increase mediation capabilities in conflict situations. We interviewed Thomas Greminger, former secretary general of the OSCE.

As Switzerland presides over the Second Review Conference of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, the time is right to give voice to victims.

Switzerland fights vigorously against cluster munitions. Unfortunately, these weapons, which cause significant humanitarian damage, are still in use today. Like some hundred other states parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, Switzerland is committed to halting their proliferation and promotes the universalisation of the Convention.

Xavier Mertz was the first Swiss polar explorer to set foot in Antarctica in 1911, but his drive to explore the region came at a bitter price. Although polar exploration today is less dramatic, it is even more urgent than ever before. To mark Swiss Polar Day, the head of the FDFA's Prosperity and Sustainability Division, Stefan Estermann, talks about the role Swiss polar research has to play and how Switzerland is stepping up its commitment to scientific diplomacy.

The establishment of CERN in Geneva in 1954 played its own part in the reconstruction of post-Second World War Europe. The man behind the initiative was Professor Herwig Schopper. Now, at the age of 97, this wise man is still a champion of peace and scientific development and is working on the creation of new institutes in different strategic regions of the world.

New technologies are becoming increasingly important to foreign policy: what opportunities does digitalisation bring and which aspects need to be regulated? International Geneva provides a platform for Switzerland in promoting dialogue between the scientific and diplomatic communities. The Federal Council seeks to strengthen Geneva's role as a digital governance hub and has now appointed Ambassador Alexandre Fasel as the first special representative for science diplomacy in Geneva.

The FDFA supports the ETH Zurich in the production of affordable ventilators in the Ukraine. On June 30, 2020, Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis and the Ukrainian Ambassador to Switzerland, Artem Rybchenko, signed an agreement to provide start-up funding for an ETH project that will make such ventilators affordable for newly industrialized (NIC) and developing countries.

COVID-19 has an impact on our lives in Switzerland and abroad. The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) summarises the most important information regarding travelling and living abroad in its COVID-19 news ticker. The information is constantly being added to.

In this guest article for the NZZ, Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis takes his own look back at an extraordinary year – a whirlwind 12 months that left little time for reflection amid ever-changing case numbers. Cassis addresses a number of questions. Who decides how much a human life is worth? How important are open borders? And how will we make sense of it all whenever normality returns?

On Monday evening, Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis was a guest on the programme "60 Minuti" on RSI. The head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) spoke about the importance of federalism in Switzerland and the measures adopted by the Federal Council to combat the COVID 19 pandemic. Among other things, personal responsibility and mutual solidarity are decisive factors in the fight against the pandemic.

Poor sanitary conditions pose a health risk. This is a major problem, particularly because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But even today, one third of the world's population has no adequate access to clean water. To help people living poverty protect themselves during the current pandemic, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is supporting hygiene awareness campaigns and the creation of more handwashing stations.

The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) monitors the political and social situation abroad and issues specific position statements. The FDFA's positions are guided by the objectives, and priorities of Swiss foreign policy as set out, for example, in the Federal Constitution, the Federal Council's foreign policy strategy, and other thematic and geographical strategies.

The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) monitors the political and social situation abroad and issues specific position statements. The FDFA's positions are guided by the objectives, and priorities of Swiss foreign policy as set out, for example, in the Federal Constitution, the Federal Council's foreign policy strategy, and other thematic and geographical strategies.

The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) monitors the political and social situation abroad and issues specific position statements. The FDFA's positions are guided by the objectives, and priorities of Swiss foreign policy as set out, for example, in the Federal Constitution, the Federal Council's foreign policy strategy, and other thematic and geographical strategies.