The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs has decided to make peace the central theme of this third edition of the International Cooperation Forum. This platform will enable actors to debate, exchange ideas and work together towards this goal. Switzerland's commitment to peace, which is one of its foreign policy priorities, is carried out in a variety of complementary ways in addition to the forum. Examples include acting as guarantor state in Colombia, supporting women's peace circles in Mali, and taking part in various UN peacekeeping missions.
Security and stability, understanding and unity. Peace means many things, not just the absence of war. And it can be described and experienced in a myriad of ways. The question ‹What is peace?› will therefore underpin this third edition of the International Cooperation Forum (IC Forum). The event is organised by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) in collaboration with the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER). Peace will be at the heart of this year's debates and exchanges, bringing together politicians and experts from civil society, academia and the private sector.
There can be no prosperity or sustainability without peace. Peace is a central and complex issue at the heart of Swiss foreign policy, and one of its priorities as set out in the new 2024–27 Foreign Policy Strategy. Against the backdrop of multiplying crises and conflicts around the world, placing peace at the heart of the IC Forum is a call to action for us all. «Concrete solutions to peace-related issues emerge from such discussions, meetings and exchanges of idea and knowledge» points out Patricia Danzi, who heads the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) at the FDFA. And the IC Forum is a platform allowing us all to tread this path.
Innovation and youth also take centre stage
The IC Forum will also focus on innovation. The 2024 IC Award will be presented to three of the ten selected projects from Swiss SMEs and startups demonstrating major potential for use in the field of international cooperation. These include support for small-scale coffee growers operating in conflict zones, a digital portal for medical training and education in low-resource countries and a solar-powered water treatment system. All of the selected projects combine tech with food security or economic development, for example. And they all have the same goal: to make a contribution to peace. The winners will receive their awards on 11 April from Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, the head of the FDFA.
The IC Forum is also a platform for young people. To this end, 13 young activists from Switzerland's different language regions were asked to reflect on an agenda for peace – resulting in a manifesto detailing their own everyday actions for peace as well as their responsibilities and duties. This Swiss Youth Manifesto will be unveiled at the forum in the presence of Mr Cassis.
Switzerland has been engaged in peacebuilding in Colombia for over 20 years. Its activities fall under an international cooperation programme aimed at a peaceful, inclusive and prosperous Colombia. The programme is implemented jointly by the FDFA's Peace and Human Rights Division (PHRD), the SDC and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) at the EAER. This clearly demonstrates the very complementary nature of Switzerland's commitment in Colombia, with each unit contributing to peace in its own way: the PHRD through its peace policy activities, the SDC through demining projects and support for the UN Peacebuilding fund and SECO through a value chain project (cocoa, coffee, artisanal gold) providing a stable and legal income for the affected population, for example.
Under the responsibility of the PHRD, Switzerland has been supporting the implementation of the 2016 peace agreement with the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP), focusing in particular on aspects of political participation and dealing with the past.
In Colombia, several simultaneous peace negotiations are currently under way. Since October 2023, Switzerland, along with other countries, has also taken on an official mandate as guarantor state in the peace negotiations between the Colombian government and the rebel group EMC FARC-EP (Estado Mayor Central de las FARC-EP). Within this framework, Switzerland is present during negotiations and provides political and technical assistance throughout the process. In addition, Switzerland has been a member of the support group for peace talks with the National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional, ELN) since November 2022.
Switzerland's seat on the UN Security Council until the end of 2024 also allows it to exert a positive influence on the Colombian dossier in New York. Together with the Colombian government, Switzerland organised an event in New York in October 2023 to launch Colombia's first action plan on women, peace and security. In February 2024, Security Council members also visited Colombia under the co-leadership of Switzerland in order to gain greater insight into the country's peace process.
Switzerland has been engaged in peacebuilding in Colombia for over 20 years. Its activities fall under an international cooperation programme aimed at a peaceful, inclusive and prosperous Colombia. The programme is implemented jointly by the FDFA's Peace and Human Rights Division (PHRD), the SDC and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) at the EAER. This clearly demonstrates the very complementary nature of Switzerland's commitment in Colombia, with each unit contributing to peace in its own way: the PHRD through its peace policy activities, the SDC through demining projects and support for the UN Peacebuilding fund and SECO through a value chain project (cocoa, coffee, artisanal gold) providing a stable and legal income for the affected population, for example.
Under the responsibility of the PHRD, Switzerland has been supporting the implementation of the 2016 peace agreement with the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP), focusing in particular on aspects of political participation and dealing with the past.
In Colombia, several simultaneous peace negotiations are currently under way. Since October 2023, Switzerland, along with other countries, has also taken on an official mandate as guarantor state in the peace negotiations between the Colombian government and the rebel group EMC FARC-EP (Estado Mayor Central de las FARC-EP). Within this framework, Switzerland is present during negotiations and provides political and technical assistance throughout the process. In addition, Switzerland has been a member of the support group for peace talks with the National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional, ELN) since November 2022.
Switzerland's seat on the UN Security Council until the end of 2024 also allows it to exert a positive influence on the Colombian dossier in New York. Together with the Colombian government, Switzerland organised an event in New York in October 2023 to launch Colombia's first action plan on women, peace and security. In February 2024, Security Council members also visited Colombia under the co-leadership of Switzerland in order to gain greater insight into the country's peace process.
The SDC's decades of experience on the structural causes of conflict enable it to contribute, through development cooperation, humanitarian aid and peacebuilding, to conflict prevention, social cohesion and the establishment of inclusive and transparent institutions. One example is the Sahel, currently facing a multidimensional crisis marked by a proliferation of armed groups and a series of military coups.
Mali, which is at the heart of this unstable region, is currently going through a complex transitional phase. Large parts of the country are facing high levels of violence and problems in the supply of basic services, jeopardising living conditions for much of the population. Through various initiatives, Switzerland has been supporting Mali's peace process for many years. Part of this engagement is the promotion of women in peace efforts at local and national levels. Switzerland helps to bolster Malian women's participation in the country's peace process through financial, technical and political support for two organisations, one multilateral (UN Women) and the other local, the NGO Women in Law & Development Africa (WiLDAF).
WiLDAF is responsible for the Circles of Peace project, which brings together women from all of Mali's regions regardless of class, origin, religion or political affiliation in order to encourage and help them play an active part in the country's peace and reconciliation process. Circles of Peace offer a better understanding of the challenges and issues linked to conflicts as well as providing a place where women can share experiences and discuss the country's future together. The circles are structured around individual life stories, helping the participants' role as peacemakers to emerge during the exchange. They are a source of inspiration that empower the women to take action on the ground in the pursuit of mediation and reconciliation. A number of peace circle participants now hold positions within Mali's National Transitional Council. More than 200 peace circles – involving 3,000 women – have been held in Mali since the project was launched back in 2015.
The example of Colombia is indicative of how Switzerland's peace policy work, particularly as a mediator, is valued and respected worldwide. Mediation is always a team effort. Mediators rely on solid support and dependable partners who can intervene before or during peace negotiations – with in-depth conflict analyses, negotiation training for the conflicting parties or other specific types of expertise. To this end, since 2005 the FDFA has had an excellent and reliable technical support structure in place, known as the Mediation Support Project (MSP), which has made key contributions to the FDFA's ongoing mediation efforts in countries such as Nigeria and South Sudan. The MSP is a joint venture between swisspeace (Basel) and ETH Zurich, giving the project both a solid Swiss background and a highly innovative character. In 2023, the FDFA renewed its partnership with the MSP and can therefore continue to count on its professional support in Switzerland's current mediation efforts until 2026.
The Swiss Armed Forces are engaged in military peace support all over the world, from Karthum to Islamabad, via Cairo and Goma. There are around 40 Swiss military personnel in various UN peacekeeping missions working as military observers, staff officers or liaison officers. Two Swiss contingents are also deployed in the Western Balkans: up to 215 troops in the Kosovo Force (KFOR) and up to 20 troops in the European Union Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina (EUFOR).
Since 2006, the Swiss Armed Forces have also been supporting regional training centres for peacebuilding in Africa, where they provide specialists and fund courses. Switzerland is currently focusing on the International Peace Support Training Center (IPSTC) in Kenya, a Nairobi-based institute providing training and research activities for military, police and civilian personnel on different aspects of peace support missions. The Swiss Armed Forces also support the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) based in Accra, Ghana: an international platform bringing together political leaders, diplomats and experts to discuss and exchange views on peace and security issues in Africa. Three Swiss officers are currently on secondment to each of these two centres.
The Swiss Armed Forces commitment to peace also extends to humanitarian demining, whereby it deploys specialists to the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) in line with the objectives of the DDPS/FDFA 2023–26 Action Plan on Mine Action.
SECO's economic development activities in its partner countries also help to promote peace indirectly, particularly when it comes to commodities trading. Trade is key to our globalised economy and plays an important role in managing the flow of essential materials that underpin economic growth, including oil, gas, minerals and metals.
Since 2015, SECO has been supporting an Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) working group, which aims to improve the transparency of trade in raw materials and create a global standard for companies buying oil, gas and minerals in resource-rich countries.
Thanks to such advances in transparency, accountability and governance, SECO is contributing to conditions that make conflicts less likely and promote peace indirectly.
