News

Memorial for victims of National Socialism to be built in Bern

26.04.2023 — Press releases EDA
The Federal Council is committed to ensuring that the victims of National Socialist persecution and the Holocaust are not forgotten. At its meeting on 26 April, it approved CHF 2.5 million for a memorial for the victims of National Socialism. The memorial is to be erected in the city of Bern and will be accessible to all. The FDFA has been instructed to draw up a corresponding cooperation agreement with the city of Bern by the summer of 2023.

Federal Council adopts report on working definition of antisemitism

04.06.2021 — Press releases EDA
At its meeting on 4 June 2021, the Federal Council adopted the report on a postulate regarding possible areas of application of the working definition of antisemitism developed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). As part of the many measures to combat antisemitism in Switzerland, the definition provides additional guidance in identifying antisemitic incidents. The report also makes recommendations for developing further measures to combat antisemitism in Switzerland.

Strategy and Holocaust education adopted: final report from Swiss chairmanship of the IHRA

04.07.2018 — Press releases EDA
Switzerland's chairmanship of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) has made a significant contribution to the organisation's adoption of a strategy and priorities for its activities over the coming years. These results were highlighted in the FDFA's report on the Swiss chairmanship of the IHRA, which the Federal Council was informed of during its meeting on 4 July 2018. The report included specific activities demonstrating how Switzerland had helped promote the goals of the IHRA. The IHRA aims to promote research and education in relation to the Holocaust and to keep the memory of the victims alive through commemoration ceremonies and places of remembrance.

Unacceptable remarks on the causes of the Holocaust and the legitimacy of Israel: Switzerland’s response

03.05.2018 — Press releases EDA
Switzerland supports the statement issued by the United Nations concerning Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s opening speech at the Palestinian National Council.

Disseminating knowledge of the Holocaust: Switzerland passes chairmanship of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance to Italy

06.03.2018 — Press releases EDA
Switzerland has chaired the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) for one year. Switzerland's chairmanship saw some major achievements at a strategic level, with the IHRA setting out its first comprehensive strategy and defining the priorities for its work in the years ahead. During its chairmanship Switzerland also supported various projects in the fields of education, youth and social media. The IHRA aims to promote research and education in relation to the Holocaust and to keep the memory of the victims alive through commemoration ceremonies and places of remembrance.

Meeting room at the Federal Palace West Wing dedicated to Carl Lutz

12.02.2018 — Press releases EDA
The west wing of the Federal Palace is where FDFA senior management meet – the nerve centre of Swiss foreign policy. A room here has been named 'Carl Lutz' in honour of the department's former diplomat who helped save the lives of tens of thousands of Jews in Budapest during the Second World War. A ceremony has been held to mark the occasion, introduced by FDFA head Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis.

Swiss IHRA chairmanship: education about the Holocaust is key to creating awareness about the consequences of racism

23.01.2018 — Press releases EDA
Learning and teaching about the Holocaust in schools was the theme of the international study days, held at Lausanne University of Teacher Education. The two-day conference, which the university organised as part of Switzerland’s chairmanship of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), focused on practical examples and reports of experience from the classroom. The IHRA works to promote research and education about the Holocaust and to keep alive the memory of the victims through commemorations and memorials.

Fighting Holocaust distortion: International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance sets priorities for its work

30.11.2017 — Press releases EDA
Preserving Holocaust memorial sites and combating the distortion and not only denial of the unprecedented genocide perpetrated by the Nazi regime: these are the priorities that the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) will pursue in the coming years. The delegates of the 31 member states made this decision at their plenary meeting in Bern, which was chaired by Switzerland. Thanks to the sharper focus on these aspects, the IHRA aims to implement its objectives more effectively, in particular through promoting research and education about the Holocaust and keeping alive the memory of victims through commemorations and memorials.

The translation of Memoirs of Holocaust survivors into French is accomplished

27.11.2017 — Article EDA

On the occasion of the second plenary meeting under Swiss chairmanship of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) on 27^th November 2017, the translation of all the 15 memoirs of Holocaust survivors into French has been completed.

A web app and new book about Carl Lutz: Switzerland supports projects that use witnesses to teach young people about the Holocaust

27.11.2017 — Press releases EDA
At the plenary meeting of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) in Bern, the Swiss chairmanship of the IHRA presented a Holocaust web app and a new book about Carl Lutz, who together with other members of the Swiss legation in Budapest helped save tens of thousands of Jews between 1944 and 1945. By supporting these projects, Switzerland is underlining its commitment to the goals of the IHRA: to promote research and education on the Holocaust and to keep alive the memory of the victims.

International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance: Swiss chairmanship holds plenary meeting in Bern

24.11.2017 — Press releases EDA
As part of its chairmanship of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), Switzerland is holding a plenary meeting in Bern for the organisation's 31 member states from 27 to 30 November 2017. One of the goals of the meeting is to establish what steps need to be taken to implement the IHRA’s first strategy which was adopted at the plenary meeting in Geneva on 30 June 2017. The IHRA works to promote research and education about the Holocaust and to keep alive the memory of the victims through commemorations and memorials.

Swiss school students grapple with the memory of the Holocaust

14.07.2017 — Article EDA

In order to approach the difficult subject of the Holocaust, school teachers from Biel and Geneva asked their students to translate several notebook memoirs written by survivors. We met the students from Biel and Geneva and asked them what they took away from this experience.

Lest we forget – Switzerland takes over chairmanship of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance

07.03.2017 — Press releases EDA
Ambassador Benno Bättig, Secretary General of the FDFA and head of the Swiss delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), today took up the office of chair of the IHRA for a period of one year. The priorities of the Swiss chairmanship include teaching and education, young people and social media. The IHRA, which has 31 member states, aims to promote research and education about the Holocaust and to bear its victims in remembrance through commemorative celebrations and memorials.

International conference in Switzerland on research into education about the Holocaust

15.02.2016 — Press releases EDA
An international conference on research into education about the Holocaust is held in Lucerne on 15 and 16 February 2016. It is the first conference organised by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) in Switzerland. The event aims to provide an overview of the findings of the latest research worldwide on how the Holocaust is taught. Around 150 people from almost 40 countries will take part in the conference. Switzerland will take up the IHRA chairmanship in 2017.

Switzerland to chair the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance in 2017

05.11.2015 — Press releases EDA
The 31 member countries accepted today Switzerland's candidacy for the chairmanship of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) in 2017. The Federal Council had supported this candidacy on the proposal of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). During its chairmanship in 2017, the FDFA will continue to work closely on this issue with the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education and with organisations that are active in Switzerland in promoting human rights.

President Burkhalter calls on politicians and civil society to take a clear stand against anti-Semitism

13.11.2014 — Press releases EDA
At the Conference on Anti-Semitism in Berlin, President of the Swiss Confederation Didier Burkhalter praised the action that the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has taken over the past ten years to combat anti-Semitism. Burkhalter, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, called for a strong ongoing commitment to fighting hostility against the world's Jews. He believes that young people, in particular, hold great potential in efforts to counter the dangers of anti-Semitism.

President Didier Burkhalter pays an official visit to Poland

27.01.2014 — Press releases EDA
On 27 January President Didier Burkhalter will be received in Warsaw by the Polish President Bronisław Komorowski for an official presidential visit, the equivalent of a state visit in Switzerland. The three bilateral talks with President Komorowski, Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski will focus on bilateral relations, European policy, Switzerland's chairmanship of the OSCE, as well as a range of international and multilateral issues. On the morning of 28 January President Burkhalter will travel to Cracow where he will visit projects supported by Switzerland as part of its contribution towards EU enlargement. The afternoon will be set aside for a visit to the concentration camps of Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau.

State-secretary Yves Rossier in the Near East for political talks

11.09.2013 — Press releases EDA
The state-secretary of the FDFA, Yves Rossier, is currently on an official visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory from 8 to 12 September 2013. He will meet his Israeli counterpart, Rafael Barak, and the Palestinian deputy-foreign minister, Tayser Farahat, primarily to discuss the current peace talks. Switzerland has been a longstanding advocate of a two-state solution to the conflict in the Near East.

Auschwitz-Birkenau: Switzerland is committed to the preservation of the site

03.05.2013 — Press releases EDA
Switzerland is contributing to the preservation of the former extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau with a donation of one million euros to the foundation responsible for the maintenance of the site. This donation is a response to a call for funds totalling EUR 120 million addressed to several dozen States. With this gesture, Switzerland is demonstrating its international solidarity and respect for the victims of Nazism, and contributing to the necessary work of remembrance.

Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter travels to Israel and to the Occupied Palestinian Territory

30.04.2013 — Press releases EDA
From 1 to 5 May Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter will be in the Near East for a working visit. During his visit to Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Ramallah, Mr Burkhalter will meet the Israeli President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanjahu, the Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. Switzerland has for a long time advocated a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Report on the state of work on looted art during the National Socialist era

17.01.2011 — Press releases EDA
The Federal Office of Culture (FOC) is publishing on behalf of the Federal Council the "FDHA/FDFA Report on the State of Work on looted Art during the National Socialist era, in particular, on the subject of provenance research". The document, published on the Internet includes the summary of a survey of Swiss museums on the state of provenance research as well as the results of the "Holocaust Era Assets Conference" in Prague.

Switzerland takes part in the Holocaust Era Assets Conference in Prague

26.06.2009 — Press releases EDA
An international conference on assets stolen during the Shoah will bring together 49 government delegations in Prague from today until 30 June. A Swiss delegation will participate in this conference.

Conclusion of the Durban Review Conference in Geneva

24.04.2009 — Press releases EDA
The Durban Review Conference has sent a strong message to the victims of racism thanks to the final text it adopted by consensus. It also constitutes an unequivocal statement by the international community in support of the fight against racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia. The follow-up process to the 2001 Durban Conference has advanced the fight against racism in Switzerland. Civil society was a very active partner both during the Conference itself as well as in the margins. The demonstrations organised by civil society this week were orderly and peaceful.

Recall of the Israeli ambassador in Switzerland

20.04.2009 — Press releases EDA
The FDFA has received confirmation of the recall of the Israeli ambassador to Switzerland. The FDFA deplores the excessive remarks made in this context by various Israeli representatives.

The translation of Memoirs of Holocaust survivors into French is accomplished

27.11.2017 — Article EDA

On the occasion of the second plenary meeting under Swiss chairmanship of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) on 27^th November 2017, the translation of all the 15 memoirs of Holocaust survivors into French has been completed.

Swiss school students grapple with the memory of the Holocaust

14.07.2017 — Article EDA

In order to approach the difficult subject of the Holocaust, school teachers from Biel and Geneva asked their students to translate several notebook memoirs written by survivors. We met the students from Biel and Geneva and asked them what they took away from this experience.

Students from the French-speaking part of Switzerland translate Memoirs of Holocaust survivors

26.06.2017 — Article EDA

On the occasion of the first plenary meeting under Swiss chairmanship of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance on 26^th June in Geneva, students from Geneva and Bienne present the outcome of their work. They worked for many months to translate the Memoirs of the Holocaust survivors who live in Switzerland.

"Meetings between students and Holocaust survivors remain the best way of fighting Holocaust denial"

07.03.2017 — Article EDA

This year, Switzerland is assuming the chairmanship of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. Its new chair, FDFA secretary general Benno Bättig, discusses his role, Switzerland's priorities and the importance of raising youth awareness.

Remembrance as a bridge

27.01.2017 — EDA
Message from the President of the Swiss Confederation Doris Leuthard to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day on 27 January 2017

"Promoting tolerance and combating anti-Semitism - our collective endeavour because it is our common history and our common future"

13.11.2014 — Article EDA

Bern, 13.11.2014 - Berlin, 13.11.2014 - Opening address by the President of the Swiss Confederation, Mr. Didier Burkhalter, at the Conference on Anti-Semitism of the OSCE - Check against deliviery

«Chaque génération peut apprendre des autres, pour mieux comprendre le monde» (de/fr)

11.11.2014 — Article EDA

Bern, 11.11.2014 - Bern, 11.11.2014 - Speech by the President of the Swiss Confederation, Mr. Didier Burkhalter, at the International Law Day of the Directorate of International Law 2014 - Check against deliviery