Here you can find the last 12 media releases and other news published by the FDFA, such as statements, announcements and articles, in chronological order.
All media releases can be found on the Administarions's website.
26.07.2024
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Press releases
EDA
Ignazio Cassis, head of the FDFA, will be in Paris from 30 to 31 July 2024 to attend the Olympic Games and meet the Swiss delegation. He will also visit the Maison Suisse, where he will meet members of the Swiss community living in France. Mr Cassis' visit underscores the Confederation's commitment to promoting cooperation and Switzerland's image at the Games.
26.07.2024
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Press releases
EDA
The visit, which lasted from 22 to 26 July, saw Mr Fasel meet with a number of counterparts and high-level representatives of countries in the region, including Singapore, Vietnam and Laos. It also aimed to strengthen Switzerland’s ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
15.07.2024
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Press releases
EDA
NATO is opening a multilateral liaison office in Geneva to engage with the international and non-governmental organisations based there. In Bern today, the director general of the Directorate of International Law at the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), Franz Perrez, and John Swords, the legal adviser and director of the NATO Office of Legal Affairs, signed an agreement governing the office's legal status.
15.07.2024
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Press releases
EDA
Switzerland is continuing to act for a world without capital punishment. Universal abolition is one of the Federal Council's 2024–27 Foreign Policy Strategy objectives and one of the four thematic focus areas of the FDFA's 2021–24 Guidelines on Human Rights. The new action plan translates Switzerland's commitment into concrete measures and sets out its priorities in the fight against the death penalty.
15.07.2024
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Press releases
EDA
Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis's visit to San José, Costa Rica, today concludes his journey through Latin America. Discussions focused on bilateral and trade relations, the follow-up to the Summit on Peace in Ukraine at the Bürgenstock resort, and global geopolitical challenges and their regional and global impact. In Peru and Costa Rica, the head of the FDFA met with members of the Swiss community at celebrations organised to mark Swiss National Day on 1 August.
12.07.2024
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Press releases
EDA
The 56th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC), based in Geneva, concludes today after four weeks of intensive work and the adoption of more than 20 resolutions. Switzerland presented a resolution on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of peaceful protests, which was adopted by consensus, and participated in discussions on a range of issues and geographical contexts.
08.07.2024
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Press releases
EDA
Where does the international community stand in the fight against poverty and hunger? This year's High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development at the UN in New York will scrutinise the progress made towards implementing these two goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Switzerland is calling for the inclusion of a new indicator to measure food diversity, thereby strengthening food systems.
08.07.2024
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Press releases
EDA
From 10 to 15 July 2024, Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, head of Switzerland's Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, will pay an official visit to Brazil, Costa Rica and Peru. The implementation of the Federal Council's Americas Strategy 2022–25 will be at the heart of this trip. With the various meetings also focusing on global geopolitical challenges, there will be opportunities to take stock of the Summit on Peace in Ukraine held on the Bürgenstock in mid-June. Mr Cassis will use his time in Costa Rica and Peru to meet with the Swiss community there. He will conclude his trip with a stop in New York to take part in an open debate at the UN Security Council on the preservation of international peace and security.
03.07.2024
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Press releases
EDA
Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis' trip to Central Asia ends today. The head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) visited Tajikistan before travelling on to Kyrgyzstan. Both countries are part of Switzerland's voting group in the Bretton Woods institutions, and the trip reaffirmed the strong cooperation among the group's members. There was also praise for the positive results of international cooperation programmes in the fields of digitalisation and water.
28.06.2024
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Press releases
EDA
Federal Councillor Karin Keller-Sutter and Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, together with Swiss National Bank Chairman Thomas Jordan, will travel to Dushanbe in Tajikistan from 1 to 3 July 2024. There, they will meet with the members of the Swiss constituency in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, the two Bretton Woods institutions. Both Federal Councillors will take the opportunity to hold bilateral talks with representatives of the constituency. Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis will then travel to Kyrgyzstan.
26.06.2024
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Press releases
EDA
The Federal Council is set to propose legislative amendments to enshrine in law Switzerland's practice, developed over the last two decades, on the restitution of illicitly acquired assets of foreign politically exposed persons (PEPs). At its meeting on 26 June 2024, it approved the report in response to the postulate of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Council of States (FAC-S) of 4 April 2019, which asked the Federal Council to examine whether legislation in this area should be harmonised.
26.06.2024
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Press releases
EDA
The Swiss private sector is to play a key role in Ukraine's recovery. Switzerland's Federal Council plans to make CHF 500 million available over the next four years to better involve the private sector in these efforts. The funds will come from the CHF 1.5 billion earmarked for Ukraine in the International Cooperation Strategy 2025–28. In addition, the Federal Council intends to provide CHF 66 million to support early recovery in the east of the country as well as the reconstruction and modernisation of basic infrastructure in the areas of energy security, water supply and public transport. All of this was decided by the Federal Council at its meeting on 26 June 2024.
26.07.2024 —
Press releases
EDA
Ignazio Cassis, head of the FDFA, will be in Paris from 30 to 31 July 2024 to attend the Olympic Games and meet the Swiss delegation. He will also visit the Maison Suisse, where he will meet members of the Swiss community living in France. Mr Cassis' visit underscores the Confederation's commitment to promoting cooperation and Switzerland's image at the Games.
26.07.2024 —
Press releases
EDA
The visit, which lasted from 22 to 26 July, saw Mr Fasel meet with a number of counterparts and high-level representatives of countries in the region, including Singapore, Vietnam and Laos. It also aimed to strengthen Switzerland’s ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
15.07.2024 —
Press releases
EDA
NATO is opening a multilateral liaison office in Geneva to engage with the international and non-governmental organisations based there. In Bern today, the director general of the Directorate of International Law at the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), Franz Perrez, and John Swords, the legal adviser and director of the NATO Office of Legal Affairs, signed an agreement governing the office's legal status.
15.07.2024 —
Press releases
EDA
Switzerland is continuing to act for a world without capital punishment. Universal abolition is one of the Federal Council's 2024–27 Foreign Policy Strategy objectives and one of the four thematic focus areas of the FDFA's 2021–24 Guidelines on Human Rights. The new action plan translates Switzerland's commitment into concrete measures and sets out its priorities in the fight against the death penalty.
15.07.2024 —
Press releases
EDA
Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis's visit to San José, Costa Rica, today concludes his journey through Latin America. Discussions focused on bilateral and trade relations, the follow-up to the Summit on Peace in Ukraine at the Bürgenstock resort, and global geopolitical challenges and their regional and global impact. In Peru and Costa Rica, the head of the FDFA met with members of the Swiss community at celebrations organised to mark Swiss National Day on 1 August.
12.07.2024 —
Press releases
EDA
The 56th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC), based in Geneva, concludes today after four weeks of intensive work and the adoption of more than 20 resolutions. Switzerland presented a resolution on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of peaceful protests, which was adopted by consensus, and participated in discussions on a range of issues and geographical contexts.
08.07.2024 —
Press releases
EDA
Where does the international community stand in the fight against poverty and hunger? This year's High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development at the UN in New York will scrutinise the progress made towards implementing these two goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Switzerland is calling for the inclusion of a new indicator to measure food diversity, thereby strengthening food systems.
08.07.2024 —
Press releases
EDA
From 10 to 15 July 2024, Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, head of Switzerland's Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, will pay an official visit to Brazil, Costa Rica and Peru. The implementation of the Federal Council's Americas Strategy 2022–25 will be at the heart of this trip. With the various meetings also focusing on global geopolitical challenges, there will be opportunities to take stock of the Summit on Peace in Ukraine held on the Bürgenstock in mid-June. Mr Cassis will use his time in Costa Rica and Peru to meet with the Swiss community there. He will conclude his trip with a stop in New York to take part in an open debate at the UN Security Council on the preservation of international peace and security.
03.07.2024 —
Press releases
EDA
Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis' trip to Central Asia ends today. The head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) visited Tajikistan before travelling on to Kyrgyzstan. Both countries are part of Switzerland's voting group in the Bretton Woods institutions, and the trip reaffirmed the strong cooperation among the group's members. There was also praise for the positive results of international cooperation programmes in the fields of digitalisation and water.
28.06.2024 —
Press releases
EDA
Federal Councillor Karin Keller-Sutter and Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, together with Swiss National Bank Chairman Thomas Jordan, will travel to Dushanbe in Tajikistan from 1 to 3 July 2024. There, they will meet with the members of the Swiss constituency in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, the two Bretton Woods institutions. Both Federal Councillors will take the opportunity to hold bilateral talks with representatives of the constituency. Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis will then travel to Kyrgyzstan.
26.06.2024 —
Press releases
EDA
The Federal Council is set to propose legislative amendments to enshrine in law Switzerland's practice, developed over the last two decades, on the restitution of illicitly acquired assets of foreign politically exposed persons (PEPs). At its meeting on 26 June 2024, it approved the report in response to the postulate of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Council of States (FAC-S) of 4 April 2019, which asked the Federal Council to examine whether legislation in this area should be harmonised.
26.06.2024 —
Press releases
EDA
The Swiss private sector is to play a key role in Ukraine's recovery. Switzerland's Federal Council plans to make CHF 500 million available over the next four years to better involve the private sector in these efforts. The funds will come from the CHF 1.5 billion earmarked for Ukraine in the International Cooperation Strategy 2025–28. In addition, the Federal Council intends to provide CHF 66 million to support early recovery in the east of the country as well as the reconstruction and modernisation of basic infrastructure in the areas of energy security, water supply and public transport. All of this was decided by the Federal Council at its meeting on 26 June 2024.
21.11.2019 —
EDA
Federal Councillors Guy Parmelin and Ignazio Cassis held talks with the heads of government of the International Lake Constance Conference in Bern on 21 November. Talks focused on cross-border cooperation in the Lake Constance area, the New Regional Policy of the Federal Government and Switzerland's European policy.
20.11.2019 —
EDA
UNESCO strives to promote peace and sustainable development through international cooperation in education, science, culture and media development. UNESCO's General Conference has now elected Switzerland to the organisation's Executive Board for 2019–23. The new Executive Board's mandate will include drafting UNESCO's next medium-term strategy for 2022–29.
20.11.2019 —
EDA
At its meeting on 20 November 2019, the Federal Council approved an agreement between Switzerland and the UN on training cooperation in the context of international peace support. The agreement will provide a legal framework for closer longer-term cooperation between Switzerland and the UN in the training sector.
20.11.2019 —
EDA
The right to education, protection, play and leisure – children have certain rights that, alongside their general welfare, states are obliged to guarantee. These obligations are enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which was adopted 30 years ago today. To mark the occasion, Mr Cassis, head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, opened the doors of the Federal Palace in Bern to two school classes from the canton of Ticino.
18.11.2019 —
EDA
On 18 November 2019 Switzerland and the International Code of Conduct for Private Security Service Providers’ Association (ICoCA) signed an agreement on the privileges and immunities accorded to the association in Switzerland. ICoCA plays a major role in ensuring compliance with the International Code of Conduct for Private Security Service Providers and in promoting the responsible provision of security services.
14.11.2019 —
EDA
Rund 90 Kinder und Jugendliche haben am Zukunftstag 2019 ihren Eltern oder Bekannten bei der Arbeit im Eidgenössischen Departement für auswärtige Angelegenheiten EDA über die Schulter und hinter die Kulissen des Departements geschaut. Generalsekretär Markus Seiler zeigte den jungen Gästen das Bundesratszimmer sowie das Büro von Bundesrat Ignazio Cassis, der sich an diesem Tag in Paris befand. An verschiedenen Workshops konnten die Kinder und Jugendlichen verschiedene Aspekte aus der Arbeit des EDA vertieft kennenlernen und eine Medienmitteilung schreiben.
14.11.2019 —
EDA
Speaking at the UNESCO General Conference in Paris, Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis called for minorities to be respected, pointing out that this is essential to democratic processes. He also said that Switzerland supports the reform proposals intended to enhance the organisation’s effectiveness and explained the strengths Switzerland can bring to the UNESCO Executive Board. Switzerland is campaigning to gain a seat on the Executive Board in the election on 20 November 2019.
13.11.2019 —
EDA
At its meeting on 13 November 2019, the Federal Council approved the revised Ordinance on the Reduction of CO2 Emissions. This, together with the amendment to the CO2 Act adopted in March 2019 and the agreement with the EU, will enter into force on 1 January 2020. From 2020, emissions from civil aviation and fossil fuel power stations will also be included in the Swiss ETS, as is already the case in the EU. Linking the two schemes allows companies in the Swiss ETS to trade emission allowances in the larger EU emissions market.
12.11.2019 —
EDA
Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis will represent Switzerland at the UNESCO General Conference on 14 November 2019. The head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) will call for respect for minorities, which is a key element of the democratic process. New members of the UNESCO Executive Board will also be elected during the three-week session. Switzerland – one of the candidates – is one of the biggest contributors to UNESCO measured by population.