Development and Cooperation

In 2023 and 2024, Switzerland held a seat on the UN Security Council. A two-year term of office marked by geopolitical tensions. In spite of these challenging conditions, Switzerland was able to make an impact and contribute to advancing its foreign policy goals. Scroll the newsticker for background information about Switzerland's Security Council activities and statements.

This year's International Cooperation Forum, on 27 and 28 February, explores the role of interdisciplinary collaboration between the engineering, natural and social sciences. ETH Zurich will host the event. The event will be jointly organised by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), which is part of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER). Innovations that are informed by an understanding of people and their environment have real potential to improve the lives of poor communities. The FDFA fosters this potential by supporting study and research programmes.

This year's International Cooperation Forum is dedicated to economic growth in developing and transition countries. As a key factor in improving economic and social conditions, support for economic growth in these countries is vital. The thematic sessions held at ETH Zurich on 27 and 28 February will feature innovative programmes and projects of the kind implemented by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) at the FDFA and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) at the EAER.

From 14 to 25 October 2024, a group of specialists from the Ecole des Sciences Criminelles of the University of Lausanne will travel to Serbia and Kosovo to examine the use of new technologies in the search for missing persons from the period immediately before, during and after the Kosovo conflict. The specialists' visit is part of a mandate from the FDFA's Peace and Human Rights Division and is Switzerland's contribution to the implementation of the Declaration on Missing Persons, which was adopted by Serbia and Kosovo on 2 May 2023.

Those involved in humanitarian demining strive to stay at the cutting edge of technological developments. The efficiency, accuracy and safety of demining operations depend on it. The integration of scientific and technological advances is particularly important in Ukraine, one of the most mine-contaminated countries in the world.

The threat posed by mines and unexploded ordnance is forcing smallholder farmers and their families to reduce or cease production, thereby compromising the quality, variety and availability of food. This situation undermines the food security of local communities, making them more dependent on humanitarian aid, and is leading some farmers to risk their own lives in order to farm their contaminated land. Switzerland and its partners continue to work to ensure that the affected farmers can get back to work safely and quickly.