Prosperity and Sustainability Division

The relationship between domestic and foreign policy has changed fundamentally as the economy and society have become increasingly globalised. There is hardly an area of domestic policy that no longer has a strong foreign policy dimension. For some time now, foreign policy has therefore no longer been limited to the cultivation of intergovernmental relations in the traditional sense, but has had to adopt a holistic approach so that Switzerland can safeguard its interests in an optimal manner.

The Prosperity and Sustainability Division comprises four sections and the Federal Council Delegate for the 2030 Agenda.

The Financial Affairs Section is responsible for financial and tax matters within the State Secretariat and ensures its foreign policy coordination, in cooperation with the State Secretariat for International Financial Matters (SIF) of the Federal Department of Finance. It is the FDFA's contact point for foreign states on financial matters and plays the role of liaison between the Swiss financial centre and the Swiss representations abroad. The section also actively participates in discussions and negotiations concerning the Swiss financial centre, its integrity and international cooperation in tax matters. Lastly, the section has the role of a political early warning system to identify emerging international opportunities and challenges in the areas of finance and taxation, for example with regard to fintech or sustainable finance.

Swiss financial centre

International cooperation on taxation

Fighting money laundering and terrorist financing

The Economic Affairs Section is responsible for economic matters within the State Secretariat and also deals with governance matters. It represents Switzerland in the organs of the UN Convention against Corruption and heads the secretariat of the Interdepartmental Working Group on Combating Corruption. It also plays a coordinating role in the promotion of Switzerland as a business location and Swiss exports and, together with Switzerland Global Enterprise (SGE), manages the network of Swiss Business Hubs and the commercial attachés at Swiss representations abroad. It monitors developments concerning foreign and economic policy and participates in discussions on these matters within the Federal Administration and at the international level (e.g. OECD, WEF).

Corruption

Trade and export promotion

The environment, energy and health policy areas are closely interlinked and have a highly international dimension. Challenges in these areas cannot usually be solved at national level, but require international cooperation. Time and again we see that the problems facing us – such as climate change – can only be solved with a global approach.

The policy areas of sustainability, environment, energy and health are therefore central themes for Switzerland, which is a highly interconnected nation. The FDFA identifies the challenges in these areas in a timely manner, makes full use of its scope of action and contributes to finding solutions.

The Environment, Energy and Health Section coordinates and shapes Switzerland's international commitment in these areas, working closely with the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications and the Federal Department of Home Affairs.

Sustainability, environment, energy, health, education, science, transports and space

In view of their economic and societal implications, the fields of science, transport and space have acquired a strategic dimension for countries around the world. The Science, Transport and Space Section represents Switzerland in bilateral and multilateral bodies dealing with space and with scientific, polar and transport-related matters. These include the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN), the Arctic Council and the European Space Agency (ESA), as well as the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).

In 2019, the Federal Council appointed two delegates for the 2030 Agenda, one from the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) and one from the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC). The delegates alternately head the Agenda 2030 Directorate Committee, which is responsible for steering and coordinating the implementation work. In addition, they perform representational tasks, represent Switzerland in international bodies, inform the public about the 2030 Agenda and involve the cantons and municipalities as well as representatives of business, science and civil society in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals and on reporting.

2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

SDGital2030 – Overview of Switzerland's implementation of the 2030 Agenda

While Switzerland is a country of land and freshwater, seas and oceans are of paramount importance to the country economically, scientifically and environmentally. With its first maritime strategy, approved by the Federal Council on 2 June 2023, Switzerland has gained an overview and a common understanding that will improve the coherence of federal policy in this area.

Why does Switzerland need a maritime strategy?

Link to the strategy

Overview of the agreements in the maritime sector (PDF, 17 Pages, 94.3 kB, German)