What has Switzerland concretely achieved in the Security Council?

In January 2023 the Security Council unanimously extended cross-border humanitarian aid for Syria by six months under the negotiating leadership of Switzerland and Brazil. After the devastating earthquakes in February 2023, the need for humanitarian aid in Syria continued to grow. Switzerland and Brazil advocated together with all Security Council members and regional organisations for solutions to meet these needs. In the summer of 2023, the opening of the crossings was secured – after a Russian veto – through negotiations between the UN and Damascus, which Switzerland supported on the ground and in New York. This had a tangible impact on the millions of people in need in north-west Syria. The cross-border humanitarian aid encompassed food, assistance in regard to emergency shelters, education, the protection of the civilian population, and health, as well as material to provide water and ensure wastewater treatment.

In January 2023 the Security Council extended the mandate of UNOWAS by three years under the negotiating leadership of Switzerland and Ghana. The core tasks of UNOWAS are preventive diplomacy, good offices and political mediation and facilitation efforts. UNOWAS also works to consolidate peace and democratic governance – often in close cooperation with regional organisations. The UNOWAS extension is therefore a contribution to peace and stability in the entire region.

In May 2024, Switzerland and Sierra Leone succeeded in obtaining the first statement by the president of the Security Council on West Africa and the Sahel in almost three years. In it, the Security Council demonstrated its clear support for UNOWAS – especially its work on the effects of climate change on peace and security. The consensus was forged over months of persistent, creative and solution-orientated negotiation work. The result remains important today for the affected region and the United Nations: the Security Council condemns ongoing violations of international humanitarian law, expresses concern about unconstitutional changes of government and refers to drivers of conflict, including the negative impact of climate change on peace and security. The latter in particular was one of the most difficult points in the negotiations and is a milestone from a Swiss perspective.

In its role as president of the Security Council, in May 2023 Switzerland offered the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency a platform to present to the council the five principles on nuclear safety at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine. Switzerland supported the process in the background through shuttle diplomacy between Russia and Ukraine.

The power plant in Zaporizhzhia has been exposed to considerable risks since Russia's military aggression against Ukraine began in 2022. Throughout the duration of its membership of the Security Council, Switzerland repeatedly emphasised the need to protect the power plant and ensure nuclear safety and security, both of which are crucial for the protection of the civilian population and are a binding requirement for the parties to the conflict under international humanitarian law.

In November 2023, Switzerland, as lead negotiator, ensured that the Security Council unanimously authorised the extension of the EU mission EUFOR ALTHEA in Bosnia and Herzegovina for a further year. The council's clear support for the mission was an important signal in view of the polarised atmosphere. The Swiss negotiating team demonstrated its credible mediating role through its inclusive, consultative approach.

The follow-up resolution in 2024 was negotiated during the Swiss presidency of the Security Council. With both resolutions, Switzerland made a contribution to peace in the Western Balkans and to the peacekeeping operation with the second-largest Swiss military contingent.

In February 2024, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Guyana led a Security Council visit to Colombia – for the first time with a trio of women taking the lead. Switzerland directly contributed its many years of expertise in bilateral peacebuilding in Colombia to the Security Council, which was able to gain a first-hand impression of the implementation of the peace agreement and the Colombian government's current peace efforts under the 'Paz Total' policy.

The Security Council delegation held talks with the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, authorities responsible for implementing the peace agreement, the Special Jurisdiction for Peace, former combatants and victims of the conflict, among others. The visit also provided an opportunity for dialogue with various women's groups, human rights defenders and members of minority groups. The delegation also carried out field visits in the west and south of the country, focusing on humanitarian demining, the reintegration of ex-combatants and the situation of indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities.

Colombia has been mired in armed conflict for decades. In that time it is estimated that over 450,000 people have been killed – the majority of them civilians – and 8 million people have been forcibly displaced. An innovative peace agreement between the Colombian government and the former Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia-Ejército del Pueblo (FARC-EP) was concluded in 2016. The UN verification mission is tasked with verifying the implementation of this peace agreement and supporting sustainable peace in Colombia.

In March 2024 the Security Council adopted Resolution 2728 on Gaza. This was historic in two respects: for the first time since the terrorist attacks by Hamas on 7 October 2023 and the subsequent escalation of violence in the Middle East, the Security Council called for a ceasefire. The catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip was the decisive factor. It was also the first resolution in recent Security Council history to be tabled jointly by all ten elected members (the 'E10'), thanks in part to Switzerland's decades-long commitment to consultative collaboration. Switzerland further promoted the consensus on Gaza in two E10 declarations during its presidency of the Security Council in October 2024, as well as with a declaration by the full Security Council on the Middle East.

In view of the risk of a polio epidemic, Switzerland also convened an emergency meeting of the Security Council together with the UK in August 2024. This made it possible to keep up the pressure to immunise over 600,000 children with polio vaccines, to which Switzerland also contributed financially. In February and November 2024, at the request of Switzerland, Guyana, Algeria and Slovenia, the Security Council discussed the risk of famine in Gaza as a result of the armed conflict, which was clearly highlighted in the council briefings. Almost all members agreed that the Security Council must take action.

In May 2024 the Security Council adopted Resolution 2730 submitted by Switzerland. The resolution calls for the consistent protection of humanitarian and UN personnel in conflicts ('protecting the protectors') in accordance with international humanitarian law, and was supported by a total of 99 states. In view of the increasing number of attacks – some of them fatal – against humanitarian personnel, this strong demand was urgently necessary. In November 2024 the UN secretary-general finally presented the Security Council with recommendations for implementing the resolution. A total of 116 delegations took the opportunity to join Switzerland in a joint media appearance. In doing so, they also fulfilled one of the secretary-general's main recommendations: to speak out clearly and consistently in favour of compliance with international humanitarian law.

The Swiss initiative was also instrumental in strengthening international humanitarian law in twelve resolutions (e.g. Resolution 2719 on the African peace support missions, Resolution 2728 on Gaza, and Resolution 2699 on the police support mission in Haiti).

In August 2024, Switzerland welcomed a delegation from the Security Council to Geneva to observe the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions. These pillars of international humanitarian law oblige all states to fulfil their responsibility to humanity in combat operations. After a panel discussion with the ICRC at the UN headquarters in Geneva, the delegation took part in a ceremony at the Place des Nations that had an unambiguous message at its heart: 'War has limits'. This sent a clear signal to the international community to address the erosion of the implementation of the Geneva Conventions, especially in light of the more than 120 conflicts in the world. In his speech, Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis also called on all international actors to renew their commitment to international humanitarian law and to make the Geneva Conventions a political priority.

The relevance of the broad range of expertise available in Geneva to the Security Council's prevention activities was highlighted during the second part of the visit. The Security Council delegation had the opportunity to exchange views with Geneva-based stakeholders on the use of science and technology in conflict prevention – from climate security and AI to neuro- and quantum technologies. In addition to various UN agencies and centres, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA) think tank were also involved in the discussions.

In May 2023, at a Security Council meeting chaired by Federal Councillor Viola Amherd, Switzerland fired the starting signal for negotiations on the groundbreaking Resolution 2719, which included new regulations for financing and cooperation in AU peace support missions. During its presidency in October 2024, Switzerland brought the AU Peace and Security Council and the UN Security Council together for the first time at an informal retreat, where discussions focused on the implementation of cooperation in peace missions, the impact of climate change on conflicts, and the role of young people with AU youth ambassadors. A joint communiqué was issued after the meeting.

Switzerland also worked successfully with AU members in various roles and initiatives:

• Leading the Informal Expert Group on Climate, Peace and Security together with Mozambique (2023–24)
• Leading the Informal Expert Group on Women, Peace and Security together with Sierra Leone (2024)
• Leading negotiations on the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) together with Ghana (2023) and Sierra Leone (2024)
• Organising the visit to Geneva in July 2024 to mark the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, in close cooperation with Security Council president Sierra Leone
• The 'Trio Initiative' to strengthen conflict prevention and implement the New Agenda for Peace, with Sierra Leone and Slovenia

During the Swiss presidency in October 2024, Federal Councillor Cassis chaired the first Security Council meeting on the impact of scientific developments on peace and security. Scientists and disarmament experts briefed the Security Council on questions surrounding neurotechnologies, quantum computing, synthetic biotechnology and more. For example, what if drones could be controlled by a chip in your brain? The Security Council also adopted the first presidential statement on science diplomacy, embedding anticipatory engagement with the topic within the council. Switzerland took an innovative approach for this session, employing an AI tool which it trained together with the Diplo Foundation. The tool listened in to the discussions and produced a written report of the meeting almost in real time.

Upstream of the October meeting, an informal exchange between Security Council members and science diplomacy stakeholders took place in August 2024 in Geneva, and an informal council meeting on the potential of science for peace was organised by Switzerland in April 2024. In May 2023 – during its first presidency – Switzerland invited a political scientist to speak before the Security Council on the importance of factual evidence for building trust between states.

In addition, new technologies were the focus of two Swiss exhibitions at the UN headquarters: 'Deepfake and You' in October 2024 in conjunction with the ICRC and EPFL, and 'Digital Dilemmas' on humanitarian work in conflict zones in May 2023 in conjunction with the ICRC. These two travelling exhibitions were subsequently shown in other locations after New York and continue to tour.

In October 2024 President of the Swiss Confederation Viola Amherd became the first female president in the world to chair the annual Security Council debate on women, peace and security. She presented specific recommendations from female mediators around the world on how to strengthen the participation of women in peace processes. These recommendations were the upshot of a workshop hosted by Switzerland in New York in July 2024, bringing together representatives of regional networks of female mediators. Together with the UN secretary-general, Ms Amherd also initiated a pledging process to ensure better implementation of Resolution 1325 (2000) with a view to its upcoming 25th anniversary.

Switzerland took concrete steps to strengthen the voice of women in the Security Council. In both months when it chaired the Security Council, it provided 20 experienced women from civil society with a platform to speak before the council on their work for transformative and inclusive peace – in Sudan, Syria, Haiti and other contexts.

Switzerland also worked with partner states to significantly strengthen the role of women and the gender perspective in twelve Security Council resolutions (e.g. 2724 on Sudan, 2754 on Colombia and 2702 on Libya). The 16 preparatory meetings of the Informal Expert Group on Women, Peace and Security, which Switzerland co-chaired with the United Arab Emirates (2023) and Sierra Leone (2024), were decisive in this regard.

In December 2024, Switzerland, together with the United States, introduced a resolution to the Security Council that extended humanitarian exemptions in the sanctions regime against the 'Islamic State' group/Al-Qaeda for an indefinite period. This exemption affects over 100 million people who are dependent on humanitarian aid. It reduces the risk of sanctions unintentionally blocking humanitarian actors or activities. The resolution was adopted unanimously.

Previously, in July 2024, Switzerland successfully advocated to strengthen the 'Focal Points for Delisting'. Sanctioned persons and organisations can turn to these contact points to have themselves removed from the UN sanctions lists. The extension of the powers of the focal points represents an important step towards the rule of law and a clearly regulated review procedure for all 14 UN sanctions regimes.

The ombudsperson for the sanctions against the 'Islamic State' group and Al-Qaeda has an even stronger mandate than the focal points. They can not only submit information on delisting requests to the relevant sanctions committee, but also make recommendations in this regard. In June 2024, Switzerland played a key role in extending the mandate of the ombudsperson for the first time by three years (instead of the usual two). For the first time, the Security Council also recognised the importance of rule of law procedures in seven sanctions regimes at Switzerland's instigation.

These successes build on Switzerland's long-standing commitment to sanctions that are imposed in accordance with the principles of the rule of law and have as little negative impact as possible on the civilian population and humanitarian aid.

Switzerland made a significant contribution to strengthening the fight against the impact of climate change on peace and security in seven resolutions, including on Somalia, South Sudan and Haiti. Thus for example the Security Council mandated in Resolution 2677 that the risks associated with climate change for peace and security in South Sudan and their impact on the work of the UN mission UNMISS be investigated and that the analyses be included in the UN secretary-general's annual report. In the first Security Council presidential statement on UNOWAS, Switzerland, together with Sierra Leone, also succeeded in establishing climate security more firmly. Switzerland also made a concrete contribution to increasing the number of climate advisers on the ground in contexts of armed conflict and other crises.

In preparation, Switzerland, together with Mozambique, organised 13 informal briefings for the members of the Security Council to highlight the links between climate, peace and security in various regions. And in December 2024 – also together with Mozambique – it brought Security Council experts on this topic to the Lake Chad region for the first time ever, enabling them to gain a first-hand impression of the impact of climate change on peace and security, as well as local solutions and initiatives.

Together with Malta, Mozambique and the United Arab Emirates, Switzerland launched the 'Joint Pledges on Climate Peace and Security' in the spring of 2023, setting out concrete steps that member states can take to address the impact of climate change on peace and security in the Security Council. The signatory states of the joint pledges also helped to keep the topic on the Security Council's agenda through joint statements and media 'stakeouts', which were synchronised to tie in with the council's current programme.

Switzerland, together with Brazil (2023) and Guyana (2024), was informally responsible for the implementation of Resolution 2417 (2018). This recognises the existence of conflict-related food insecurity and calls for increased UN reporting on this issue.

Together with these states, Switzerland requested several referrals to the Security Council on conflict-related food insecurity, including in Haiti, the Sahel, Gaza and Sudan. The meetings sensitised states to the links between hunger and conflict in the respective contexts, brought into focus the obligations of the conflicting parties under international law and highlighted the urgency of the problem. They also helped to generate attention for the financing of emergency humanitarian aid ('flash appeals').

Switzerland also used its presidency of the Security Council in May 2023 to draw the council's attention to this issue, placing the focus of the annual high-level debate on the protection of civilians, which was chaired by the then Swiss president, Alain Berset, on the prohibition of starvation as a method of warfare. In its official statements to the Security Council, Switzerland also highlighted the links between conflicts and food security, and reiterated the obligations under international law in this regard.

Together with Japan, Switzerland strengthened cooperation between the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Security Council. In this role, it helped to ensure that the ten Security Council members who recognise the ICC spoke with a strong, united voice. For example, it facilitated joint statements and media appearances on the occasion of the ICC chief prosecutor's reports on Libya and Sudan. Such support is crucial at a time when the ICC and the rule of law in the international arena in general are under severe pressure.

In July 2023, Switzerland also organised an informal Security Council meeting to mark the 25th anniversary of the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the ICC. The focus was on the ICC's contribution to maintaining peace and security. The meeting highlighted the strong support for the work of the ICC by states parties from all regional groups.

Switzerland also advocated for accountability to be anchored and strengthened in mandates for peacekeeping operations – for example in Sudan, Iraq, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.