Multilateral cooperation: increasing significance

Guidelines for operational development activities
Switzerland supports the reform of the UN development system
Switzerland is continuing the strong support it has given in recent years to the reform of the UN development system. Every four years, the general guidelines for the UN’s development operations (QCPR, Quad­rennial Comprehensive Policy Review) are set, and important reform measures are decided. The most recent QCPR resolution was approved in December 2012.

Factsheet

L'accent multilatéral: édition de mars 2013
Le multilatéral à l’épreuve du printemps arabe
Le printemps arabe a pris tout le monde par surprise. Les institutions multilatérales ont dû réagir, se repositionner, mais aussi, pour certaines, faire le point sur ce qui n’a pas fonctionné.

Accent multilatéral, mars 2013
Archive

Interview with Manuel Bessler
150 years International Committee of the Red Cross
To protect the lives and dignity of the victims of armed conflict: Even today, 150 years after it was founded, this still remains the mission of the International Committee of the Red Cross. The ICRC is the most important international partner of Swiss Humanitarian Aid. We asked Switzerland’s Delegate for humanitarian aid, Manuel Bessler, about the cooperation between the ICRC and Swiss Humanitarian Aid.

Article, 13.2.2013

OCHA
Senior UN coordinator for humanitarian aid, visits Bern
Valerie Amos, UN under-secretary general for humanitarian affairs and coordinator of emergency relief, visited Bern on 18.2.2013. Her talks with representatives of the SDC and with the Political Directorate focused on coordination of humanitarian efforts and exchanges about humanitarian aspects of mutual interest.

Media release

New Publication
Multilateral Humanitarian Aid Concept
This document outlines Switzerland’s strategy and priorities relating to humanitarian multilateral aid for the period 2013–2016. It explains how Swiss Humanitarian Aid will strengthen its multilateral activities through financial and in-kind contributions as well as secondments to multilateral organizations. It also provides information on SDC humanitarian objectives, approaches and partnerships.

Multilateral Humanitarian Aid Concept
Download (PDF, 4155 KB): [en]
Order

Restitution of Kazakh assets
Switzerland and the World Bank sign agreement
Switzerland is using a World Bank trust fund as a means to return USD 48 million in assets to Kazakhstan. These funds are meant to benefit the people of Kazakhstan. The Agreement was signed by the SDC and the World Bank on 20 December 2012.

Media release

UN General Assembly
«Blue Peace» – Switzerland wants to see water high on the UN agenda
Above and beyond questions of health and economics, water plays a key role in human security. Federal Councillor Burkhalter stressed this point in the debate on water, peace and security in the UN General Assembly. This is why Switzerland wishes to see water and security high on the UN agenda. Switzerland is already supporting Blue Peace initiatives in the Middle East and in the Nile region. The aim is for all the actors involved to jointly carry out water management.

Statement Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter
Project Blue Peace
Dossier GA of the UN