Switzerland in the world: water for Europe and global security

Kai Reusser / swissinfo.ch

Swiss attitudes and positions on global issues sometimes come as a surprise to the international community. However, in some remote corners of the world, Switzerland is responsible for some small, but no less astonishing, stories. SWI swissinfo.ch takes a closer look.  

Given the fact that Switzerland barely covers 0.008% of the Earth’s surface, it is astonishing that it regularly makes international headlines. This is not only because approximately 800,000 Swiss nationals live abroad; it is also due to Switzerland’s close economic ties with many countries around the world and the many international organisations that are based in the Alpine country.

All the essentials: Switzerland in the world

The landslide in BrienzExternal link is not only keeping Switzerland on tenterhooks, but is also attracting attention in the international press. Although climate change had no influence on a slice of mountain collapsing, the evacuation of an entire village nevertheless attracted a lot of attention. So far, the village has been largely spared by the rock and stone avalanches, which is why the residents have been allowed to return to their homes for the time being.

In contrast to Brienz, which was temporarily completely emptied of people, Iseltwald is struggling with a large influx of tourists, especially from Asia. They want to see this one jetty on Lake Brienz, which has become very famous thanks to the Netflix series “Crash Landing on You”.

In addition to assisted suicide, the fact that it is quite easy to formally change one’s gender in Switzerland also attracts international attention. Conversely, however, it is baffling that the Federal Supreme Court recently ruled against the option of a third gender in the Swiss passport.

Two famous women recently died in Switzerland recently, although one of them is much more famous internationally. The late Tina Turner needs no introduction but perhaps you have heard of Elisabeth Kopp, Switzerland’s first female cabinet minister.

This overview of Swiss issues in the world is not complete without a typical Swiss delicacy: Cheese, specifically Emmental, the one with the big holes. It will probably become much better known now thanks to a recent development but it is not good news for Switzerland though. The EU court in Luxembourg has ruled that “Emmentaler” describes a certain type of cheese, but not its origin. Therefore, the term cannot be protected as a location-based trademark.

Selected highlights: Switzerland in the world

Alamy Stock Photo / Lukas Watschinger

Russia: dispute over Swiss sanctions

Switzerland is being harshly criticised internationally for its lax implementation of sanctions against Russia. Erwin Bollinger of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) counters this accusation by saying that Switzerland is implementing the sanctions in an exemplary manner. So what is true? We went in search of clues and discovered some contradictions.
 

About ‘shadowy oil’, blind spots and oligarchs

• Investigating Swiss traders’ links to murky world of Russian oil
• Switzerland’s secrecy blind spot hinders sanctions enforcement
• ‘We didn’t believe we weren’t being transparent’
• Despite criticism, the Swiss say they’re model enforcers of Russia sanctions
• Switzerland has to ‘go above and beyond’ to implement sanctions

Unsplash / Bill Fairs

China: too powerful for little Switzerland

In the international diplomatic arena, little Switzerland often walks on a tightrope. The more powerful the country involved, the more obviously Switzerland does not want to damage relations. As difficult as it finds dealing with Russia because of Ukraine, it has trouble positioning itself confidently vis-à-vis China because of Taiwan. This puts Switzerland in a predicament when it comes to the question of how closely it should cooperate scientifically with the world’s largest producer of semiconductors.
 

Hopeless dilemma?

• Fearing China, Switzerland sacrifices scientific ties with Taiwan

UN Photo / Marvin Bolotsky

India: feminist pioneer in Geneva

As one of only two female delegates to the UN Commission on Human Rights, Indian women’s rights activist Hansa Mehta was keen to change the central phrase of the Declaration of Human Rights “all men are created equal” to “all human beings” in 1947.

The final draft of this declaration was presented to the Commission on Human Rights in Geneva in 1948 and subsequently adopted by the United Nations General Directorate in Paris.

A short time later, Mehta was Vice-President of the Human Rights Council, which meets about three times a year in Geneva. On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Declaration and the venue of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, we ask:
 

Is the Human Rights Declaration still relevant today?

• How the Universal Declaration of Human Rights aimed to change the world

Keystone / Alessandro Della Valle

US: what is Switzerland doing in the UN Security Council?

Since January 2023 – and for the first time in its history – Switzerland has been a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. Now it reached a new milestone, taking over the rotating presidency of the New York-based body responsible for maintaining peace and security in the world in May.

Through this task, Switzerland embarked on a very challenging expedition through the world’s conflicts: from Sudan to Ukraine to Syria.
 

Our reporting on Switzerland in the UN Security Council

• The bumpy path of Switzerland’s UN membership
• How Switzerland could help restore some UN credibility 
• ‘The expectation is for Switzerland to show its reliability’
• What to expect when Switzerland heads UN Security Council
• Swiss scandals considered peanuts by UN standards

Keystone / Pablo Gianinazzi

Italy: is the water from Switzerland drying up?

Whether lakes, rivers or streams: Switzerland has never been short of water. It is not for nothing that it is called the “water tower of Europe”. It is home to 6% of the continent’s freshwater reserves.

It is therefore all the more surprising that drinking water consumption in Switzerland per capita and day is average throughout Europe. The situation is quite different in Italy, however. There it is among the highest. That is why Italy wants to store more water in the transboundary Lake Maggiore.
 

The “water tower of Europe” brings on a thirst

• Why water-rich Switzerland needs to monitor droughts
• Water shortage: Switzerland’s blue gold is under pressure
• How to prevent conflicts over water in the middle of Europe

How to stay tuned in? 

Do you want to know which Swiss issues the international community is interested in? The following curated offer and services could support you in your search: 

SWIplus (SWI swissinfo.ch app) 

Newsletters by SWI swissinfo.ch (on an array of topics)  

Swiss ReviewExternal link (magazine for the Swiss Abroad)