Sommaruga emphasised Switzerland’s role in focusing the SDGs on key issues including access to clean water, health, gender equality, peace, migration, disaster risk reduction, and sustainable production and consumption.
Keystone
Swiss President Simonetta Sommaruga is in New York City this weekend for the adoption of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable DevelopmentExternal link, as well as the opening of the 70th UN General Assembly on Monday.
Sommaruga spoke about the three-year process of negotiating the goals of the agenda, which she described as “a programme of the people, by the people and for the people”.
Michael Gerber, Switzerland’s lead negotiator for the development agenda, said in a statement: “We are very satisfied with the outcome of the negotiations. Considered as a whole, the 2030 Agenda is in line with our priorities and positions“.
“Populism is poison for democracy”
On Saturday, Sommaruga spoke on the rule of law, transparency and civic participation at a high-level event organised with the Institute for Democracy and Election Assistance (IDEA). The German language NZZ newspaper quoted Sommaruga as saying that “populism is poison for democracy”, and that the phenomenon of populism is on the rise in many European democracies, including Switzerland.
The president also met UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who called Switzerland an “example” to other countries when it comes to shaping political processes for sustainable development.
Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter joins the president in New York on Sunday. He will be attending several events during the coming week, including bilateral talks with UN foreign ministers.
On Monday, Sommaruga will attend the opening of the 70th session of the UN General Assembly, where she will present Switzerland’s foreign policy priorities for 2016.
Popular Stories
More
Multinational companies
Azeri fossil-fuel cash cow brings controversy to Switzerland
Beer sales in Switzerland watered down by bad weather
This content was published on
The past brewing year fell through in Switzerland, partly due to the bad weather. Beer sales shrank again. For the first time, per capita consumption fell below the 50 liter mark.
Compensation for Syrian after pregnant wife denied help on Swiss train
This content was published on
Switzerland’s Federal Court has partially upheld the appeal of a Syrian family being deported from Switzerland to Italy in 2014. The man now also receives compensation.
Swiss-EU negotiations: Cassis to meet Sefcovic in Bern
This content was published on
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis will meet the Vice-President of the EU Commission, Maros Sefcovic, in Bern on Wednesday.
Heavy snowfall in Switzerland causes traffic chaos and accidents
This content was published on
The heavy snowfall late on Thursday and during the night into Friday led to traffic chaos and many accidents in many regions of Switzerland.
Chimpanzee behaviours passed down through generations
This content was published on
Some of the complex behaviours of chimpanzees have been passed down and refined over generations. These include the combination of several tools for foraging.
More than 600,000 rounds of Swiss sniper ammunition reach Ukraine
This content was published on
Sniper ammunition from Swiss P Defence reached Ukraine via a Polish company in July 2023, reported SRF Investigativ on Thursday, citing official information.
Switzerland launches national digital inclusion alliance
This content was published on
The Swiss government launched the Swiss Digital Inclusion Alliance on Thursday with the goal of giving as many people as possible access to digital services.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Post-2015 development goals to offer “new dynamic”
This content was published on
The new universal Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a welcome step forward, says Peter Niggli, the former head of Alliance Sud, the umbrella organisation of Swiss development NGOs. His organisation will be closely monitoring Swiss implementation in the coming years.
This content was published on
A series of new sustainable development goalsExternal link will replace the MDGsExternal link, which will expire in September 2015. But how much has actually been achieved since 2000, when 189 UN member states declared their intention to combat global poverty by signing the non-binding Millennium DeclarationExternal link? swissinfo.ch sought answers from three specialists in economic development.…
Think tank cautions against high hopes for Agenda 2030
This content was published on
Alliance Sud, a Swiss think tank of six leading development organisations and charities, welcomes the United Nations Agenda 2030 as a compromise of sorts. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)External link are expected to be approved by world leaders in New York later this week. “It is a document riddled with contradictions,” says Eva Schmassmann, the…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.