Danzi has been working at the Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Cross since 1996 and was ICRC regional director for Africa over the past four years.
She will take up her new post next May, succeeding Manuel Sager who headed the development agency for five years and taking retirement.
The 50-year old Danzi, who has Swiss and Nigerian citizenship, is the first woman at the helm of the SDC.
“She possesses the abilities necessary to develop international cooperation and to lead the SDC into the future,” Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis told a news conferenceExternal link on Friday.
The SDC is the largest unitExternal link of the foreign ministry and has a staff of about 700, and an annual expenditure of CHF2 billion ($2 billion) in 2018.
Danzi said she wanted help promote Switzerland’s humanitarian tradition, the respect of human rights, poverty reduction and the preservation of natural resources.
“My hope is that all Swiss citizens are proud of the country’s international cooperation. This is something valuable and I want them to understand what it means so they can cherish it,” she said.
Switzerland to increase aid partnerships with private sector
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The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) plans to double the number of partnerships with the private sector in the next two years.
Consumer group files legal complaint against Swiss shoemaker On
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The consumer affairs bureau of French-speaking Switzerland has filed a legal complaint against On accusing it of greenwashing.
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Thomas Schinecker, CEO of Swiss pharma firm Roche, has dismissed fears that sales targets would be under threat by US tariffs.
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Researchers are asking the Swiss public for help in naming two newly discovered Swiss fish species of the genus Barbatula.
Science alliance warns against Swiss government’s cost-cutting plans
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An alliance of research and science institutions have warned of dire consequences if the Swiss government goes ahead with its austerity package.
Accidents during leisure time on the rise in Switzerland
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IN 2024 more people had accidents during leisure time than in the previous year. Some 26% of all sports accidents happened playing football.
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Apple's iPhones have gained further market share in Switzerland. Around half of all smartphone owners used a model from the US tech giant last year.
Is there a place for culture in Swiss development aid?
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Switzerland is changing its approach to development cooperation. Many are wondering where that leaves projects promoting culture abroad.
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Swiss development aid should concentrate more on the needs of its partner countries and less on stopping migration, says the OECD.
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The Swiss Agency for Cooperation and Development (SDC) will focus its work over the next four years on migration and will untertake assessments.
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As part of his five-day trip to Africa, Swiss Foreign Affairs Minister Ignazio Cassis visited a copper mine. Now he faces criticism.
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