Switzerland announces candidacy to chair OSCE in 2026

If chosen, Switzerland would be chairing the OSCE for the third time since joining the organisation in 1975. Keystone

Switzerland is officially in the running to chair the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in 2026. Switzerland had been approached by several states asking it to run, said the Swiss foreign ministry on Thursday.

Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis officially informed the Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE, Maltese Foreign Minister Ian Borg, of Switzerland’s candidacy on Thursday, the foreign ministry revealed in a statement.

+Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox

With its candidacy, the ministry said, Switzerland wants to underline the fact that dialogue and cooperation are the only way to resolve crises peacefully and sustainably, especially in difficult geopolitical times.

The federal government approved the candidacy at its meeting last Friday. The parliamentary foreign affairs committees were also consulted.

+ Switzerland declares support for ‘indispensable’ OSCE

The participating states of the OSCE in Vienna will meet before the end of the year to discuss Switzerland’s candidacy. If approved, it would be the third time Switzerland chairs the organisation, after 1996 and 2014.

OSCE in a difficult situation

The OSCE is currently in a difficult situation, according to the foreign ministry. The war in Ukraine, global power shifts, polarisation and the growing influence of authoritarian government systems are putting pressure on the OSCE’s fundamental values. These include dialogue, promoting trust and cooperation.

This narrows the scope of the organisation, which makes its decisions by consensus. Switzerland wants to ensure that the OSCE’s ability to act and its inclusivity as a platform for dialogue between all participating states is maintained, the ministry added.

+ Swiss OSCE observers keep an eye on tense US election

Based in Vienna, the OSCE is the world’s largest regional security organisation, with 57 participating states. Switzerland has been a member of the organisation since 1975.

Translated from German with DeepL/gw

How we work

This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.

If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to [e-mail].