Switzerland concerned over US disengagement from UN human rights body
"Human rights are everyone's business," said the Swiss foreign minister at the opening of the Human Rights Council session in Geneva on Monday.
Keystone-SDA
Select your language
Generated with artificial intelligence.
Listening: Switzerland concerned over US disengagement from UN human rights body
Switzerland is concerned about the disengagement of certain states from the UN Human Rights Council, said foreign minister Ignazio Cassis. The United States and Israel are currently boycotting the Geneva-based body.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA
Français
fr
La Suisse veut une ONU qui revienne “à l’essentiel”
Original
“Human rights are everyone’s business,” said the Swiss foreign minister at the opening of the Human Rights Council session running until April 4. “Every member of the United Nations must assume its responsibilities”, he added, without mentioning US President Donald Trump’s administration by name.
Cassis said he was concerned about international political tensions, shrinking democratic space, growing humanitarian crises and authoritarianism affecting more than half of the planet.
“Voters have expressed widespread distrust of their leaders,” he said. “Young people are becoming radicalised, populist parties are gaining ground, and social networks are imposing unfiltered communication.”
Globalisation may have reduced poverty, but it has also led to de-industrialisation in the West, he said. And digitisation is disrupting the world of work, identity claims are affecting societies, social networks are fuelling divisions and climate change is aggravating mistrust of political leaders.
To combat these problems, the foreign minister believes that “here in Geneva, we have the responsibility and the means”. He made no secret of his “pride” at Switzerland’s return to the Council at the beginning of January for a three-year term, and that the Council will be chaired for one year by Switzerland’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Jürg Lauber.
Translated from French with DeepL/gw
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 english@swissinfo.ch.
Popular Stories
More
Swiss Abroad
The citizenship obstacle course facing spouses of Swiss Abroad
Swiss stock market sets a new benchmark above 13,000 points
This content was published on
The Swiss Market Index (SMI) hit a new all-time high on Monday morning, briefly exceeding 13,000 points, following the German parliamentary elections.
Swiss researchers use AI to monitor railway bridge stability
This content was published on
Researchers in Zurich can now verify the statics of railway bridges using a new, specially developed artificial intelligence model.
Swiss president reiterates country’s support for Ukraine
This content was published on
President of the Swiss Confederation Karin Keller-Sutter reaffirmed Switzerland's support for Ukraine on Monday at a summit in Kiev to mark the third anniversary of the war. The objective remains a just and lasting peace, she said.
Proportion of women managers in Switzerland up slightly in ten years
This content was published on
Over the last ten years, the proportion of women in management positions and on the boards of directors of Swiss companies has risen slightly, says a new analysis.
Employment in Switzerland up slightly at end of 2024
This content was published on
Total employment in Switzerland, excluding agriculture, rose by 0.9% year-on-year in the fourth quarter of last year, the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) reported on Monday.
Ukrainian ambassador praises ‘unprecedented’ Swiss support
This content was published on
Three years after the full-scale Russian invasion began, Switzerland's solidarity with Ukraine remains unprecedented, said Ukrainian ambassador Iryna Venediktova
Swiss papers see several hurdles ahead for winner of German elections
This content was published on
The Swiss newspapers see a difficult starting position for Friedrich Merz, winner of the German parliamentary elections on Sunday.
Hundreds of people in Geneva demonstrate in support of Ukraine
This content was published on
Over 800 people took part in a rally for Ukraine in Geneva to call for justice, solidarity and unwavering support three years after the Russian invasion began.
Swiss institute hosted informal talks between Russians, Ukrainians and Americans
This content was published on
The Geneva Center for Security Policy (GCSP) has hosted 10 meetings between Russian and Ukrainian interlocutors since the start of the war.
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.