Switzerland Today

Greetings from Bern,

Everyone but me and the staff of the World Economic Forum have the day off today. That's because it’s Ascension, a statutory holiday, which means loads of cars waiting in line at the northern entrance of the Gotthard tunnel as people try to squeeze in a long week-end in sunny Ticino.

It also means today’s briefing is a short one – but one still worth reading (trust me).

© Keystone / Gian Ehrenzeller

In the news: The people of Davos have their town back – though not for long

• Today was the final day of the shindig known as the WEF annual meeting, which for the first time took place in springtime in the resort of Davos (due to Covid, of course). The heavy hitters of the day included German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaking about the war in Ukraine – and a small group of activists who urged people inside the conference hall to act on climate change. Next year, it appears things will truly be back to business as usual, as the WEF reverts to a wintertime slot of January, Reuters reports.
• Did you know that the equivalent of all the food that was produced in the world between January 1 and today has gone into the bin? That’s according to the World Wildlife Fund, which is urging retailers, producers and consumers to give odd-looking produce a chance. The environmental charity is also calling on all actors in the food sector to commit to the Swiss government’s plan to cut food waste by 50% by 2030.

© Keystone / Laurent Gillieron

It’s a wrap for the biggest event on the Davos calendar

It was an unusual WEF that wrapped up today, as Dominique Soguel and Jessica Davis Plüess report from Davos. Participants were greeted by springtime flowers – and springtime rain – in place of the snow and slush. Some heads of state, notably from the United States and China, stayed away and sent smaller delegations than in the past. And one event above all others dominated official speeches and hallway whispers alike: the war in Ukraine.

The global economic fallout from Russia’s invasion of its neighbour was a recurring theme. But there was space for participants to highlight other aspects of the conflict as well. Nadia Murad, co-founder of the Global Survivors Fund, spoke about sexual violence being used as a weapon of war. And as the Guardian reportsExternal link today, a building in Davos used in the past to host Russian parties became the Russian War Crimes House outside the conference venue, displaying a map of civilian deaths and photos and videos from the war.

Closer to home, President Ignazio Cassis attended WEF with one objectiveExternal link: to prepare for the Ukraine Recovery Conference, set to take place in the southern city of Lugano in July, and encourage as many heads of state and government as possible to attend one of the most important events on the Swiss foreign policy calendar this year.