Switzerland in the UN Security Council between success and the reality of power
Published: Monday, Dec 23rd 2024, 10:20
Volver a Live Feed
Switzerland's two-year term as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in New York comes to an end at the end of December. Switzerland has celebrated successes, but has also been confronted with the reality of the limits imposed by the major powers.
At the beginning of 2025, the Federal Council will publish a detailed assessment of Switzerland's work on the UN Security Council. When asked, Swiss UN Ambassador Pascale Baeriswyl expressed her satisfaction with the second year of Switzerland's presidency of the most powerful UN body.
2024 was a very intense year, with Israeli attacks in Iran and Lebanon, the war in Ukraine, the conflict in Gaza and Sudan keeping the world on tenterhooks.
Baeriswyl satisfied
"We tried to deal with all of this and we managed to unite the Council several times and I am proud of that," said Baeriswyl. As an example, she cited a declaration in support of the United Nations peacekeepers in Lebanon, who had come under fire.
The ambassador believes that Switzerland has contributed to peaceful work. "The elected and permanent members have appreciated the calm that Switzerland has brought to the debates," she said.
In its two years on the UN Security Council, Switzerland will have taken part in around 810 meetings. It introduced or co-sponsored seven concrete results, including four resolutions. These include two texts on humanitarian aid and one on the protection of humanitarian personnel and UN staff. Switzerland also contributed to the renewal of political missions.
There was little criticism of Switzerland's neutrality, apart from that of Russia during the conference at Bürgenstock NW. Russia was also the only country to decline an invitation to the Council members to come to Geneva.
Switzerland has been criticized above all for its stance in the Middle East conflict. Several NGOs criticized Switzerland's abstention on the recognition of a Palestinian state.
Power politics of the great powers
Experts came to the conclusion that Switzerland has achieved successes - with certain limitations. There is a consensus that Switzerland's peace policy has been strengthened. Switzerland has also contributed to new approaches. For the first time, a resolution - the one on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip - was tabled jointly by all ten non-permanent members. Bern made an important contribution to this.
Researchers Lucile Maertens from the Graduate Institute in Geneva and Sara Hellmüller from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich believe that the extreme political tensions surrounding Ukraine prevented the non-permanent members from making full use of their mandates. Their influence has been called into question, as the power politics of the major states have shown them their limits.
However, the mandate also shows that the non-permanent members can play important roles when it comes to certain topics or regions, the two researchers wrote in their research paper on Switzerland's participation in the UN Security Council. It remains to be seen whether Switzerland can capitalize on its international standing, said Maertens and Hellmüller.
Impact on Geneva
In the medium term, the UN mandate could have an impact on Geneva, which has been in the spotlight for two years as a result. Switzerland will return to the UN Human Rights Council next January and the Swiss ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Jürg Lauber, will chair it in 2025.
The assessment of Switzerland's successes and failures will have a long-term influence on whether or not it seeks a second mandate, the researchers conclude. A country the size of Switzerland is entitled to a seat on this UN body roughly every 20 years.
©Keystone/SDA
Spanish 
English 
German 
French 
Arabic