Swiss president calls for unity at UN

“Our experience has taught us that dialogue is not a sign of weakness," the Swiss president told the UN General Assembly on September 22. Keystone-SDA

Swiss President Guy Parmelin has called on world leaders gathered at the UN General Assembly in New York to “show that cooperation remains possible”. Drawing on Switzerland's experience as a multilingual nation, he said the county has learned to overcome its differences.

“A natural border can also become a place of passage,” said Parmelin, who holds the rotating Swiss presidency role, on Tuesday. “Our experience has taught us that dialogue is not a sign of weakness.”

In his speech, he pointed out that cooperation does not impose its values or a single model, and that it holds great value when it creates partnerships, facilitates the sharing of knowledge and strengthens everyone’s ability to act independently.

“It is less about doing for others than doing with them,” said the Swiss president.

World at a ‘turning point’

The world finds itself at “a tipping point”, he declared.

“The most fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter – the prohibition of the use of force, and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity – are being openly violated,” said Parmelin, who is also Switzerland’s economics minister.

He went on to call for a return to multilateralism. “The question is whether relations between states will continue to be governed by common rules, or whether they will depend ever more on the weight and power of each individual state,” he said.

Protectionism vs economy

The loss of trust between nations extends beyond the realm of peace and security and is affecting the global economy, said Parmelin.

“Protectionism is on the rise. Supply chains built up over decades of interdependence are being reorganised or fragmented as a result of geopolitical tensions,” he noted.

Economic resilience requires diversifying relationships, forging new partnerships and keeping trade between different regions of the world as open as possible, he added.

Promoting Geneva

Switzerland, as a neutral country, continues to offer its good offices and to create a space conducive to dialogue, he said.

“Switzerland, as a host state, will continue to ensure that Geneva remains open, accessible and inclusive, for large and small states alike, and for the North and the South,” said Parmelin.

He highlighted next year’s summit on artificial intelligence in Geneva on June 21-22, under the motto “Bridging Innovation and Trust”, which aims to create a link between innovation and trust, two concepts that must advance hand in hand, said Parmelin.

“Certain transformations have become so profound and so rapid that no single state can, on its own, manage all their consequences. We need institutions capable of dealing with issues that transcend borders. We need multilateralism,” he concluded.

+ How we produce news in English
Translated from French, reviewed by an English Department journalist.