Swiss look ahead to UN role

Switzerland will need at least one session of the UN General Assembly to get used to its working methods Keystone

Switzerland will not join the United Nations until the autumn, but it is already outlining what its priorities will be.

Switzerland has had observer status at the UN for 57 years, and is already a member of its specialised agencies. But that does not mean it is going to hit the ground running when it eventually joins in September, following Sunday’s “yes” vote to membership.

“We should not pretend we can do from day one the same as other countries who have been members of the UN since its inception,” says Erwin Hofer, head of the UN and international organisations division at the Swiss Foreign Ministry.

He told swissinfo it would probably take at least one session of the General Assembly to get used to its working methods. That 57th session, though, will witness a sea change in Switzerland’s dealings with the world.

Actor, not spectator

“I will be an actor, and not a spectator. I’ll be able to participate in the game,” says Switzerland’s ambassador to the UN in New York, Jenö Staehelin.

“I will also be able to defend Switzerland’s interests in a more efficient way, because I’ll be able to do it myself, instead of relying on others,” he told swissinfo.

Staehelin is the official whose role is likely to change the most profoundly as a result of Sunday’s nail-biting vote. He will now have a seat – and a vote – at the UN General Assembly, and perhaps even in the Security Council.

No longer will he have to plead for attention, but rather he will be able to advance concrete proposals, bringing a uniquely Swiss dimension to the debates. But he will not be able to do it immediately.

Visible policies

In becoming a member of the UN’s political apparatus, Switzerland will have to participate in its decision-making process, and for that to happen, the government – in concert with parliament – will have to clearly state its position.

As a result, Swiss foreign policy will become more visible – not just to the world, but to its own people.

“We will have to take a stance in the General Assembly, and this will require us to communicate with parliament and the public,” Hofer says. “This implies that Switzerland’s position will be known much more clearly.”

The government has stated that the substance of Swiss foreign policy will not change. The 45 per cent of voters who opposed UN membership will be watching carefully to ensure that that is the case.

“People were anxious that UN membership could have a negative impact on our traditional foreign policies. I’m certain people will see that this is not the case,” Jenö Staehelin says. “Being neutral does not mean we do not have a position.”

by Roy Probert