The Swiss foreign ministry has chosen International Women’s Day to launch the “Swiss Women in Peace Processes” (SWiPP) network.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch/ts
The 15 Swiss women who will be part of the first iteration of the network come from various professional backgrounds, such as the foreign ministry and non-governmental and international organisations. All are involved in peacebuilding efforts around the world.
The number of women working in international peace processes is very low, the ministry said in a statementExternal link on Monday. According to a study by the Council on Foreign Relations, between 1992 and 2019, women constituted on average 13% of negotiators, 6% of mediators and 6% of signatories in major peace processes around the world.
Networks are an excellent way to create opportunities for women and raise their visibility, the ministry said.
More
More
What is feminist foreign policy?
This content was published on
‘Peace is more sustainable if women are involved in the process.’
“Peace processes are complex. They address a wide range of subjects and have multiple dynamics at play,” said Sarah Koch, a human security advisor at the Swiss Embassy in Cameroon and a participant in the first SWiPP.
“Their success depends on the many different actors involved being able to work together. Likewise, progress on certain issues requires a shared effort, mutual support and inspiration. Networks are a really good instrument for this.”
Sounding board
The network will be structured around a digital platform as well as an advisory body (“sounding board”) comprising both men and women. This will make it easier to arrange exchanges, experience-sharing and guest lectures.
For Sanna Vögeli, one of the initial 15 members and a mediation programme officer with swisspeaceExternal link, “the network opens up opportunities for us like peer coaching, professional development, career planning and intergenerational exchange on issues that specifically affect women working in peace processes”.
The pilot project will run for 18 months. At the end of this phase, SWiPP should be scaled up, the ministry said.
More
More
Women’s role in peace processes stressed
This content was published on
A revised national action plan was discussed at a conference in Bern this week organised by the Swiss foreign ministry. The plan sets out how Switzerland can apply United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, unanimously adopted ten years ago. It was on October 31, 2000 that for the first time, the international community explicitly recognised…
Swiss money laundering office registers record number of reports
This content was published on
The Money Laundering Reporting Office Switzerland (MROS) registered a record number of reports of suspicious activity last year.
Two teens accused of planning terror attack released from custody
This content was published on
The Schaffhausen judiciary has released the two teenagers from custody who allegedly planned bomb attacks in Switzerland.
OECD: Sluggish economic activity slowing growth in Switzerland
This content was published on
Sluggish economic activity at the start of the year is weighing on growth in Switzerland, with GDP expected to fall to 1.1% in 2024.
Report finds mistakes which led to Swiss government data breach
This content was published on
Mistakes were made by both the government and internet company Xplain in the case of a criminal cyber-attack on the Bern-based IT business.
Swiss government wants better gender balance in federal administration
This content was published on
New Swiss government personnel management targets say there must be even more female managers in the federal administration.
Swiss national science foundation funded over 5,000 projects in 2023
This content was published on
In 2023, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) provided a total of CHF961 million worth of funding towards research projects.
Switzerland invites 160 delegations to June Ukraine peace talks
This content was published on
Russia is currently not among the delegations invited to talks aimed at helping bring about peace in the conflict between Moscow and Ukraine.
Survey: air travel most popular way to go on holidays for Swiss
This content was published on
Despite the climate crisis, flying is the most popular mode of transport for private travel – particularly among young, urban and high-income travellers.
Swiss government to use phone data to identify asylum seekers
This content was published on
From April 2025, authorities plan to be able to analyse data from mobile phones, computers and other data carriers to identify asylum seekers.
This content was published on
The Swiss army says women who have served in a peace-building operation abroad should be able to join the militia army directly.
This content was published on
Campaigners marking International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women gathered in Bern on Tuesday to highlight the message of women in danger. With 25 women killed by their partners every year in Switzerland, domestic violence is the leading cause of damage to health and death for younger women, ahead of cancer and road…
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.