Switzerland's participation in the UN resettlement programme focuses on victims from the conflicts in the Middle East.
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The government has decided to welcome up to 1,600 refugees over two years as part of an international resettlement programme.
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This figure for 2022/2023 is unchanged from the quota for the current period. However, the government said it will take in up to 300 additional refugees who could not be included in a previous programme due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Switzerland will focus on victims of ongoing military conflicts in the Middle East and from the central Mediterranean region, as well as people fleeing persecution.
For practical reasons, the Swiss programme will be limited to refugees from a maximum of five countries, the State Secretariat for Migration said on Wednesday.
The secretariat added that Switzerland’s participation in the resettlement programme under the auspices of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has been an integral part of the country’s refugee policy for several decades.
However, it called on Switzerland to increase its contingent in the near future given the demand for more resettlement places worldwide and the limited asylum requests in Switzerland.
Federal offices and Xplain adopt data protection recommendations
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Swiss authorities and its private contract processors are required to review their cooperation after an investigation into leaked data.
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Heavy rainfall has caused severe flooding in northern Armenia and cost lives. Switzerland dispatched a team of seven engineers to the region.
Swiss House of Representatives does not want to recognise Palestine as a state
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FINMA director expects cooperation and transparency from banks
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"I demand complete and unfiltered access to all information", said the director of the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority said in an interview.
Swiss Senate wants additional billions for the army
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Swiss Senate rejects special fund for army and Ukraine
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Earthquake service reports 4.4 magnitude quake in central Switzerland
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The earthquake was probably felt throughout Switzerland, according to the Swiss Seismological Service of federal technology institute ETH Zurich.
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Switzerland urged to take in more vulnerable refugees
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The Swiss Refugee Council is urging the government to increase its annual contingent of 800 vulnerable refugees to be resettled in the next two years.
Landmark forum seeks ‘better answers’ to refugee response
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The first-ever “Global Refugee Forum” opens in Geneva on Monday to identify practical solutions to improve the lives of refugees and host communities.
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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.