Switzerland at the UN Security Council in 2023-24

Peace & security

Diplomacy & international actors

International Law

Duration

In this project, we crowdsourced citizens’ ideas about the thematic priorities Switzerland could follow during its tenure at the UN Security Council in 2023-24. 

 

Recent developments in international politics highlighted how crucial it is to tackle global challenges together and align on rules-based international cooperation mechanisms. To this end, the United Nations (UN) system plays a crucial role with the UN Security Council (UNSC) as the key organ ensuring global peace and security. In June 2022, the UN General Assembly will hold its elections for 5 non-permanent seats on the UNSC for the period 2023-24. Switzerland is one of the candidates. 20 years after the decision by the Swiss people to join the United Nations, our country will most likely set another milestone within its track-record of engagement towards multilateralism and peaceful relations on the global stage.

But what does it concretely mean to be a non-permanent member of the UNSC? How can Switzerland amplify its positive impact on global peace and security throughout its tenure at the UN Security Council in 2023-24?

These are the questions we explored with interested thinkers and experts from the field to better understand the role of the UNSC and reflect upon this opportunity Switzerland will have in 2023-24 to be a “Plus for Peace” as the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) set it in its candidacy campaign launched in October 2020.

Methodology: For this project, we used a dedicated platform on our policy innovation tool Policy Kitchen to crowdsource participants’ ideas.