News

On 25 September, the Federal Council took the decision to harmonise and clarify financial provisions in four sanctions ordinances implementing UN sanctions relating to the financing of terrorism and proliferation. Furthermore, international organisations will henceforth benefit from an exemption from the reporting and authorisation requirements for certain transactions under the Iran Ordinance.

In April 2027, Switzerland will host the 10th meeting of the heads of state and government of the European Political Community, bringing together around 50 countries as well as several international organisations. At its meeting on 25 September 2026, the Federal Council decided that the summit will be held in Zurich at The Circle conference centre. The European Political Community has been meeting twice a year since the end of 2022.

A new final report (railways) is available on the website of the Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board STSB.

Around 250 representatives from politics, public administration, business and academia attended the National Cybersecurity Conference in Bern to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing digital security in Switzerland. In his opening address, Federal Councillor Martin Pfister called for a joint effort to strengthen the country’s cybersecurity.

The four research institutes of the ETH Domain are to collaborate even more closely under a shared roof. They will strengthen the way they coordinate and collaborate on overarching strategic research programmes and will gradually merge their support services. Their own well-established areas of focus and their names will be retained. The ETH Board decided to go ahead with this further development and strengthening of the ETH Domain at its meeting on 23/24 September. In addition, the ETH Board appointed a new member of the Direction of EPFL and the Eawag Directorate.

At its meeting of 23/24 September 2026 and upon application of the President of ETH Zurich, Professor Joël Mesot, and the President of EPFL, Professor Anna Fontcuberta i Morral, the ETH Board appointed a total of six women and eleven men as professors and awarded the title of Professor of Practice to one individual. It also took note of the resignation of three professors and thanked them for their services. In the last 12 months, the ETH Board has made a total of 18 new appointments for women and 27 for men; the proportion of women among these new appointments thus amounts to 40%.

How can we prevent cyber incidents from escalating into international crises or exacerbating existing tensions? This question will be the focus of the international conference on ‘De-escalation in cyberspace: mediation and preventive diplomacy’ which Switzerland is organising in Zug on 29 and 30 September. It is the final thematic conference to be held under the 2026 Swiss Chairpersonship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), ahead of the annual meeting of the Ministerial Council in Lugano on 3 and 4 December 2026. Federal Councillor Martin Pfister, head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport, will open the conference, while a speech by Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE and head of the FDFA, will close it.

From 20 to 23 September 2026, during the high-level week of the UN General Assembly, the head of the FDFA, Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, focused his discussions on three key issues: the Middle East, European security and the Sahel region. In his capacity as chairperson-in-office of the OSCE, he addressed, in particular, the war in Ukraine and the OSCE's role. In all these contexts, Switzerland advocates the same approach of maintaining dialogue and giving diplomacy a chance.

Address by Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) at the 2026 UNGA high-level event: Declaration for the Protection of Humanitarian Personnel.

Switzerland is providing CHF 3 million in support of a project run by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to safeguard the Ukrainian grain harvest and prepare for the next planting season. Providing additional storage capacity should prevent crop losses and safeguard the livelihoods of farms in regions affected by the war. The project was a topic of discussion for Jacques Gerber, the Federal Council’s Delegate for Ukraine, during his visit to Kyiv from 20 to 23 September.

At the opening of the United Nations (UN) General Debate in New York on Tuesday, 22 September 2026, Swiss president Guy Parmelin reaffirmed Switzerland’s commitment to dialogue and open trade in the face of unprecedented challenges.

High Level Week des Nations Unies. Discours de Guy Parmelin, Chef du Département fédéral de l’économie, de la formation et de la recherche (DEFR) New York, le mardi 22 septembre 2026