The first round of discussions on human right issues between Switzerland and Senegal took place on 15 May 2012 in the Senegalese capital Dakar. The talks focused on Switzerland's priority topics, workshops were held with the participation of experts and accompanying projects were initiated. With the launch of such bilateral human rights consultations, Switzerland is stepping up its activity in West Africa. Senegal is the second West African country after Nigeria with which Switzerland is conducting such a dialogue.

The Federal Council has concluded a new 4-year performance mandate with the Swiss Broad-casting Company SRG concerning its information provision services for audiences abroad. In future the Confederation will provide between CHF 18.6 and 20 million for the internet platform "swissinfo.org" and for the SRG's collaborative activities with international TV stations TV5 and 3Sat. As a result of a restructuring of Swissinfo, it has been possible to reduce the federal contribution by CHF 2-3 million per annum.

On 16 May the Federal Council approved the credit for Swiss participation at Expo 2015 in Milan, where the theme will be "Feeding the planet, energy for life". The total budget will be CHF 23.1, of which CHF 8 million will come from sponsoring. Expo 2015 is centrally important for Switzerland because of our geographical, cultural and economic proximity to Italy. The Swiss participation organised by Presence Switzerland in the FDFA is a unique chance to present Switzerland with its cultural and geographical diversity, its research capacity, innovativeness and economic potential.