Education, environment and protection of minorities – Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis travels to UNESCO General Conference in Paris

Bern, 12.11.2019 - Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis will represent Switzerland at the UNESCO General Conference on 14 November 2019. The head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) will call for respect for minorities, which is a key element of the democratic process. New members of the UNESCO Executive Board will also be elected during the three-week session. Switzerland – one of the candidates – is one of the biggest contributors to UNESCO measured by population.

In Switzerland, UNESCO is mainly known for its world heritage sites. These include the historic centre of Bern, the three castles of Bellinzona, the vineyard terraces in Lavaux, the Rhaetian railway in the Albula/Bernina landscape, the cathedral quarter in St Gallen and Saint John’s Benedictine monastery in Müstair. Preserving cultural heritage is part of the mandate of the UN organisation which promotes education, science, culture, communication and information. UNESCO’s achievements also include the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity which recognises cultural diversity as the common heritage of humanity. Respect for cultural diversity in the democratic process is also related to this.

Respect for cultural diversity is undoubtedly a core value in Switzerland. This was underlined by Carl Spitteler, the Swiss winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, in 1914 in his address on ‘our Swiss standpoint’: “If the minority were ten times smaller, it would still be important to us.”

Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis will also pick up on this point at the UNESCO General Conference on 14 November 2019. In his address he will underline that cultural diversity is an asset in Switzerland because there is a desire to understand others. The head of the FDFA will also highlight the importance of biodiversity and climate change mitigation and the use of new technology – both issues that UNESCO will address at this year’s General Conference. The 40th session will run from 12 to 27 November 2019.

The General Conference is UNESCO’s highest decision-making and governing body. It meets every two years at the organisation’s headquarters in Paris and determines its objectives, decides on the programme presented by the Executive Board and has budgetary powers.

The General Conference elects the Executive Board members for a four-year term in office. It also examines the work programme and budget plan and prepares the agenda for the General Conference. Switzerland is one of the candidates for election to the Executive Board for the 2019–23 period. The election will take place on 20 November 2019.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was founded in 1945. This came after the experiences of the Second World War which indicated that political and economic intergovernmental agreements are not sufficient to guarantee lasting peace. If it is not to fail, peace must be built upon the intellectual and moral solidarity of humanity. The organisation has 193 member states today. Switzerland joined UNESCO in 1949 and is one of the biggest contributors measured by population, making an annual payment of CHF 3.7 million.


Address for enquiries

FDFA Communication
Federal Palace West Wing
CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland
Tel. Press service: +41 58 460 55 55
E-mail: kommunikation@eda.admin.ch
Twitter: @SwissMFA



Publisher

Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home.html

https://www.admin.ch/content/gov/en/start/documentation/media-releases.msg-id-77035.html