International Geneva at the heart of the Swiss digital foreign policy strategy

Switzerland has a new digital foreign policy strategy. The Federal Council approved the direction that will be taken until 2024 to promote and safeguard Swiss interests and values in the digital space.

In addition to Switzerland's three traditional subjects – peace and security, prosperity and sustainability – the subject of digitisation is included as a priority issue in its own right for the first time. And International Geneva has an important role in the process that will be reinforced in the years to come.

Fields of action. The Federal Council will focus its strategy around four main policies:

• Digital governance: by strengthening inclusive cooperation forums and digital law.

• Prosperity and sustainable development: by reinforcing Switzerland’s leading position, creating cross-border data spaces and using digitalisation for improved cooperation.

• Cybersecurity: by contributing to a free, open and secure digital space.

• Digital self-determination: for individual users by contributing to better control over data.

Geneva as the capital of international governance. In an interview at the Swiss Digital Days, Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, explains how Switzerland aims at international leadership, and Geneva is key.

"Already today, more than half of the international talks on governance take place in International Geneva. It must be our goal to make use of this know-how and the experts – Geneva should become the international capital of digital governance as well."