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Role of Switzerland

In the last decade, the interface between foreign policy, economics, development and health has become more prominent, and diplomacy is undergoing profound changes to respond to new emerging needs. Health ministries, specialised UN agencies and non-governmental organisations – those that have been traditionally involved in this area – have now been joined by new actors, such as public–private partnerships, mixed entities with governmental and private members, foundations and philanthropic organizations, as well as the private sector. These actors are all shaping and contributing to the global health arena. Against this background, Switzerland, and in particular Geneva, plays an important role in health policy development, being one of the world’s major centres for diplomacy, international and humanitarian affairs.

 

The Global Health Programme contributes to a stronger interface between Swiss academia and international organisations. In particular, it aims to analyse and make more visible the role of Switzerland in global health governance and produce a series of directories on global health activities in Switzerland. This includes two main directories


These two directories are a first attempt to provide information on the many global health actors located in Geneva and in Switzerland and underline the relevance of Switzerland as a ‘capital for global health’.

 

 

 

 

Interview with Dr. Gaudenz Silberschmidt : Dr. Silberschmidt is chairperson of the Advisory Board of the Global Health Programme and Vice-Director of the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health. He elaborates his perspective on Global Health, highlighting the importance of the Swiss Health Foreign Policy, the first of its kind in Europe. The role of Switzerland is the third research priority of the Global Health Programme and investigates the role of Switzerland in global health governance.