Switzerland will highlight the longstanding women, peace and security resolution as chair of the United Nations Security Council in October to remind member states of their commitment to the landmark agenda item. Its main goal is to ensure the equal role of women in peace mediation and related work.
“The focus will be on women mediators and how we can empower them in order to make peace more sustainable,” Pascal Baeriswyl, the permanent representative of the Switzerland mission to the UN, told PassBlue during an interview on Sept. 27.
Yet at her media briefing at midday on Oct. 1, the Swiss envoy was peppered mostly with questions regarding the Security Council’s response to the just-launched ground invasion by Israel into Lebanon and Iran’s missile attacks on Israel, which reportedly began 30 minutes into the Swiss briefing. By late afternoon, the Swiss mission confirmed that an open session of the Council was scheduled for 10 A.M. on Wednesday, Oct. 2, followed by a closed meeting. (Danny Danon, Israel’s envoy to the UN, told reporters on Tuesday that Israel’s reaction to Iran’s assault “will be noticed, it will be painful.”)
Resolution 1325 was adopted exactly 24 years ago as binding international law for all countries to increase the participation of women in global and national peace and security matters as well as the protection of women’s rights during and after conflict.
Baeriswyl said her country would discuss the importance of women in achieving durable peace processes. This open debate, scheduled for Oct. 24, will be chaired by Swiss President Viola Amherd — one of the 10 women world leaders who spoke at the just-concluded 79th opening session of General Assembly.
Cristal Downing, the gender director at the International Crisis Group, said some progress has been made with the implementation of Resolution 1325, but the progress has stalled given the various violations against women’s rights and the breakdown of cooperation among former coalitions on the women, peace and security agenda.
“This is a useful time for Switzerland to be focusing on women in mediation as women still face enormous obstacles to fulfilling mediation roles,” she said in an interview with PassBlue. “Those in power still intentionally exclude women from formal peace processes, and armed actors often target women with violence for trying to bring parties together to mediate local and national disputes.”
Downing added that such reprisals remain key issues for both women’s work on peace processes and for women civil society briefers at the Security Council.
Baeriswyl also said that international humanitarian law would feature prominently throughout Switzerland’s presidency, with a focus on the role of data and science in preventing crises and improving peace and security efforts. This event, led by Switzerland’s foreign minister, will take place on Oct. 21. Science, technology and innovation and digital cooperation were part of the recently adopted Pact for the Future, which was agreed by consensus at the two-day summit that preceded the 79th UN General Assembly annual opening session.
The pact addresses the misuse of emerging technologies in conflict and commits states to ensuring that science is used to advance human rights. The wars in the Mideast have seen communication devices weaponized. Israel did not claim the incident in Lebanon, where pagers and other communication devices exploded, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 450.
As global conflicts escalate and the multilateral system is under heavier strain, the ambassador said she would bring to the Council the Swiss values — efficiency, inclusivity and respect — in discussing these issues and other meetings of the Council during her presidency.
Each month, PassBlue profiles UN ambassadors as their countries assume the Council presidency. Excerpts from the interview with Baeriswyl, done on Sept. 27, have been vetted by the Swiss government as a condition by the Swiss mission to the UN to interview the ambassador.
PassBlue: What are Switzerland’s signature events for its presidency in October?
Baeriswyl: October is one of the busiest months in the calendar of the Security Council, because there are a lot of mandated meetings. Moreover, we are in a very delicate period where we have several escalating conflicts. Our first priority will be to manage and chair the Security Council in the Swiss way by being inclusive, efficient, respectful, asking others to be respectful with each other. When it comes to our signature events, let me mention three important moments: First, our president will chair for the first time at the presidential level the open debate on women, peace and security, which takes place on Oct. 24, UN Day, presumably together with the UN secretary-general, UN Women and civil society representatives. The focus will be on women mediators and how we can empower them to make peace more sustainable.
Secondly, we will have a briefing on Oct. 21, chaired by our foreign minister, on how data and science can help prevent crises and peace and security incidents. We invited Council members to Geneva in August to focus on the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, and there will be a strong focus on the respect for international humanitarian law throughout our presidency. But we also started a discussion in Geneva on how scientific advances, such as neurosciences, quantum technologies or artificial intelligence, are impacting peace and security.
Thirdly, October is also a very Africa centered month, because it’s traditionally when the African Union’s Peace and Security Council meets with the UN Security Council. For the first time in history, we will bring both councils together for a retreat to upstate New York. The goal is to make the exchange more interactive and to give more space to informal contacts between the representatives of the two councils. One important focus will be on peace operations and the cooperation regarding the follow-up on Resolution 2719.
PassBlue: Let’s talk about Gaza: We’ve seen the war spread to Lebanon. How do you perceive the Security Council’s treatment of Israel in getting a ceasefire?
Baeriswyl: It was indeed historic that the Council adopted four resolutions in relation with the Middle East, twice calling for a ceasefire. On the other hand, these resolutions have not been respected and implemented, which is unacceptable. The Council is under pressure to ensure that this ceasefire, which has been called for by everyone in the Council, is really implemented and respected immediately. We will certainly try to find solutions with all the other members, so that everyone speaks up with one voice to finally have that ceasefire in place. Of course, it depends on the negotiators on the ground, but the Security Council also has a responsibility here. The same applies to Lebanon. The Council was able — and again, we tried to be very supportive, and we were very active in the negotiations — to unanimously extend Unifil’’s mandate, which was a very important signal to the region and it was also supposed to support the UN’s role in Lebanon. It is therefore shocking that we are still seeing an escalation, when everyone in the Council has clearly called for de-escalation. We have been calling for a stop of the violence on both sides, and we think it’s urgent, because one of our top priorities is the protection of civilians, and you can’t protect civilians unless you silence the guns.
PassBlue: There have been several Security Council resolutions calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and access to humanitarian aid there, but they have not been fully respected. What else can the UN do to ensure a lasting and permanent ceasefire?
Baeriswyl: The UN is doing a lot. The secretary-general said it in his speech, we have a crisis of impunity. I think those who do not respect international humanitarian law must be held accountable. And when it comes to humanitarian aid, all access must be granted. That is an obligation under international law. A good example is the polio vaccination campaign in Gaza. The fact that it could be started successfully proves that humanitarian access is possible when there is political will. The UN is doing its best. But all need to pressure the actors on the ground, especially those with the most influence, to respect the ceasefire.
PassBlue: How can the UN make sure that big powers respect international laws?
Baeriswyl: The UN is not an abstract body. The UN is us. The UN is us member states, civil society members, economic actors. It’s only altogether that we can hold those who do not respect laws accountable. It’s only us altogether who can pressure and influence the big actors, so that they have an interest to respect the law. The UN has a lot of instruments in place. It is up to us as member states to make sure that these instruments remain relevant, that they are used and respected, that they are not undermined and that they are implemented. I think there is no magic recipe other than to really push everyone to get back to respecting these instruments, in our common interest of humanity. Of course, some of these instruments, as in the Security Council, may be outdated in their working methods and composition. But reform requires the same thing as the implementation of rules and resolutions: political will.
PassBlue: What would a reformed Council look like for Switzerland?
Baeriswyl: We have always said that we need better representation, especially of the African continent. Switzerland supports an intermediate solution. This means a new category of seats, longer than two years, with the possibility of immediate re-election. For Switzerland, a medium-sized country, it is much more important that the Council’s working methods be reformed immediately. This does not require a change in the Charter and can therefore be implemented even before the comprehensive reform. For example, we can improve the partnership between the permanent members and the elected members. We should push all the members to renounce to vote against a resolution when it can prevent mass atrocity crimes, genocide or crimes against humanity, as asked for by the ACT group together with more than 120 UN member states. There are a lot of things we could immediately implement by just working better together. For example, Switzerland would welcome elements to the press after every closed consultation to improve transparency towards the wider membership or the press.
PassBlue: Do you support the African version of a reformed Security Council?
Baeriswyl: I think that greater representation of the African continent is a perfectly legitimate request and would be in line with what we support. Where we have some reluctance is on additional veto rights. As a country with a very strong democratic tradition, the veto is a challenge for us. We would actually prefer to have no veto at all than to have additional vetoes for other countries.
PassBlue: Your position is closer to the United States.
Baeriswyl: Our position is close to that of most small and medium-size states: many of us do not want additional vetoes and would rather see the current vetoes limited or eliminated. We would actually be ready to have a reformed, enlarged Council with better working methods by tomorrow.
PassBlue: What was the highlight of UNGA79 for you?
Baeriswyl: Personally, I am proud that we brought high-profile Afghan women and Meryl Streep to the UN to draw attention to the worst women’s rights crisis in the world. Awareness is good, but now we need to find ways to improve the situation. More generally, it was important that we adopted the Pact for the Future, even if we had to lose substance in the last few meters. But of course, it’s a consensus product and everyone had to be on board. So it’s very positive that in the end the world leaders really came together and gave it a push. But this is just the beginning: now we have to “get to work.” There are many interesting aspects, such as digitalization, artificial intelligence, everything around the renewal of peace operations, and of course prevention and the new agenda for peace, which for us is a top priority.
The secretary-general was very clear that the world is on the brink. I think world leaders have understood the urgency. The question is how to move from words to action. But I am sure that the unfolding events will push the leaders to become more active. So, in a way, the urgency gives us hope. I just hope that action will follow soon enough to save the world.
Ambassador to the UN: Pascale Baeriswyl, 56
Since: 2020
Languages: French, English and German
Education: Master’s degree in private and public law (specializing in European law) and a second master’s in history, French literature and linguistics (specializing in neurolinguistics), from the University of Basel.
Her story, briefly: Baeriswyl, who was born on April 4, 1968, in Bern, the capital, is married and has two grown children. She has had a long career in the Swiss foreign affairs department, where she has held such positions as deputy head of the human-rights policy section in the Human Security Division and vice director of the Directorate of International Law. She became the state secretary for Foreign Affairs of Switzerland in 2016, the first woman to hold this post. In 2020, Baeriswyl was appointed as the ambassador and permanent representative of Switzerland to the UN in New York City.
Country’s profile
Head of State: President Viola Amherd
Foreign Affairs Minister: Ignazio Cassis
Type of Government: Semidirect democratic federal republic
Year Switzerland Joined the UN: 2002
Years on the Security Council: 2023-24
Population: 8.703 million (2021)
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Damilola Banjo is an award-winning staff reporter for PassBlue who has covered a wide range of topics, from Africa-centered stories to gender equality to UN peacekeeping and US-UN relations. She also oversees all video production for PassBlue. She was a Dag Hammarskjold fellow in 2023 and a Pulitzer Center postgraduate fellow in 2021. She was part of the BBC Africa team that produced the Emmy-nominated documentary, “Sex for Grades.” In addition, she worked for WFAE, an NPR affiliate in Charlotte, N.C. Banjo has a master’s of science degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and an undergraduate degree from the University of Ibadan in Nigeria.
Baeriswyl’s aim to make the UN-African meeting “…more interactive and to give more space to informal contacts between the representatives of the two councils” is a smart idea. One thing I’ve learned in 60 years of political activism is that groups work better when their members have enough social time together.