Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis took part in a high-level debate at the UN Security Council centred on the second anniversary of the war in Ukraine. The head of the FDFA reminded the Council of the pursuit of peace as a declared founding goal of the United Nations in the UN Charter and emphasised that this goal is the raison d'être of the organisation. "We bear responsibility for this ideal, which was adopted here three quarters of a century ago," emphasised the head of the FDFA in New York.
Since the beginning of the war, the Security Council has been unable to fulfil its responsibility to ensure peace and security for Ukraine and its people. Thousands of people have lost their lives, millions have been displaced and the human suffering is immense. Against this backdrop, Mr Cassis asked what the international community can do to ensure that the principles of the UN Charter, the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law are upheld in Ukraine and elsewhere in the world. "We must not fall into pessimism," explained Federal Councillor Cassis.
The path to peace in Ukraine must be travelled together. And the first step on this path is the organisation of the first international conference in Switzerland on peace in Ukraine. "We are working tirelessly to try and set in motion a new dynamic, a pragmatic and inclusive process," emphasised the head of the FDFA in the Security Council. Federal Councillor Cassis has organised various outreach activities at different levels over the past month to ensure that such a process can be successfully launched. "Switzerland, with its tradition of good offices, is convinced that we must listen to everyone," emphasised Ignazio Cassis. The prerequisite for a successful peace process is broad representation that includes all regions of the world.
