Policy Engagement

Switzerland contributes to a functioning migration and forced displacement gouvernance protecting migrants' rights, promoting economic benefits of migration and facilitating collective action by Governments and other stakeholders concerned.

Mayors during a Mayors Migration Council press conference at the UN in New York

Key Global Processes

With the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, migration was for the first time internationally acknowledged as a transformative force for sustainable development.

The importance of international cooperation on migration was further recognized through the intergovernmentally negotiated agreement on migration, the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) in 2018. Simultaneously, the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) was issued, aimed at strengthening international cooperation to more effectively support host communities and enhance refugee self-reliance in forced displacement contexts, based on the 1951 Refugee Convention.

In 2019, the UN Secretary-General established a High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement with the objective to identify concrete recommendations on how to better prevent, respond and achieve durable solutions to the global internal displacement crisis.

The Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD), a State-led, voluntary and informal multi-stakeholder platform, established in 2006, continues to offer a space for discussions with focus on labour migration.

SDC’s Policy Engagement

Switzerland was one of the first countries to position itself internationally on the topic of migration and development and was heavily involved in the negotiations leading to the Global Compact on Migration. While Switzerland has not endorsed the GCM, it is a strong supporter of the GCR and remains active in the GFMD.

It also contributed to spearhead international discussions on internal displacement and is engaged in the implementation of the «Action Agenda on Internal Displacement». As part of its engagement towards better prevention and protection for people displaced across borders in the context of disasters and climate change, SDC is also active in the State-led Platform on Disaster Displacement.

Switzerland’s capacity to work with a wide range of stakeholders, including the private sector and cities, is a distinctive feature. Not to forget that International Geneva hosts all major migration related international organisations. The global engagement is complemented by policy work at the regional and national level strengthening the overall migration governance.