Switzerland joins the UN
New York, Geneva
Key figures: Kaspar Villiger, Joseph Deiss, Kofi Annan, Micheline Calmy-Rey
Further reading: United Nations (Wikipedia)
Geneva had been home to the European headquarters of the United Nations for decades, but in 1986 the Swiss people had rejected membership, fearing the loss of neutrality. On 3 March 2002 a new vote approved it, narrowly, by the people and the cantons.
Membership decided by the citizens. The push came from below: membership was demanded by a popular initiative, later supported by the Federal Council and Parliament. On 3 March 2002 54.6 per cent of voters said yes, with a turnout of 58 per cent; among the cantons the result was narrow, 12 to 11. Sixteen years earlier, on 16 March 1986, 76 per cent had rejected membership. Switzerland is thus one of the few countries in the world where joining the United Nations was decided directly by the people.
On 10 September 2002 Switzerland became the 190th member state of the UN.
Since then Switzerland has been an active member. In 2006 the Human Rights Council, which Switzerland had promoted, was set up in Geneva. In 2010–2011 former Federal Councillor Joseph Deiss presided over the General Assembly. In 2023 and 2024 Switzerland sat on the Security Council for the first time, presiding over it in May 2023 and October 2024.
The avenue of flags in front of the Palais des Nations, Geneva
Photo: Tinux, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Kaspar Villiger, President of the Confederation in 2002, the year of accession
International Monetary Fund, Wikimedia Commons, public domain
Joseph Deiss, foreign minister at the time of accession and President of the UN General Assembly in 2010–2011, in Bern in December 2010
Parliamentary Services, Bern, Wikimedia Commons
President of the Confederation Ignazio Cassis in New York for the General Assembly, September 2022
Presidency of the Republic of Ecuador, Wikimedia Commons, public domain
Kofi Annan, UN Secretary-General, in 2002
Wikimedia Commons, no restrictions
Micheline Calmy-Rey, foreign minister from 2003 to 2011, one of the promoters of the Human Rights Council
IAEA Imagebank, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Ambassador Pascale Baeriswyl, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the UN, at the Security Council, 2021
Photo: Simone.eymann, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0