Join us at the table

The war in Ukraine has been raging for almost 28 months now. In the past 840 days, thousands of people have died and entire families have been forced to leave their homes and country. Russia’s war against Ukraine, which started on February 24, 2022, is in violation of the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter.

The conflict is not confined to Russia and Ukraine. It has impacts far beyond the continent of Europe – a powder keg that could potentially explode across the whole world. Nations across the globe all face the same threats: attacks on territorial sovereignty, nuclear threats, food shortages, restrictions on freedom of shipping and violations of international humanitarian law. As “the peoples of the United Nations”, we cannot stand idly by.

But how can we move forward in view of serious clashes of culture and deadlocks within international organisations? I am convinced that we can transcend our differences and garner the necessary political will by coming together in our common humanity.

Switzerland has a culture of engaging in dialogue. And I would remind those who call us naive that Switzerland is a country with four cultures and four official languages, and that our unity in diversity derives from our ability to speak to one another. Without dialogue, Switzerland would not exist. We believe there is always scope for dialogue, even when voices have fallen silent and weapons are wielded instead.

We are seeing blatant violations of the UN Charter and Geneva Conventions on which the rules-based international order is founded. As Switzerland’s foreign minister, I believe the time has come to foster the art of dialogue in the service of advancing world peace. Switzerland has recognised its responsibility and, at President Zelenskyy’s request, organised the first High-Level Conference for Peace in Ukraine to be held on June 15 and 16.

It may be too early to establish peace, but it is certainly time to prepare for it. The aim of the conference is therefore to set out a common framework and concrete steps towards a future peace process. In practical terms, we are ready to pursue necessary and courageous dialogue and provide a forum for different