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Faces of Switzerland at the United Nations

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More than 1000 Swiss men and women work at the United Nations

for peace, health, human rights, children, refugees, climate, dialogue...

Who are they? What do they have to contribute?

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General Patrick Gauchat, from Romont (FR), monitors from Jerusalem that the parties respect the Israeli-Arab truce in the Middle East.

"The slightest inaccuracy is immediately passed on to the Security Council."
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Jakob Kern from Rehetobel (AR) is in charge of the emergency food distribution for people affected by the war in Ukraine from Kyiv.

"There are a thousand things to do, but we can see the impact of our work directly."

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Marie-Dolorès Rosat, from Lausanne (VD), works from New York to ensure that the UN continues to speak several languages.

"We come from a multicultural country and we have a lot to offer the world."
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A healthy environment, a harmonious landscape, preserved biodiversity - these are all themes that motivate young Swiss men and women at the UN.

Vittoria Groh, from Lugano (TI), is about to be posted to East Africa where she will exercise her environmental communication skills.

"My dream job is in sight."

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Some of these UN Swiss have benefited from the multicultural flexibility of the Swiss people.

Today, they put this ability to adapt to the service of others.

"On March 2, 2002, I was somewhere in Somalia for UNICEF. I was very happy to hear that Switzerland had just joined the UN."
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Switzerland's voice is always heard at the United Nations.

Posted on all continents, these Swiss men and women of the UN put their expertise, diplomacy and adaptability at the service of the great challenges facing humanity.

So, are the Swiss at the UN perfect people?

Almost.

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They work in Switzerland, New York, Ethiopia, Nepal, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Northern Macedonia, Central African Republic, Ukraine...¨

They are resident coordinators, chiefs of staff, communication officers, civil-military liaison officers, translators, experts, officers...

They come from the cantons of Vaud, Neuchâtel, Geneva, Zürich, Solothurn, Appenzell, Ticino, Fribourg, Basel, Bern...

Find a series of portraits of Swiss UN staff on our playlist (subtitled in all national languages and in English).


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