The president of the confederation, Alain Berset, will deliver the opening speech of the event on Tuesday and will participate in several roundtable discussions. With Vice President Viola Amherd, he will meet UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres as Switzerland has just begun its two-year term on the Security Council.

Alain Berset will also meet the presidents of South Africa, Ecuador and Colombia, as well as the leaders of many European countries. Among them are the Polish head of state Andrzej Duda and the Moldovan president Maia Sandu, two countries on the frontline for the reception of Ukrainian refugees.

Discussions about Ukraine

Ukraine is also on the agenda of Ignazio Cassis and Guy Parmelin. The economy minister will meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Yulia Svyrydenko and the head of Swiss diplomacy with government representatives in Kiev.

According to the Federal Chancellery, Ticino will “emphasize the continuation of Switzerland’s efforts for the reconstruction of Ukraine”. The Confederation, together with the United Kingdom and Ukraine, is hosting a handover ceremony for the Conference on Reconstruction of Ukraine, held in Lugano last summer. The next conference will take place in London.

Relations with the EU and European countries will also be at the heart of his programme. In particular, he will talk to his Austrian, Spanish, Dutch and Swedish colleagues.

The new Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter will meet several of her European colleagues, including European Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni. She will also meet IMF leaders Kristalina Georgieva and OECD leaders Mathias Cormann, as well as Chinese Vice Premier Liu He and the finance ministers of Brazil and Qatar.

Energy and climate

The energy and climate crisis will also feature prominently on the agenda of the Federal Council members. Albert Rösti, the new federal alderman responsible for the Environment, will open a round table discussion on energy infrastructure and decarbonisation on Wednesday together with the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Fatih Birol.

De Berner and Guy Parmelin will also meet with German Economy and Climate Minister Robert Habeck on Monday, in particular on energy supply issues arising from the shortage of gas and electricity.

The Vaudois will chair the traditional informal ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization, which will bring together some thirty countries on the sidelines of the WEF. His agenda also includes a meeting with US trade envoy Katherine Tai.

Guy Parmelin and Viola Amherd will also meet with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, in particular on the security situation in North Kosovo and Switzerland’s deployment through the Swisscoy contingent. The Valaisanne will also visit the soldiers deployed to ensure the security of the WEF.

>> Read: A busy schedule for WEF federal councilors in Davos