Switzerland

In some areas of its foreign policy, Switzerland does not earn the best marks for its contribution to the Millennium Development Goals. Although Switzerland has substantially increased its development budget and pursues good pro-poor development cooperation by international comparison, its finance and trade policy is driven by self-interest and contributes to restricting the policy space of poor countries.
Peter Niggli. (Photo: Swissinfo)

Conflicts on water all over the world responds to “the absence of recognized policy mechanisms and public institutions for managing water resources and allocating water in accordance with criteria that can be understood by the public” and can not be settled by market mechanisms, according to Peter Niggli, director of Alliance Sud, focal point of Social Watch in Switzerland.

Photo: Philipp Rohrer/Alliance Sud

The "Corporate Justice" petition was signed by 135.285 people. This campaign urges the Federal Council of Switzerland and the Parliament to compel Swiss transnational corporations to respect human rights and the environment worldwide, reported Alliance Sud, focal point of Social Watch in the European country.

According to the campaign, subsidiaries of Swiss transnational companies such as Xstrata, Glencore, Syngenta, Nestlé, Danzer, Triumph and Holcim violate human rights or pollute the environment abroad, while there is no way for the parent companies to be held accountable.

In terms of gender equity Switzerland is above the European average, but lags behind the Nordic countries and Spain.

After two years of obstacles, in June 2010 the Swiss Government finally presented a proposal to increase Swiss ODA. International pressure has forced this tax haven to make some concessions – its bank secrecy has begun to dissolve. Yet Swiss willingness to provide information relevant to tax illegalities has hardly changed. While the State champions open borders for trade, it continues to raise barriers against immigration from non-European countries. On the positive side, the Federal Cabinet has drafted a law that provides for freezing and repatriating stolen assets.
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