Humanitarian aid and Syria crisis at centre of Ignazio Cassis s visit to Lebanon Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Bern, 08.04.2021 - During his visit to Lebanon, Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis visited the port of Beirut and a hospital destroyed by the explosion of 4 August 2020, which was rebuilt with Switzerland s help. He also visited a settlement of Syrian refugees. Together with Foreign Minister Charbel Wehbe and President Michel Aoun he discussed the economic and political problems in Lebanon. This marked the final stage of Mr Cassis s trip to the Middle East, which also encompassed Iraq and Oman.
In Beirut, Mr Cassis paid a visit to the port which was destroyed by a devastating explosion eight months previously. Switzerland quickly dispatched emergency relief teams to Beirut after the disaster, making CHF 6 million available to aid efforts on the ground. In line with its International Cooperation Strategy 2021–24, Switzerland has focuse
Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis receives North Macedonian Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Bern, 17.03.2021 - Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis received Foreign Minister of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani on a courtesy visit to Bern on 17 March 2021. Mr Osmani was in Switzerland for a meeting with representatives of his country’s diaspora. The exchange focused on bilateral relations and Switzerland s significant involvement in North Macedonia.
Switzerland and the Republic of North Macedonia maintain good bilateral relations with a focus on international cooperation. The talks in Bern between Mr Cassis and his counterpart Mr Osmani focused not only on the government of North Macedonia’s progressive reform plans but also on the country s prospects in the EU accession process, and its future chairmanship of the OSCE.
Cooperation to bolster children s education in emergencies
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The Geneva Global Hub for Education in Emergencies, initiated by Switzerland, was officially launched on 25 January 2021, making International Geneva a global centre for education in emergencies. Over 127 million children in humanitarian crises and conflict regions cannot go to school. More than 40% of the 80 million displaced people are children; the majority of these children have no access to education, resulting in a lack of future prospects. The Hub aims to change this situation.
Azraq – a dusty place in the middle of the Jordanian desert – is a refugee camp resembling many others in the region. According to UN figures, the Syrian civil war, which has been ongoing since 2011, has forced some 13 million people to flee their homes. These people now find themselves huddled together behind barbed wire with few prospects and living in unhygienic conditions. Over 61% (i.e. 22,677) of the 36,874 refugees at Azraq