Report by the UN Special Rapporteur on racism on his visit to Switzerland – Reply by the Federal Council
Bern, 27.03.2007 - The Federal Council has taken note of the report on Switzerland by the UN Special Rapporteur on racism. In its reply, the Federal Council notes that racism unfortunately is present in Switzerland. However, the Federal Council points out that it was not correct to use individual incidents to draw conclusions about the general dynamism of racism and xenophobia in the country as a whole.
Doudou Diène, the UN special rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance visited Switzerland in January 2006 to form a picture of racially motivated events, the legal bases and the measures taken by Switzerland to combat racism. Mr Diène met administrators from the federal government, the cantons and the municipalities, members of federal commissions, representatives of employers and trade unions, members of religious communities, aid organisations and non-governmental organisations.
During his visit, Mr Diène held meetings with federal councillors Pascal Couchepin and Christoph Blocher and with the cantonal governments of Ticino, Basel-Stadt and Neuchatel.
Mr Diène included his observations, conclusions and recommendations in his report on his activity to the UN Human Rights Council. He presented the report during the fourth session of the Human Rights Council on 27 March 2007 in Geneva..
In its meeting of 16 March 2007, the Federal Council took note of the report and gave its reply. It called for a frank dialogue and thanked the special rapporteur for his informed observations. It said that racism, an unacceptable violation of human rights, also occurred in Switzerland and had to be constantly resisted. The incidents referred to by Mr Diène were regrettable, and the government realised that further efforts needed to be made to raise the awareness of the population at the national, cantonal and local authority levels. The federal structure of Switzerland meant that it was possible to plan specific local measures that could be implemented with the involvement of those directly concerned.
However, the Federal Council pointed out that it was not correct to use these individual incidents to draw conclusions about the general dynamism of racism and xenophobia in the country as a whole. The high proportion of foreign citizens in the country as well as the generally unproblematic integration of the resident foreign population underlined Switzerland's openness. The central government, the cantons and the local authorities were aware that it was necessary to continue to promote the integration of the resident foreign population. The fight against racism and discrimination had been stepped up in recent years not only by the adoption of international agreements and the introduction of the anti-racism norm but also by the work of the Anti-Racism Unit, the Federal Commission against Racism and the racism officers and integration delegates of the cantons and the municipalities. Civil society projects throughout the country had also received specialist and financial support.
The Federal Council reply also pointed out that the asylum act referred to by the special rapporteur had been approved by the sovereign with a large majority. It was convinced that the implementation of the act would not lead to acts of discrimination. The Federal Council acknowledged the reference to the lack of statistical information about racist, anti-semitic and xenophobic attitudes and actions.
The work of the special rapporteur is an important contribution to international efforts to prevent racism. Switzerland takes seriously the issues raised and the proposals made by Mr Diène and will continue to intensify its efforts against racism and discrimination in various ways, including the dialogue with UN bodies.
Address for enquiries
Michele Galizia, Federal Service for Combating Racism, FDHA, 079 367 0803
Publisher
Federal Department of Home Affairs
http://www.edi.admin.ch
