25 Years Switzerland - World Bank: Stocktaking and Outlook - PUBLIC CONFERENCE Dienstag, 15. August 2017 - 08:45

PUBLIC CONFERENCE ON AUGUST 22 2017 - UNIVERSITY OF BERN, AULA

CLOSED CONFERENCE ON AUGUST 23 WITH DR. JIM YONG KIM, PRESIDENT OF THE WORLD BANK GROUP AND FEDERAL COUNCILLOR JOHANN N. SCHNEIDER-AMMANN IN BERN

After an emotional referendum campaign, Switzerland joined the World Bank in 1992 when voters approved accession with 56 percent of the vote. Membership in the World Bank represented an important change in direction for Swiss foreign policy. The accession and the resulting representation in the executive board strengthened Switzerland’s international status and gave it an official role in the decision-making process within the organization. Switzerland is convinced that multilateral development banks like the World Bank are needed to address global challenges such as climate change, refugee crises, pandemics or financial crises, as well as to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

On the occasion of this anniversary, SECO, SDC, and the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) of the University of Bern would like to commemorate and take stock of the 25 years of successful cooperation between Switzerland and the World Bank, as well as discuss future collaboration. This event aims to facilitate an open dialogue between civil society, the private sector, academia, and public officials.