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Swiss plurality is a blessing

My 2023 New Year's card shows six native Swiss herbs in silhouette: marigold, spearmint, chamomile, cornflower, edelweiss and oregano. The plants symbolise diversity and message on the card is: 'Swiss plurality is a blessing!'

The plants, commonly used in herbal teas, provide a taste of Switzerland. They also represent biodiversity – the topic covered in this issue of 'One World'.

The six plants also symbolise diversity of language, culture and opinion – a major strength and key driver for Switzerland. And this poses a challenge for us: we can only be open to other points of view if we nurture diversity. Our lived experience of diversity therefore inspires innovation.

Innovative approaches are essential to tackling today's challenges effectively. And Switzerland is ideally placed to do this. That's why a team of experts from Swiss Humanitarian Aid were on the ground to conduct a needs assessment just three days after Russia invaded Ukraine. Soon afterwards, Switzerland sent its first convoy carrying emergency supplies to the people affected by the war.

Switzerland continues to help Ukraine in various ways: delivering desperately needed relief aid, helping families and communities prepare for winter and repairing destroyed civilian infrastructure. And – in the long term – shaping the policy framework for Ukraine's recovery by hosting the Lugano Recovery Conference in 2022, where the Lugano Principles were adopted by 59 countries and organisations. Innovative approaches are also needed to attain other international cooperation objectives.

Combining new technologies with Swiss expertise enhances the effectiveness of our work. Satellite and drone data, for example, can improve crop forecasting. The ability to pay bills by mobile phone is useful to many people, not just those living in remote areas. And improved access to information creates greater transparency in democratic processes. All these examples involved harnessing diverse perspectives to foster innovative approaches.

We also need innovation to preserve biodiversity. At COP 27, held in Egypt last November, I described the ways in which Switzerland is addressing the impacts of climate change, which also threatens biodiversity. Preserving the diversity of nature requires wide-ranging action from all countries. Switzerland is already contributing its expertise. The six herbs on the 2023 New Year's card are emblematic of this too.

Ignazio Cassis, federal councillor