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Address by Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) - UN-High Level Week New York – check against delivery

At the opening of the General Debate at the UN in New York on Wednesday, 24 September, President Karin Keller-Sutter cited security and freedom as key values in marking the start of another new era 80 years after the founding of the UN. She also reaffirmed Switzerland's support for the UN's reform efforts.

The Federal Tax Administration has published final decrees pursuant to Article 5 paragraph 3 letter b of the FATCA Agreement.

On 23 September, Martina Hirayama, State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation, attended the G20 Research and Innovation Ministerial Meeting in South Africa.

Phishing is and remains one of the biggest threats on the Internet. In October, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is organising an awareness campaign as part of the annual Cyber Security Month. This year's campaign focuses on the dangers of phishing and asks the question ‘How do I protect my data online?’. Much of the campaign content and a quiz were created in collaboration with the association Netpathie, working with young people. In a webinar, social engineer and campaign ambassador Ivano Somaini will demonstrate how cybercriminals use public or hacked data for attacks.

Optional auction date will be maintained.

In line with Switzerland's long-standing efforts to support a political solution to the Middle East conflict, Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis took part in a conference in New York on the two-state solution. The conference is a follow-up to the high-level meeting held in July during the UN General Assembly on the same topic. In a joint declaration with several other states, Switzerland called on Israel to lift restrictions on medicines and medical equipment and to reopen the medical evacuation corridor from Gaza to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Martina Hirayama, State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation, will be in Pretoria and Cape Town on a science mission from 25 to 26 September. The aim of the trip is to strengthen long-term cooperation between Switzerland and South Africa in the fields of education, research and innovation. The science mission follows a G20 meeting on science and innovation, which State Secretary Hirayama will attend.

A new preliminary report (aviation) is available on the website of the Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board STSB.

Schaffhausen is becoming a region for sustainability robotics applications: Thanks to a new partnership between Empa and the canton of Schaffhausen, drones and intelligent machines will be tested and further developed here under real-life conditions – bridging the gap between research and industry and benefiting the environment.

Switzerland had 1.8 million residential buildings and 4.84 million dwellings in 2024. 35% of buildings were heated by oil and 17% by gas. Just over a quarter of single-family houses (28%) and a fifth of households (20%) were equipped with a heat pump. These are some of the results from the Buildings and Dwellings Statistics compiled by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

Address by Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) – Check against delivery