Switzerland’s foreign policy and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants

Switzerland played a key role during the negotiation of the Declaration on the Rights of Peasants. However, a study commissioned by several Swiss NGOs shows that its foreign policy leaves much to be desired in this area.

The Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (Declaration on the Rights of Peasants), adopted by the United Nations (UN) in 2018, aims to address the multiple forms of discrimination suffered by peasants, who are the first victims of extreme poverty and hunger. The Declaration reaffirms the commitments that Switzerland has already undertaken by ratifying the numerous international treaties on which the Declaration is based.

However, a study analyses the gaps in Swiss foreign policy in the areas of trade, seeds, land rights and development cooperation. It also presents a list of demands. The study was carried out by Christophe Golay and Caroline Dommen, commissioned by the organisations Fastenopfer, CETIM, HEKS, FIAN Switzerland, Bread for All, SWISSAID and Uniterre.

Read the summary of the study in English

Read the full study in French