On December 12, 2025, the Swiss Federal Council announced a public consultation on the Security Policy Strategy of Switzerland 2026. This policy is a realignment of Switzerland's comprehensive security policy in light of the deterioration of the regional and international security environment in recent years.
"As an umbrella strategy, it encompasses all relevant security policy areas and serves as the basis for sub-strategies, such as the armaments policy strategy. The strategy is intended not only for the federal government, the cantons and the communes, but also for civil society, business leaders, academics and policymakers to enable these stakeholders to also play a part in its implementation. In addition, the strategy will serve as an orientation for Switzerland's international partners."
Basel Peace Office has prepared a food-for-thought paper A Nobel Effort: Opportunities for Switzerland to advance nuclear risk-reduction and disarmament in 2026 as a contribution to the public consultation.
A Nobel Effort makes 16 recommendations to the Swiss government to reduce the risks of nuclear war, advance common security and the rule of law, resolve international conflicts, support the establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones, assist nuclear arms control amongst the nuclear-armed States, highlight the human right to a nuclear-weapon-free world, promote comprehensive nuclear disarmament and encourage global divestment from the nuclear-weapons industry.
A Nobel Effort notes that 2026 is the 125th anniversary of the very first Nobel Peace Prize, which which was awarded jointly to Henri Dunant (Switzerland) for founding the International Committee of the Red Cross and to Frédéric Passy (France) for co-founding the Inter-Parliamentary Union and for being instrumental for the establishment of the first international tribunal, the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
The paper encourages the Swiss government to follow the inspiration and example of these two Nobel Laureates by responding to the emerging security threats through initiatives to strengthen peace, disarmament, common security and the rule of law - building on Swiss leadership in these areas - rather than retreating into militarism.
Basel Peace Office will be presenting the paper to the Swiss government directly, as well as to a government consultation with civil society taking place in Bern on February 16 and at A Nobel Effort: Preventing aggression and advancing nuclear disarmament in 2026, an event in the Swiss Parliament on March 3 organised by Parliamentarians for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament and co-hosted by Fabien Fivaz MP and Laurence Fehlmann Rielle MP.
Documents:
A Nobel Effort: Full Paper in English, French and German
A Nobel Effort: Executive Summary in English, French and German