On March 31, Basel Peace Office made a submission to the State Secretariat for Security Policy (SEPOS) as part of the Swiss Security Policy Strategy Review 2026, calling on Switzerland to strengthen its important roles in conflict resolution, peacebuilding, environmental protection, international law, nuclear risk-reduction and disarmament, especially in light of the deteriorating international security environment.
The submission, which is endorsed by 11 additional organizations, argues that Swiss leadership in peace, common security and international law is needed now more than ever, and that a retreat into militarism would not bring sustainable security for Switzerland and its citizens, nor for Europe and the world.
It makes a number of recommendation to the Swiss government, including to:
- Maintain and strengthen the role of the Swiss Good Offices, which provide invaluable support for conflict resolution and peacebuilding;
- Enhance its support for the United Nations and Common Security, and in particular the obligations of States to resolve their conflicts peacefully and fairly through diplomacy, negotiation, mediation, arbitration and application of the rule of law;
- Promote universal acceptance of the international judicial institutions, including the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court;
- Elevate the role of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in efforts to reduce nuclear risks and resolve the Russia/Ukraine war, especially during 2026 when Switzerland is Chair of the OSCE;
- Encourage global divestment from nuclear weapons and other illegal weapons systems, as Switzerland has already done through the Swiss War Materials Act of 2013;
- Consider ratifying the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and joining the Joint Statement on the Right to life without Threat of Nuclear Weapons;
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Implement its obligations under international law to help stabilize the climate at no more than 1.5 degrees above preindustrial levels, including by quick transition to a green economy, joining the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance and negotiations for a Fossil Fuel Treaty.
The submission was finalised following a series of consultations and public discussions on the Swiss Security Strategy Policy 2026, including an Intergenerational Dialogue in Basel on January 23; participation in a consultation with SEPOS organized by KOFF on February 16; and a parliamentary and civil society consultation in the Swiss parliament on March 3, organized by BPO and Parliamentarians for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament.
Endorsers
The organizations endorsing the Basel Peace Office submission are Association of World Citizens, Baha'i Community of Switzerland, Frieda – the Feminist Peace Organisation, Frauen für den Frieden/Women for Peace, Geneva International Centre for Justice, Global Security Institute, Group for a Switzerland without an army/Gruppe für eine Schweiz ohne Armee (GSoA); Parliamentarians for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament (PNND), Physicians for Social Responsibility/IPPNW Switzerland, Schweizerischer Friedensrat/Swiss Peace Council and UN Youth Delegates for Switzerland 2025-2027 (Lucia Elena Saunders, Jorina Kaminski and Andreas Elias Bernhard).