The Swiss Digital Foreign Policy Strategy 2021–2024

The Swiss Digital Foreign Policy Strategy 2021–2024, adopted by the Federal Council on 4 November 2020, builds on the Foreign Policy Strategy 2020–2023 and responds to Postulate 17.3789, which called for Switzerland to assess how it could become a global hub for digital governance. The strategy is structured around four main fields of action and reflects Switzerland’s commitment to promoting its values and interests in the digital realm, just as in the physical world.

Key pillars of the strategy:

1. Digital governance
   Switzerland seeks to help shape international rules in the digital space based on existing international law. It supports a moderate regulatory approach and emphasises multistakeholder engagement, particularly through International Geneva. The country promotes capacity-building, scientific diplomacy, and initiatives such as the Geneva Internet Platform and the Geneva Dialogue on Responsible Behaviour in Cyberspace.
2. Prosperity and sustainable development
   Digitalisation is positioned as a key driver for innovation, sustainable growth, and international cooperation. Switzerland aims to strengthen cross-border data flows, support reliable data spaces, leverage fintech, and promote Tech4Good. Development cooperation incorporates digital tools to improve services, while Switzerland pushes for inclusive access to digital technologies to avoid widening the digital divide.
3. Cybersecurity
   Switzerland addresses cyber risks through legal specification, multistakeholder collaboration, confidence-building measures, and its diplomatic “good offices.” It contributes to international standards, supports public-private cooperation on product security, and seeks to prevent geopolitical escalation in cyberspace. It also upholds international humanitarian law during digital conflicts.
4. Digital self-determination
   This field of action emphasises the protection of individual rights in the digital space. It includes initiatives to strengthen digital sovereignty, such as exploring a Swiss Cloud, ensuring human rights in digital governance, supporting media freedom, and promoting transparency in AI and data usage. Switzerland is especially active in promoting democratic, rights-based models of digital regulation.

Strategic ambitions:

Switzerland aims to position itself, and particularly Geneva, as a hub for global digital policy. This includes attracting international institutions involved in internet governance, strengthening its research ecosystem, and using its neutrality and credibility to bridge divides in international digital diplomacy. The country also aligns with the UN Secretary-General’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation and supports the development of international AI regulation underpinned by human rights and existing legal frameworks.