Switzerland to lead UN Human Rights Council in 2025

Swiss Ambassador Jürg Lauber has been chosen by the United Nations Human Rights Council as its president for 2025. This is the first time Switzerland will lead the Geneva-based organisation, whose role is to promote and protect human rights globally. “Multilingual, multireligious, multicultural, deeply committed to democratic values, dialogue, and building consensus” – these are Switzerland’s values that Lauber highlighted in his speech at the Council on Monday right after his nomination. Currently Swiss ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Lauber, a 61-year-old seasoned Swiss diplomat with a long career in international relations, will take on this role for one year. His previous positions include Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations in New York, which he held from 2015 to 2020, and the Chef de Cabinet to the President of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, in the Netherlands. He has also been involved in peacekeeping missions in Namibia and Korea in ...