WHO and Switzerland Renew Strategic Partnership to Advance Public Health Through 2028

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Swiss Confederation have officially cemented their long-standing partnership by renewing their joint cooperation strategy for the 2024–2028 period. The formalization of this renewed framework took place on March 4, 2025, at the WHO Regional Office for Europe in Copenhagen, Denmark. The agreement marks another milestone in a diplomatic and technical relationship that has increasingly served as a operational model for health governance, resource sharing, and emergency preparedness between high-income member states and international health bodies.

This updated framework builds upon a pioneering history of collaboration. In 2013, Switzerland made history by becoming the first high-income nation within the WHO European Region to pilot a dedicated Country Cooperation Strategy (CCS). Since then, the partnership has evolved from a traditional advisory framework into a multifaceted operational alliance addressing localized health concerns, pan-European policy challenges, and global health security threats.

The renewed strategy for 2024–2028 was signed by Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, and Barbara Schedler, Ambassador for Global Health at the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health. The agreement sets a comprehensive roadmap for joint action, prioritizing health equity, sustainable health systems, pandemic preparedness, and the acceleration of digital and biological health innovations.

Historical Chronology of the WHO-Switzerland Partnership

The institutional relationship between Switzerland and the WHO is uniquely intertwined, largely due to Geneva serving as the global headquarters for the organization. However, structured bilateral cooperation through the European regional framework has followed a specific developmental timeline over the past decade:

• 2013: Switzerland breaks new ground by becoming the first high-income country in the WHO European Region to implement a Country Cooperation Strategy, establishing baseline metrics for joint technical assistance, policy alignment, and public health capacity building.
• 2017–2021: The initial cooperation frameworks are evaluated and expanded, shifting focus toward cross-border health threats, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and the strengthening of primary healthcare infrastructure within vulnerable European sub-regions.
• 2022: Recognizing shifting global health landscapes—accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic—WHO and Swiss authorities jointly initiate a strategic review to update the cooperation framework, aiming to align it with the WHO European Programme of Work (EPW) and the global Thirteenth General Programme of Work (GPW 13).
• June 2024: The partnership is further reinforced through dedicated collaborations focusing on global health infrastructure, notably the integration of the WHO-Switzerland partnership into the global BioHub system for the safe storage, sharing, and analysis of pathogens.
• March 4, 2025: The renewed WHO-Switzerland Country Cooperation Strategy 2024–2028 is officially signed at the WHO Regional Office in Copenhagen, Denmark, securing the partnership’s strategic priorities for the remainder of the decade.

Strategic Pillars of the 2024–2028 Framework

The WHO–Switzerland Country Cooperation Strategy 2024–2028 outlines a targeted, evidence-based approach to address modern public health challenges. Unlike traditional aid-based frameworks designed for developing economies, this strategy leverages Switzerland’s advanced domestic health ecosystem, scientific research capabilities, and financial contributions to foster mutual learning and regional health security.

The strategy is organized around several core technical pillars:

1. Strengthening Health Security and Emergency Preparedness

Drawing lessons from recent global health emergencies, the framework emphasizes robust surveillance systems, rapid response mechanisms, and the reinforcement of national health emergency frameworks. Switzerland’s integration into initiatives like the global BioHub system plays a critical role here, allowing for the rapid, secure sharing of novel biological materials and pathogens of pandemic potential under transparent international governance.

2. Promoting Universal Health Coverage and Resilient Systems

Even within high-income regions, health systems face systemic pressures including workforce shortages, aging populations, and rising non-communicable disease (NCD) burdens. The cooperation strategy focuses on optimizing primary healthcare delivery, integrating digital health solutions, and ensuring equitable access to essential medicines and medical technologies.

3. Addressing Global Health Diplomacy and Multilateralism

As a neutral nation and a central hub for international organizations, Switzerland utilizes its diplomatic standing to advance global health priorities. The renewed strategy enhances coordination on multilateral platforms, supporting WHO resolutions, funding initiatives, and policy dialogues concerning international health regulations (IHR) and pandemic accord negotiations.

Official Responses and Institutional Perspectives

During the signing ceremony in Copenhagen, leadership from both entities emphasized the strategic necessity of the renewed accord in the face of complex, interconnected global crises.

Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, highlighted the transformative nature of the Swiss partnership. "Switzerland has consistently demonstrated visionary leadership in international public health," Dr. Kluge noted. "By renewing this cooperation strategy, we are not only acknowledging a decade of successful collaboration but are actively building a resilient, forward-looking framework to protect populations across Europe and beyond from emerging health threats."

Ambassador Barbara Schedler, speaking on behalf of the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health, reiterated Switzerland’s unwavering commitment to multilateralism and the WHO’s mandate. "Global health challenges do not respect national borders, and no single nation can address them in isolation," Ambassador Schedler stated. "Our partnership with the WHO allows Switzerland to contribute its scientific, logistical, and diplomatic strengths to collective solutions, ensuring that public health remains a cornerstone of global stability and human rights."

Broader Impact and Implications for Global Health

The formalization of the 2024–2028 strategy carries implications that extend far beyond bilateral relations between Geneva and Copenhagen. By maintaining a structured cooperation model with a high-income nation, the WHO demonstrates that country cooperation strategies are valuable tools even for advanced economies with mature health infrastructures.

1. A Blueprint for High-Income Collaboration: The WHO-Switzerland model serves as a reference point for other high-income member states seeking to optimize their engagement with the WHO European Region, proving that technical cooperation can be bidirectional, focusing on mutual capacity building and global public goods.
2. Advancement of the BioHub Initiative: The ongoing alignment between Swiss biomedical institutions and the global BioHub system provides a tangible mechanism for accelerating vaccine development, diagnostic innovation, and therapeutic research during public health emergencies.
3. Policy Coherence: Aligning national Swiss health strategies with broader WHO regional and global goals ensures greater harmonization in areas such as climate-resilient health systems, mental health service expansion, and the mitigation of environmental determinants of health.

As the implementation of the 2024–2028 strategy gets underway, technical teams from both WHO/Europe and the Swiss federal administration will begin executing joint work plans aimed at delivering measurable health outcomes across the designated priority areas.