Switzerland at the UN Security Council: Academic Insights

Principal Investigators: Prof. Lucile Maertens and Dr. Sara Hellmüller
Project Team: Prof. Jean-Christophe Graz and Flavia Keller
Host institutions: ETH Zurich, University of Lausanne, Geneva Graduate Institute
Duration: 2023-2025
Funding: Fondation pour l’Université de Lausanne (FUNIL)

Project Description
Switzerland holds a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for the first time in 2023-2024. This provides a unique opportunity for researchers to analyze an elected member with the particular characteristics of being a neutral and small state as well as a relatively young member of the organization but with a long history of commitment to multilateralism and of hosting multilateral organizations. The UN Security Council consists of five permanent members (P5) (China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States) and ten non-permanent members, elected for two-year terms (E10). Many studies exist on the role of elected members in the UN Security Council, yet they usually focus on their influence, leaving aside the manifold practices through which they participate in the UN Security Council’s work while performing their role as multilateral actors.

This research aims at broadening the analysis of the practices used by elected members in the UN Security Council. Based on the case of Switzerland, it applies ethnographic approaches to collect fine-grained data on its practices and provide a detailed account of its membership. The project generates unique insights for both scholars and policymakers to understand the practices and the functioning of the UN Security Council on a daily basis. Based on the Swiss experience, it furthers our understanding of the main decision-making body for contemporary and future international peace and security.

For any queries relating to this project, please contact Dr. Sara Hellmüller: