The United Nations (UN) and Switzerland
SECO's DAIN department (International Labour Affairs) is active within the United Nations in the fields of economic and social affairs.
Commitment to the UN
To promote equitable economic and social conditions, DAIN coordinates Switzerland’s social development activities at the United Nations in conjunction with the Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO). It monitors the work of the Second and Third Committees of the UN General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the Human Rights Council (in relation to economic issues) and represents Switzerland in the Commission for Social Development (CSocD).
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (UN Covenant I)
The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (UN Covenant I) was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 16 December 1966 and, together with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Covenant II), forms part of the international of human rights framework.
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights monitors the implementation of UN Covenant I by States Parties. The Optional Protocol provides for a communications procedure for individuals and, under certain conditions, for inter-State communications.
UN Covenant I has 171 States Parties. Switzerland acceded to it on 18 June 1992. It has not ratified the Optional Protocol.
Switzerland periodically submits reports on the measures taken, progress achieved difficulties encountered in implementing the Covenant. DAIN coordinates the reporting process, the dialogue with the Committee and the follow-up to recommendations.
Social development
Social and economic development lie at the heart of the UN’s mandate and activities. Since the first World Summit for Social Development, held in Copenhagen in 1995, the Copenhagen Declaration served as the framework for the UN’s activities in this field. The Declaration reflects the international consensus on the need to place people at the centre of development and defines the three pillars of social development: poverty eradication, full and productive employment and decent work for all, and social inclusion.
Thirty years after Copenhagen, the second World Summit for Social Development was held in November 2025 in Doha, Qatar. At the Summit, the Doha Political Declaration was adopted, which aims to renew the international community’s commitments to social development and to give new impetus to the implementation of the social goals of the 2030 Agenda.
SECO coordinates, together with the Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO), Switzerland’s engagement on social development at the UN.
The CSocD is one of the functional commissions of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and has 46 Member States. The CSocD’s main mandate is to oversee the implementation and follow-up of the Copenhagen Declaration and now, the Doha Declaration. The social pillar of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda is also monitored by the CSocD.
Further information
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Contact
Labour Directorate
International Labour Affairs
Holzikofenweg 36
CH - 3003 Bern