Embassy of Switzerland in Canberra / Consulate General in Sydney

Embassy of Switzerland in Canberra / Consulate General in Sydney Grüezi, Bienvenue, Benvenuti, Allegra, Welcome to the page of the Swiss Embassy in Canberra

The first known Swiss to set foot in Australia was an artist. 🎨As we celebrate 65 years of Swiss-Australian diplomatic r...
07/09/2026

The first known Swiss to set foot in Australia was an artist. 🎨

As we celebrate 65 years of Swiss-Australian diplomatic relations, we are looking back at some of the people and stories that connect our two countries.

In 1777, Johann Wäber (better known as John Webber) arrived at Adventure Bay on Bruny Island as the official artist on James Cook’s third voyage to the Pacific. Raised in Bern, Webber used drawings and paintings to document the places and people encountered during the expedition, helping shape the images of the Pacific seen by European audiences.

He was followed by other artists with Swiss roots who became part of Australia’s artistic history. Louis Buvelot became an influential figure in Australian landscape painting; and Zurich-born Sali Herman became known for his paintings of Sydney and served as an official Australian war artist during the Second World War.

More recently, Swiss artist Pipilotti Rist made her own mark on Australian audiences. Her immersive 2017-18 exhibition ‘Sip my Ocean’ attracted 115,000 visitors to Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art, becoming its most successful Sydney International Art Series exhibition since the museum reopened in 2012 as well as its most Instagrammed exhibition ever.

And the story continues today. Swiss art can currently be found in galleries across Australia, including:
📍 Julian Charrière, Hard Core. On display at MONA until 29 March 2027. Hobart, Tasmania.
📍 Urs Fischer, Francesco. On display at the Rockhampton Museum of Art until May 2028. Rockhampton, Queensland.
📍 Peter Fischli & David Weiss, Snowman. Permanently on display at the Queensland Art Gallery. Brisbane, Queensland.
📍 Louis Buvelot, At Lilydale. On display at the Art Gallery of New South Wales as of September 2026. Sydney, New South Wales.

From 1777 to today, art has been one of the many threads connecting Switzerland and Australia. 🇨🇭🤝🇦🇺

06/09/2026

It's not a robot. It's not sci-fi. It's a drone that walks into fire so humans don't have to.

FireDrone survives temperatures up to 200°C, scanning for hotspots and trapped people through smoke that would blind (and destroy) any normal drone.

Tested in real fire training. Made to save real lives. 🔥🚁

More info: https://bit.ly/4wolxFE

65 years of Swiss-Australian diplomatic relations 🇨🇭🤝🇦🇺Today marks 65 years since Switzerland and Australia formally est...
05/09/2026

65 years of Swiss-Australian diplomatic relations 🇨🇭🤝🇦🇺

Today marks 65 years since Switzerland and Australia formally established diplomatic relations.

Today, our countries are connected not only through diplomacy but through business, science, education, culture and, above all, people. A few facts:

The Swiss clearly have a soft spot for Australia: around 27,000 Swiss call Australia home, making it the third-largest Swiss community outside Europe. In 2025 alone, more than 47,000 Swiss visitors travelled to Australia.

Swiss businesses share that enthusiasm for Australia. More than 250 Swiss companies are active in Australia, and Switzerland is Australia’s ninth-largest foreign investor.

Switzerland ranks among Australia’s top ten international research partners, with researchers and universities in both countries collaborating in fields ranging from health and technology to climate and Antarctic science.

Australia and Switzerland also work closely together on the international stage. At the UN, they are both committed to multilateralism and the rules-based international order. Most recently, they teamed up to advocate for the better protection of aid workers in war.

The Embassy is proud to be part of this story, and we look forward to seeing where the next 65 years will take us!

🇨🇭🤝🇵🇼 Switzerland Thanks Palau for Hosting a Successful PIFLM55Towards the close of the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leade...
04/09/2026

🇨🇭🤝🇵🇼 Switzerland Thanks Palau for Hosting a Successful PIFLM55

Towards the close of the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting, Pacific Envoy Barbara Gonzenbach, together with Ambassador-Designate Edgar Dörig, thanked Palau's leadership for chairing and hosting the Forum at a challenging time for the region, and for welcoming Switzerland as guest of the chair.

The meeting reflected on the positive momentum in Switzerland's relations with Palau and the wider Pacific in recent years, and reaffirmed the importance of Geneva as a centre of multilateral diplomacy where Pacific voices can be heard on issues of existential importance such as climate change.

Switzerland looks forward to the opening of Palau's Permanent Mission in Geneva soon, and to continuing to strengthen cooperation between the two countries.

🇨🇭🌏🏝️ Amplifying the Pacific Voice in Global ArenasAt PIFLM55 in Palau, Switzerland partnered with Lexbridge Lawyers to ...
04/09/2026

🇨🇭🌏🏝️ Amplifying the Pacific Voice in Global Arenas

At PIFLM55 in Palau, Switzerland partnered with Lexbridge Lawyers to host a side event strengthening the practical skills of current and future negotiators of the Pacific — from drafting and advocacy to building stronger coalitions in complex multilateral settings.

HE Ambassador Barbara Gonzenbach, Switzerland's Special Envoy for the Pacific Region, and Dr Sarah McCosker, Partner at Lexbridge Lawyers, led the session, covering negotiation as statecraft, multilateral frameworks, and the practical application of these skills across treaties and non-treaty instruments.

The workshop advances the 2050 Strategy's governance and partnership goals, building toward stronger negotiation capacity and the strengthening of positions in major multilateral negotiations.

The Swiss Army Knife is one of Switzerland’s most recognisable objects. But its story is more international than many pe...
03/09/2026

The Swiss Army Knife is one of Switzerland’s most recognisable objects. But its story is more international than many people imagine. 🇨🇭

In 1880, the Swiss Armed Forces ordered a folding knife that soldiers could use both to eat and dismantle their service r***e. A few years later, the first 15,000 knives were produced in Germany, where John S. Holler had created an early multipurpose knife.

The Swiss touch came in 1897, when Karl Elsener, a surgical instruments manufacturer from Schwyz, developed his first folding officer’s knife, patented as "Original Swiss Officer’s and Sports Knife". He added a second blade and a corkscrew produced in France, before building what later became Victorinox.

Over time, the Swiss Army Knife became much more than a pocket tool. Compact, practical and multifunctional, it grew into a symbol of Swiss precision and design.

Today, it is still used by various armed forces, but even more as a smart tool for campers, DIY enthusiasts and everyday adventurers around the world. It has also earned a place in international museums, including MoMA in New York and the Design Museum in London.

Which Swiss object do you think is the most iconic?

🇨🇭🤝🇹🇻 Switzerland Congratulates Tuvalu on its Climate Leadership.At the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Pa...
02/09/2026

🇨🇭🤝🇹🇻 Switzerland Congratulates Tuvalu on its Climate Leadership.

At the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Palau, Pacific Envoy Barbara Gonzenbach and Ambassador Edgar Dörig met with Hon Paulson Panapa, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Labour and Trade, and Assistant Secretary Petesa Finikaso, to congratulate Tuvalu on securing the special Leaders' component of the Pre-COP31 process this October. The Pre-COP serves as a rare opportunity to bring world leaders to Tuvalu to witness the realities of sea-level rise firsthand, ahead of the formal Pre-COP negotiations in Fiji and the COP31 Leaders' Summit in Antalya in November.

The meeting also touched on Geneva's role in global governance, and the opportunities it will offer once Tuvalu's Permanent Mission there is established, from climate and human rights to trade, fisheries and labour, with Switzerland reaffirming its readiness to support Tuvalu through the process.

🇨🇭🤝🇲🇭 A meaningful meeting with the Republic of the Marshall Islands at PIFLM.At PIFLM55, Pacific Envoy Barbara Gonzenba...
02/09/2026

🇨🇭🤝🇲🇭 A meaningful meeting with the Republic of the Marshall Islands at PIFLM.

At PIFLM55, Pacific Envoy Barbara Gonzenbach met with Foreign Minister Kalani Kaneko and Secretary Isabela Silk, alongside Ambassador-Designate Edgar Dörig, who recently took up his post representing Switzerland in the Philippines, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands and Palau.

The conversation recognised the Marshall Islands' principled leadership on nuclear disarmament and climate justice, including its work at the Human Rights Council since opening its Permanent Mission in Geneva in 2019, and touched on shared priorities ahead of the Pre-COP in the Pacific and COP31.

🇨🇭🤝🇫🇲 Switzerland and the Federated States of Micronesia: A Growing PartnershipAt the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders...
01/09/2026

🇨🇭🤝🇫🇲 Switzerland and the Federated States of Micronesia: A Growing Partnership

At the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Palau, Pacific Envoy Barbara Gonzenbach met with Hon Ricky F. Cantero, Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Federated States of Micronesia, together with Ambassador-Designate Edgar Dörig, who recently took up his post representing Switzerland in the Philippines, FSM, the Marshall Islands and Palau.

The meeting opened with an expression of Switzerland's sympathy and solidarity with the people of Chuuk and Yap following Typhoon Sinlaku earlier this year, and recognition of the resilience shown by affected communities.

The conversation also reflected on the strong ties between the two countries since the 2024 opening of FSM's Permanent Mission in Geneva - the first Micronesian mission on the European continent - and FSM's active engagement in multilateral fora since then, including on the WHO Executive Board and through the Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review. Switzerland reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Pacific voices in the multilateral system, particularly on climate change and disaster resilience.

🇨🇭🤝🇸🇧 Switzerland and Solomon Islands: Deepening Pacific CooperationDuring the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meetin...
01/09/2026

🇨🇭🤝🇸🇧 Switzerland and Solomon Islands: Deepening Pacific Cooperation

During the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Palau, Ambassador Barbara Gonzenbach and Ambassador-Designate Edgar Dörig held talks with Hon Rick Houenipwela, Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade, and Hon Peter Kenilorea Jr, Minister for National Planning and Development Coordination.

The discussion touched on Solomon Islands' participation in the multilateral system, with Geneva raised as one possible avenue given its role as a hub for issues spanning trade, human rights, health and many more. Switzerland reiterated its readiness to support Pacific states navigating multilateral spaces, including through the negotiation skills workshop it was hosting in collaboration with Lexbridge Lawyers for Pacific diplomats and negotiators during the Forum.

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7 Melbourne Avenue
Canberra, ACT
2603

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