Switzerland’s Good Offices in Times of Great Challenge
How does Switzerland build bridges thanks to mediation and protecting power mandates?
Switzerland's good offices are a long-standing tradition and play a key role in Swiss peace policy. In the last four years, Switzerland assisted 17 peace processes and currently counts seven protecting power mandates, five of which involve the Islamic Republic of Iran.
During the Global Alumni Networking event for the GCSP Alumni Hub Poland, the Ambassador of Switzerland to the Islamic Republic of Iran, Markus Leitner, will provide participants with an exclusive overview of Switzerland’s good offices and address the questions from the audience during a moderated Q&A session.
Format: Networking Event
About the Speaker
Mr Markus Leitner, Ambassador of Switzerland to the Islamic Republic of Iran
As of 27 August 2017, Mr Markus Leitner has assumed his duties as Ambassador of Switzerland to the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Mr Leitner joined the Swiss diplomatic service in 1996. Upon completion of his diplomatic training at the Swiss Embassy in Madrid and the Spanish Diplomatic Academy in 1997/1998, Mr Leitner joined the Economic and Finance Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Berne dealing with a wide range of foreign policy related economic and finance issues.
In July 2002, Mr Leitner was transferred to the Swiss Embassy in Pretoria where he was responsible for bilateral economic, trade and scientific cooperation issues. In June 2006, Mr Leitner was appointed Deputy Head of the Swiss Embassy in Santiago de Chile.
Back in Berne in January 2009, Mr Leitner assumed the responsibility of the Peace Policy section at the Foreign Ministry’s Human Security Division and in 2011, he became the Deputy Head of the Human Security Division. From June 2013 and June 2017, he served as Swiss Ambassador to the Arab Republic of Egypt.
Ambassador Leitner is an economist and graduated from the University of Fribourg and the Zurich University of Applied Science. Before his diplomatic career, he gained business experience in the industrial, trade and financial sector.
Ambassador Markus Leitner is married and has two children.
For further interest in event participation, please contact our event coordinator.
FREE
By Invitation Only
By Invitation Only
