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President Guy Parmelin will represent Switzerland at the eighth summit of the European Political Community (EPC), which is to be held in the Armenian capital of Yerevan on 4 May. On 5 and 6 May, Mr Parmelin will meet with Italian President Sergio Mattarella in Rome, hold talks at the Vatican with Pope Leo XIV and attend the swearing-in ceremony of new recruits to the Pontifical Swiss Guard.

Through this initiative, Innosuisse and the Federal Office for Defence Procurement (armasuisse) aim to strengthen research, development and innovation in the fields of security and defence, whilst generating tangible benefits for the economy and civil society. The call for projects focuses on dual-use technologies, i.e. those that can be used in both civilian and security sectors. It contributes to the implementation of the armament policy strategy of the Federal Council and will be launched on 1 July 2026. The budget for this initiative amounts to CHF 20 million and will be shared between Innosuisse and armasuisse.

In the 1st quarter 2026, the Swiss Residential Property Price Index (IMPI) increased by 1.5% compared with the previous quarter to stand at 126.8 points (4th quarter 2019 = 100). Across Switzerland, single-family house prices rose (+1.1%) as did condominium prices (+1.8%). The biggest rise in residential property prices was observed in urban municipalities of a large agglomeration (+3.1%), while price stability was recorded in urban municipalities of a small or outside agglomeration. Compared with the same quarter of the previous year, total inflation stood at +4.7%. These are some of the results from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

On Wednesday, 29 April, President Guy Parmelin met with President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, Speaker of Parliament Afrim Gashi, and Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski in Skopje. The presidential visit was accompanied by an economic delegation and focused on bilateral relations, in particular on economic exchange and the international cooperation programme.

The UN sanctions committee has amended the list of sanctioned individuals, companies and organizations. The SESAM database has been updated accordingly. On 4 March 2016 the Federal Council has adopted the Ordinance on the automatic application of the UN Security Council’s sanctions lists. Hence, the amendments of the UN Security Council’s sanctions lists enter into force in Switzerland without delay.

On 27 and 28 April, delegations from over 30 countries gathered in Istanbul for the OECD Skills Summit, held under the theme ‘Unlocking Talent Across Generations’. The summit focused in particular on the policy measures needed to adapt education systems to the skills required in the age of artificial intelligence, while promoting lifelong learning and inclusion.

The UN sanctions committee has amended the list of sanctioned individuals, companies and organizations. The SESAM database has been updated accordingly. On 4 March 2016 the Federal Council has adopted the Ordinance on the automatic application of the UN Security Council’s sanctions lists. Hence, the amendments of the UN Security Council’s sanctions lists enter into force in Switzerland without delay.

Brain tumors cannot always be successfully treated with conventional therapies. A team from Empa and the hospital network HOCH Health Ostschweiz is therefore developing nanozymes that can at-tack cancer cells directly in the brain during tumor surgery. The project can now be started thanks to the generous support of several foundations.

During his visit to Serbia on Tuesday, 28 April, President Guy Parmelin met with President Aleksandar Vučić and Prime Minister Đuro Macut. The talks focused on bilateral relations, the situation in the Western Balkans, the introduction of a human rights dialogue, and international affairs. The presidential visit saw the signing of an agreement on an innovation programme and the launch of a new cooperation programme for the period up to 2029.

Between 2010 and 2024, the number of doctoral students at Swiss higher education institutions increased by 29%. This increase is almost exclusively due to a rise in the number of doctoral students in the fields of medicine, technical sciences, and exact and natural sciences. The higher education institutions are able to cope with the increase in the number of doctoral students while guaranteeing them good employment conditions and high-quality supervision. Finally, with regard to the labour market, doctorate holders have lower unemployment rates and higher earnings than those with a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree.

In Pristina on 27 April 2026, the head of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Patricia Danzi, presented Switzerland's new cooperation programme for Kosovo. The CHF 64.5 million programme will run from 2026 to 2029 and will focus on democratic governance, economic development and equitable human development. It will be implemented by the SDC and the Peace and Human Rights Division (PHRD) of the FDFA, and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research.

The Swiss Federal Pension Fund PUBLICA is publishing its Annual Report and Responsible Investment Report for 2025. PUBLICA’s investments achieved a performance of 6.6% for the year, while the funded ratio of the open pension plans stood at 107.8%. The revised Federal Personnel Act and PUBLICA Act are scheduled to come into force at the start of 2027. Preparations for this were a central element of activities last year. In responsible investment, PUBLICA maintained its tried-and-tested approaches.