Our association

A FEW WORDS FROM OUR FOUNDING PRESIDENT

Greetings!

Welcome to the website of the Swiss Diplomacy Student Association! Born of my own personal initiative, the association was created on May 19th, 2019 thanks to a group of truly motivated students. As someone who has been interested in diplomacy for many years and who wants to work in this field, I realized as I was pursuing my master’s degree in Geneva that there were no associations active in this area. For some people, the word “diplomacy” may seem abstract, even if it is often heard on the radio, on TV, and in the newspaper. Moreover, when I would ask students what comes to mind when they hear the word “diplomacy,” one of the recuring answers was “elitism.” This is what drove me to help people become more aware of what diplomacy is through information and awareness raising, be they newcomers or already well versed in it.  The goal was also to show the extent of diplomacy, in other words, that the diplomatic career path can lead to NGOs, UN agencies and other organisations. 

 

 

 

 

Pablo Demierre

Founder of the Swiss Diplomacy Student Association (SDSA)

 

 

 

 

 

THE ASSOCIATION

The association is composed of many departments all centered around our three main areas of activity: Conferences, Workshops and Culture & Institutions. With our conferences, the aim is to increase people’s understanding of what diplomacy is and the various domains that it covers. For example, we explain that in addition to bilateral and multilateral diplomacy, diplomacy also plays a key role in areas such migration, the environment, digitalization, etc. Our workshop division enables a professionalization of the associative sector while remaining a student. Given that it is not always easy to gain experience because of work or other duties, we allow students to obtain certificates that highlight their soft skills. Through our Culture & Institutions division, we encourage students, both foreign and local, to better understand the intricate workings of the international city of Geneva. 

 

 

 

OUR INTERNAL ORGANISATION

 

OUR VALUES

• Respect : A fundamental value at the core of our association. 
• Loyalty : Refers to both membership and commitment to the association. It also means collaborating as a team to collectively move forward and reach our target goals. Loyalty is one of the SDSA’s primordial values.
• Accessibility : Seeking to facilitate access to information regarding diplomacy by targeting students as well as a broader audience.
• Multiculturalism : Seeing the promotion of each of our members’ culture as essential. This value is reflected in events we choose to organise.
• Quality : Ensuring that our events enable participants to meet their goal of working toward professionalisation
  

 

A SHORT VIDEO INTRODUCTION OF OUR ASSOCIATION