Pascale Baeriswyl

Pascale Baeriswyl (born 1968) is a Swiss diplomat, Ambassador and currently Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations (UN) in New York. She was the first woman to hold the post of State Secretary of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) and has headed the Swiss Mission to the UN in New York since June 2020. From January 2023 to December 2024, Baeriswyl represented Switzerland on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), during the country's first ever term as an elected member of the council.

Education and early life Baeriswyl studied at the Universities of Basel and Geneva and at the Sorbonne in Paris. She holds a master's degree in private and public law and a master's degree in linguistics, French literature and history from the University of Basel. and served for three years as a judge at the civil court of the province of Basel. Baeriswyl speaks German, French, Italian, English and Spanish.

Diplomatic career Baeriswyl joined Switzerland's diplomatic service in 2000. From 2005 to 2008, she served at the Swiss Mission to the European Union in Brussels.

State Secretary of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Appointed by the Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter, she became the first woman of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in 2016. In this capacity, she coordinated the negotiations with the European Union from April 2017. As State Secretary, she was the highest-ranking diplomat, After Ignazio Cassis succeeded Burkhalter as Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, she was relieved of her duties in negotiations with the EU, while remaining State Secretary.

Representative to the United Nations in New York In September 2019, Baeriswyl was appointed Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York. she was the first diplomat to represent Switzerland on the UN Security Council.

Political and other mandates Baeriswyl is a member of the Social Democratic Party of Basel Stadt. In 2019, she was suggested as a successor to Eva Herzog on the Executive Council of the Canton of Basel-Stadt From 2018 to 2020, she was a member of the Global Future Council on Europe of the World Economic Forum.