Geopolitica della conoscenza: La scienza come ponte in un mondo diviso
Ginevra, 15.10.2025 — Discorso del consigliere federale Ignazio Cassis, capo del dipartimento federale degli affari esteri (DFAE) in occasione del Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipation Summit 2025 (GESDA) – Fa fede la versione orale
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is my pleasure to address you today at the 2025 GESDA Summit in Geneva, the city that stands at the crossroads of science, diplomacy, and multilateralism. Let me touch upon three points.
Firstly: The geopolitics of knowledge.
Quantum computing, neurotechnologies and synthetic biology are opening new frontiers — faster than politics can follow.
We are entering a new geopolitics of knowledge — one that challenges our ethics, our laws, and even the balance of power.
Meanwhile, traditional geopolitics is on fire: new conflicts emerge, trust erodes, and scientific cooperation is trapped by national interests and strategic competition.
And science itself — paradoxically — is under attack: questioned, manipulated, sometimes even denied.
We face a dangerous mix — a world losing both its geopolitical compass and its trust in science. The very foundations of progress are at risk.
This leads me to my second thought, which is about the need of keeping science on the multilateral agenda.
We must stand together: to defend facts against misinformation, and evidence against ideology.
To make science a bridge between nations — not another line of division.
This ambition needs cooperation between science, politics, business and philanthropy.
We need knowledge sharing, scientific partnerships, and governance that serves people, not systems.
Under the Swiss presidency in 2024, the UN Security Council recognised for the first time the link between scientific progress and peace.
Together with GESDA, we will hold a follow-up meeting this December on quantum computing.
And next year, as Chair of the OSCE, Switzerland will continue this work — bringing science and diplomacy together on water, energy and digital security.
Let me turn to my final point — GESDA and Geneva, and our ambition to turn ideas into concrete solutions.
After the Open Quantum Institute and the Anticipation Gateway Initiative, GESDA now launches a new pioneering project.
One on Brain–Computer Interfaces — a coalition of foundations and global partners working to ensure that this technology serves human flourishing, not inequality.
It is another step in making Geneva a true hub for science diplomacy and anticipatory governance of the new technologies — a place where bridges are built and global solutions take shape.
Dear Guests,
As host and partner, you can count on Switzerland’s commitment — to share knowledge, build strong partnerships, and defend the platforms that make them possible.
Advancing multilateralism and serving the common good demand collective effort.
The duty to build bridges is ours — and we must do it together.