Switzerland currently serves as Chair of the Rabat Process, succeeding Nigeria, which officially handed over the Chairmanship on 29 January 2026, during the Senior Officials Meeting held in Abuja. As a member of the Rabat Process since its inception in 2006, Switzerland joined the Steering Committee in 2022 and has been actively engaged as the reference country for Area 3, “Protection and Asylum.” This marks the first time Switzerland has assumed the Chairmanship of the Rabat Process. Its leadership of the Dialogue reflects Switzerland’s longstanding commitment to the Process. Drawing on its experience, Switzerland will work to strengthen the Dialogue and support the effective implementation of the Cadiz Action Plan.
Switzerland’s vision
Switzerland’s Chairmanship aims to deliver an inclusive programme that generates added value for all European and African partners. It seeks to build on the achievements of previous chairmanships by ensuring continuity, while also fostering innovation in order to deliver concrete and tangible progress. Switzerland views the 20th anniversary of the Rabat Process as a milestone in the history of the Dialogue and intends to make the celebrations a memorable occasion.
Switzerland's Chairmanship will particularly focus on:
- Promoting an inclusive approach
- Achieving concrete results
- Adding value for all partners
Core priorities of Switzerland’s chairmanship
Switzerland intends to build on the work of its predecessors and continue the efforts initiated by the Nigerian chairmanship through the development of the Knowledge Paper on Sustainable Reintegration. The Chair aims to further explore the link between sustainable reintegration and development, and to develop innovative solutions that benefit countries of destination, of transit, and of origin.
In recent years, Switzerland has been very active on the issue of missing migrants. In particular, it has co-chaired two Thematic Meetings and, together with The Gambia and with the support of the ICRC, established a Network of National Focal Points to strengthen cooperation among countries within the Rabat Process region. Switzerland intends to continue advancing this theme during its chairmanship, with a view to consolidating recent progress and further strengthening exchanges and cross-border collaboration.
Finally, the chairmanship will continue efforts to prevent irregular migration and combat the smuggling of migrants and trafficking in human beings, notably by strengthening partnership with the Khartoum Process and ensuring a coordinated and complementary approach along migration routes.
Calendar of the Swiss Chairmanship
Upcoming meetings can be consulted here :
Expected Outcomes
Switzerland aims to foster constructive dialogue among partners and the exchange of good practices to achieve concrete results in the interest of all stakeholders:
- Implementation of the objectives and actions of the Cadiz Action Plan.
- Strengthening regional and bilateral cooperation within the Dialogue on Return and Sustainable Reintegration.
- Consolidation of the Network of National Focal Points for Missing Migrants.
Role of the Chairmanship
The role of Chairmanship of the Rabat Process was introduced in 2014. The Chairmanship of the Rabat Process is a driving force, shaping the dialogue:
- Alternating between Africa and Europe, each member of the Steering Committee may hold the Chairmanship for a period of one year.
- The role of the Chairmanship is to give impetus to the Dialogue, moderate the political meetings and help find consensus between divergent positions. It plays an essential role in preparing agendas, preparatory documents and recommendations for the meetings. It is supported by the Rabat Process Secretariat.
- The Chairmanship chooses to focus in particular on political and operational priorities that it shares with the member countries in order to ensure the successful implementation of the strategic framework of the Rabat Process and the Valletta framework.
- The Chairmanship represents the Rabat Process in international fora and other external meetings. The Dialogue Chairmanship is based on a tripartite / troika model including the outgoing, current and incoming chairmanship.
Past Chairmanships
The following partner countries have already acted as Chair of the Rabat Process since the official introduction of the Chairmanship model:
