Switzerland hails its ‘slowness’ before UN rights council

The council members “must understand the institutional workings” of Switzerland,he said,insisting that the country’s slowness allowed it to avoid “conflicts and the risk of stalemate,” and that it was in fact evidence that it “acts with wisdom.”

“Switzerland is used to taking its time. You need time to integrate new directives,and it is very dangerous to go too fast,because you risk antagonising the Swiss people and making them even more suspicious of international institutions. So don’t panic,” Burkhalter said in response to the criticism during a periodic review of Switzerland’s human rights record.

“We hear the criticism of us,but in fact,it is a problem of partial understanding” of the Swiss political system,the minister said,insisting that Switzerland’s direct democracy was built on a long-term relation of confidence between the authorities and the people.

Yesterday,a number of countries,mainly African nations,asked Switzerland to take further measures to fight against xenophobia and racial discrimination.

Disproportionate use of force by police against asylum seekers was also criticised,as was the detention of minors who were seeking asylum and who were unaccompanied by adults,and discrimination against women migrants.

Turkey meanwhile called on Bern to lift a ban on minarets,which was introduced after a 2009 referendum and which was also criticised by the United States and Norway.

Several countries,including the Netherlands and Spain,also decried persistent gender gaps on the Swiss labour market.