Revitalizing Switzerland-Nepal Connections

We have heard in the past of Nepali leaders talking about aspirations regarding making Nepal the next Switzerland. I am yet to come across some definitive literature on what they meant when they said Nepal will become Switzerland. We do not know whether they meant that Nepal needs to emerge as geopolitically strong as Switzerland between large nations, or develop railway and transport infrastructure that connects each corner of the country, or leverage its natural beauty for tourism, or become the location for global institutions and events, or become the linking country that respects diverse languages and culture. 

For me, Switzerland is the country from where the first European explorers came to Nepal in the early 1950s. Toni Hagen, a geographer, explored the country to map the resources of Nepal. The Swiss government also helped to build many roads and rural infrastructure and the Swiss people who came all those years ago from the development sector continue to have ties with Nepal. They were deeply engaged and still continue to be well-wishers for Nepal, raising funds during crises and visiting Nepal at regular intervals. 

When diplomatic relations were established in 1956 between Switzerland and Nepal, the region was just recovering from the annexation of Tibet by China. Switzerland later also became home for many Tibetan refugees and we learnt about Switzerland from the families of those refugees. I grew up listening to the stories of the accommodative Swiss families and institutions that helped to make these refugees find a new home in a country that had a similar topography and hardworking people like those in the high Himalayas. 

Lessons from Switzerland

When we compare Nepal and Switzerland, Nepal is three and half times bigger with three and half times more people. However, the Swiss economy is twenty times the size of Nepal. This leads me to ponder upon the question of how does a country that is so small get to unleash its economic potential to this level. Perhaps, there are many lessons to learn. The first is to be able to respect diversity – be it of language or culture. When one travels in trains across the country, the announcements turn from French to Swiss-German to Italian, depending on which part of the country you are going to. On the cultural side, the local self-governance models of cantons have been able to manage this diversity. This is also the hope for Nepal post-federalism where we are realizing how diverse Nepal is and how we have evolved with this diversity. 

Second, order and rule of law gives this country global credibility and that has led it to become the financial center of the world when it comes to trust. They have also evolved over time with measures such as the fact that now, governments can have access to information on accounts of individuals at the different private banks in Switzerland. The level of trust on Swiss banks is also reflected in the fact that even when the banks had negative interest rates at times, non-Swiss citizens and businesspersons still felt safer in this country than in one’s own. Moreover, due to effective governance and informed diplomacy, international agencies have leveraged the neutrality of the country to house global organizations and conduct global events. This is something that Nepal had started to leverage in the 1980s as a South Asia hub but was unsuccessful. Now, with a push and some guidance from Switzerland, perhaps the country can revamp past aspirations. 

Third, the transport infrastructure is the most admirable aspect about Switzerland, connecting rural areas with urban centers and ensuring a high quality of life for its citizens. This has also helped tourism thrive as excellent connectivity, a welcoming atmosphere, and strict guidelines have led to the country featuring in the bucket list of millions of people around the world. Leveraging connectivity with natural beauty is definitely something to learn and adopt as the discourse of sustainable tourism is becoming a priority for many countries who are facing the wrath of climate change, including Nepal. 

Fourth, the hardworking nature of people in Switzerland, an entrepreneurial ecosystem that respects and rewards innovation, and education institutions that support human capital development makes the country a global hub. Countries can have economies of multiple sizes when it comes to consumption of luxury goods, but do not come close to global leadership in entrepreneurship. Respect for hard work is a virtue to learn from – especially for countries like Nepal where the rent-seeking mindset prevails over getting one’s hands dirty.

Nepalis in Switzerland

In Switzerland, over the years, the number of Nepalis has increased significantly. There are those who are working in international organizations and live a life of an expatriate, and there are those who decided to make the country their home after studying there. Besides these two groups, however, there are also other emerging groups. One is of people who have moved to other countries like Portugal, keep their families there, and work in Switzerland. Besides these, my Swiss friends also keep talking about meeting Nepali chefs at Japanese restaurants. Since these are jobs that require specialty skills, it seems the numbers are swelling. Further, with the rapid rise of the population of Nepalis in Japan who have the Japanese language skills, they tend to come here not only to just work in restaurants, but to own and operate one themselves. The stories of these global Nepalis are always fascinating. 

Recalibrating Switzerland-Nepal Relations

Switzerland as Nepal’s development partner is also recalibrating its role from aid to trade as Nepal graduates to a middle-income country. There is again an opportunity for re-engagement, bringing not only Swiss investment and technology to Nepal but also the Swiss mindset. The country has many people who love Nepal and our country and Nepalis have a great image in Switzerland. It is time to revisit and revitalize these connections.