In this edition of Swiss Voices, we speak with Isabelle Tschan, a Swiss development professional whose career with UNDP spans from Senegal, New York, Istanbul, and now New Delhi, India, where she is serving as UNDP’s Deputy Resident Representative since 2023. Her journey offers a window into how development cooperation works on the ground—and why Switzerland’s support to UNDP matters more than ever. 

Q: Your career began in human rights. How did that shape your path? 

A: I studied international relations and human rights in Geneva, Venice and Sweden, and later worked with the Swiss Federal Office for Refugees (now State Secretariat for. Migration). My first UN assignment was in 2005 as a UN Volunteer Human Rights Officer in Burundi with the UN Peacekeeping Mission.  

Working closely with local partners on human rights in a post-conflict zone taught me that universality of rights is not enough; you must understand the local context to make them real.  I saw firsthand how protecting rights and strengthening civic participation directly shape development outcomes. Human rights can be fully respected through development— this means, for example, access to justice, public health service delivery, and economic opportunities for everyone. And that is exactly what UNDP works on. 

Q: You have worked in many countries. What have you found matters most in making development work effective? 

A: Three things have mattered most in my experience: 

Partnerships. Relationships. Trust.— Across contexts and continents, I have learned that development is fundamentally relationship work. You need to listen - not only to governments but to the people whose realities we aim to impact. You need to adapt to the local context and culture, build relations and trust to forge effective partnerships with governments, civil society, and communities. Projects matter—but what makes them effective is whether partners trust each other enough to cocreate, stay on the course, and adapt together when realities shift. 

UNDP as Neutral Convenor – Dealing with the Past in the Western Balkans: 

One powerful example was my work in the Western Balkans on transitional justice – supporting  processing War Crimes and the Search for Missing People. The region was still healing from the wars of the 1990s, and UNDP acted as a neutral convener of local actors. We brought together prosecutors from Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia- Herzegowina, and Kosovo (as per UNSCR 1244) to collaborate on warcrimescases and missingpersons investigations. We provided a platform for dialogue and technical expertise, enabling the prosecutors to coordinate investigations and jointly providing justice service delivery to the war-affected population.  This helped rebuild trust—not only between institutions but among people working across borders to advance reconciliation, to promote justice and to strengthen the rule of law. 

 Building resilience of Internally Displaced Peoples in Burkina Faso: 

Another example stems from my work in Burkina Faso, a country in West Africa facing violent extremism resulting in more than a million Internally Displaced People (IDPs). One of UNDP’s roles was working with local authorities to support the displaced population and help them quickly engage in income -generating activities to reduce their dependence on humanitarian aid.  

Kadi’s journey who had to flee with her four children from violence in the Northern part of the country benefited from UNDP’s support - implemented with local partners- to help vulnerable women rebuild their livelihoods. With a small grant, farming tools, and access to land, she and a group of women quickly engaged in farming. Their first harvest enabled the women to meet essential needs, secure housing, send children to school, and generate meaningful income—all while strengthening solidarity between displaced and host communities. Kadi’s story shows how UNDP’s focus on resilience, recovery, and women’s economic empowerment fosters not only financial independence individually but also social cohesion as communities, and demonstrates when women are supported, they become engines of stability, peace, and development for their communities. 

Q: You are now in India as Deputy Resident Representative. What stands out about UNDP’s work there? 

A: The scale and digital innovation. India is very diverse with 1.4 billion inhabitants, 22 official languages and so many different landscapes - snowcovered peaks to tropical rainforests, arid deserts, vastmangroves forest and coral reefs. 

India is also incredibly dynamic and innovative. UNDP plays a catalytic role in this ecosystem: we help design digital systems (with new Digital Public Goods), which are inclusive and sustainable and ensure that technology truly reaches the most vulnerable populations. 

UNDP India  supports building Digital Health systems like the Universal Immunization Programme (U-WIN) and the Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network (eVIN). In 2025, U-WIN tracked more 32 million pregnant women and 97 million children to ensure their access to vaccines to be registered through a mobile application, while eVIN monitors vaccine availability and temperature across 30,000 cold-chain points, covering more than 650 million doses. Digital records reduce paperwork and ensure access to health services to all, also in the remotest regions of this vast country. 

In India, multilateral cooperation is not just about delivering services; it is about cocreating nextgeneration development solutions. Solutions, tested in India, can reach millions of people quickly- and they can become a model for other parts of the world. This combination of scale, innovation, and SouthSouth learning is what makes my work with UNDP in India so fascinating.  

Q: Many people ask why Switzerland invests in multilateralism and development cooperation. What would you highlight? 

A: Multilateral development cooperation is ultimately about protecting Switzerland’s own peace, economic prosperity, and way of life. Problems like climate change, migration pressures, violent conflicts, growing inequality, and the erosion of human rights do not stop at borders, and their consequences increasingly reach Switzerland—affecting everything from energy and food prices to supply chain disruptions, pressure on asylum systems, global health risks, and the stability of regions where Swiss companies operate.  

By supporting the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Switzerland works with other countries to address these challenges at their roots: reducing conflict before it spreads, strengthening communities so people are not forced to migrate, protecting the environment, and helping build more stable and fair economies. This makes the world safer and more predictable, directly benefiting Swiss households and Swiss companies that depend on open markets and reliable global trade.  

At the same time, Switzerland strengthens its influence in shaping global rules on digital governance, climate action, and human rights—including Business and Human Rights standards that guide responsible conduct of Swiss companies abroad and protect Switzerland’s global reputation. Supporting multilateralism is therefore not just helping others; it is a smart investment in Switzerland’s own stability, economic strength, and future. 

Q: What should colleagues make sure to experience when visiting Switzerland? 

A:  I always encourage colleagues to experience the contrasts that define the country: the breathtaking Alps and serene lakes, but also vibrant urban centres like Zurich or Basel, where culture, innovation, and history come together.   

But to really understand what makes Switzerland special, it is good to take time to experience federalism and direct democracy in action. A visit to the Landsgemeinde in Appenzell offers insight into our centuriesold traditions of citizen participation, where people still gather in the town square to vote in person on local issues. It’s one of the most tangible ways to see how deeply embedded democratic engagement is in everyday life.  

This blend of natural beauty, cultural diversity, and living democratic institutions is the perfect way to appreciate the essence of Switzerland – and of course it is a must to try finest Swiss chocolate.