Martin Dahinden

His Excellency
Martin Dahinden
Ph.D.
Martin Dahinden in Washington D.C.
Swiss Ambassador to the United States
Assumed office
November 18, 2014
Preceded by Manuel Sager
Director of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
In office
2008–2014
Director of Corporate Management at the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland
In office
2004–2008
Personal details
Born Martin Dahinden
(1955-01-08)8 January 1955
Zurich, Switzerland
Nationality Swiss
Spouse(s) Anita
Children Robert, Andrea
Residence Washington DC, Embassy of Switzerland in Washington, D.C.
Alma mater University of Zurich, Zurich
Occupation Diplomat

Martin Werner Dahinden (born 8 January 1955) is a senior Swiss diplomat who has served as Ambassador of Switzerland to the United States of America since October, 2014.[1][2][3] Dahinden presented his credentials to the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, on November 18, 2014 at the White House in Washington, D.C.[4][5]

Mandate

Dahinden is the current Head of the Embassy of Switzerland to the United States in Washington DC. His Mandate is to promote exchange between Switzerland and the United States in political relations,[6] economy and business,[7][8] science, technology and culture.[6] Switzerland represents U.S. interests in Iran (since 1979).[9]

For Swiss living in the U.S., the Embassy and the Consulates General offer services and consular protection.[10]

Career

Dahinden entered the diplomatic service in 1987. Early assignments included his service as a member of the Swiss Delegation to GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade), at the Embassy of Switzerland in Paris, as Deputy to the Swiss Ambassador in Nigeria (1989 to 1991), and in a temporary posting at the Swiss Mission to the United Nations in New York. Later, he worked in the FDFA's Service for Disarmament Policy and Nuclear Issues (1991 to 1995), as Head of the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) and held the position of Deputy Head of the OSCE Coordination Unit during the Swiss Chairmanship of the OSCE in 1996. The following year, he was Deputy Head of the Swiss Mission to NATO to Brussels (1997 to 2000).[3]

From 2000 to 2004, he was Director of the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining,[11] and from 2004 to 2008, he was the Head of the Directorate of Corporate Management at the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.[12]

Prior to assuming the position of Ambassador of Switzerland to the U.S. in 2014, Dahinden served as the Director of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (2008-2014)[13]

Personal life

Born in Zurich, Switzerland, on the 8th of January 1955, Martin Dahinden earned a Ph.D. in Economics at the University of Zurich, Switzerland.[3] His grandfather was a painter and art restorationist, and Dahinden had wanted to pursue a career in art but was disuaded by his family.[14]
In July 2016 Dahinden published a book about Swiss culinary art and its influence on American cuisine.[15][16] He is a patron of the Choral Arts Society of Washington.[17]

References

  1. ↑ "Swiss aid chief to become US ambassador". SWI Swissinfo.ch. 13 November 2013.
  2. ↑ "Früherer DEZA-Chef Martin Dahinden wird Botschafter in Washington" [Former SDC Chief Martin Dahinden Will Be Ambassador in Washington]. Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German). 9 October 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 "Martin Dahinden, Ambassador of Switzerland to the United States of America" (PDF). Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. 6 October 2014.
  4. ↑ "News". Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.
  5. ↑ Obama's day: Ebola response and new ambassadors. USA Today, 18 November 2014.
  6. 1 2 "Swiss–U.S. Relations". Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.
  7. ↑ "Swiss Business Hubs". Switzerland Global Enterprise.
  8. ↑ "Swiss Foreign Direct Investment Promotes Jobs in the United States". DipNote. U.S. Department of State. 20 January 2015.
  9. ↑ "An Interview with Ambassador Martin Dahinden". The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs. 1 October 2014.
  10. ↑ "Services for Swiss Living Abroad". Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.
  11. ↑ Martin Dahinden (June 2010). "The Response to the Humanitarian Crisis Created by Landmines". Cambridge Review of International Affairs. Routledge. 15 (1): 65–74. doi:10.1080/09557570220126261.
  12. ↑ Martin Dahinden (3 January 2015). "Switzerland's Ambassador to the United States: Who Is Martin Dahinden?". All Gov.
  13. ↑ Martin Dahinden (22 August 2008). "'Umbau' der Entwicklungshilfe-Zentrale" [Martin Dahinden: Some Thoughts and Memories and a look to the Future.]. Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German).
  14. ↑ http://diningwithstrangers.com/the-dinners/83-the-swiss-ambassador/
  15. ↑ Schweizer Küchengeheimnisse, Hanser Literaturverlage (in German).
  16. ↑ Switzerland's Culinary Footprint in the U.S.: A Conversation with Ambassador Martin Dahinden, Food Insight. 2016.
  17. ↑ http://dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2016/12/20/review-choral-arts-society-washingtons-choral-arts-christmas-kennedy-center/

Publications

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