Martin Dahinden

Martin Dahinden (born 8 January 1955) is a Swiss diplomat who has served as ambassador of Switzerland to the United States of America from 2014 to 2019 .[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] He retired in 2019.

His Excellency
Martin Dahinden
Ph.D.
Martin Dahinden in 2018
Swiss Ambassador to the United States
In office
November 18, 2014 – 2019
Preceded byManuel Sager
Succeeded byJacques Pitteloud
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
SpouseAnita
ChildrenRobert, Andrea
Residence(s)Washington, D.C., Embassy of Switzerland in Washington, D.C.
Alma materUniversity of Zurich, Zurich
OccupationDiplomat

Mandate

Dahinden is the current head of the Embassy of Switzerland to the United States in Washington, D.C. 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 also 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 the 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 Federal Department of Foreign Affairs' Service for Disarmament Policy and Nuclear Issues (1991 to 1995), as head of the section of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and held the position of deputy head of the OSCE Coordination Unit during the Swiss chairmanship in 1996. The following year, he was deputy head of the Swiss Mission to NATO in 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 8 January 1955, Martin Dahinden earned a Ph.D. in economics at the University of Zurich, Switzerland.[3]

In July 2016 Dahinden published a book about Swiss culinary art and its influence on American cuisine.[14][15] In 2018, he published a second book about the Swiss contribution to the culinary history.[16] In addition, Dahinden was chairman of the Diplomatic Cabinet of the National Portrait Gallery[17] and of the Ambassadors Circle of the National Building Museum.[18] He is also a member of the Executive Council on Diplomacy and of the Diplomatic Advisory Board of the Economic Club of Washington D.C[19] and patron of the Choral Arts Society of Washington. [20]

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. "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. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  6. "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. Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  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. 15 (1): 65–74. doi:10.1080/09557570220126261. S2CID 154837768.
  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. Schweizer Küchengeheimnisse, Hanser Literaturverlage (in German).
  15. Switzerland's Culinary Footprint in the U.S.: A Conversation with Ambassador Martin Dahinden, Food Insight. 2016.
  16. "Beyond Muesli and Fondue - Buchzentrum". www.buchzentrum.ch. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
  17. "Portraits of the World: Switzerland to kick off new exhibition series". www.eda.admin.ch (in German). Retrieved 2019-06-25.
  18. Neumann, Marc (2018-01-09). "Die Schweiz tanzt in Washington | NZZ". Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in Swiss High German). ISSN 0376-6829. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
  19. "Global Initiative". The Economic Club of Washington D.C. 2017-04-21. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
  20. "Review: The Choral Arts Society of Washington's 'A Choral Arts Christmas' at the Kennedy Center". 2016-12-20.

Publications
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