Ex-minister called to help steer Swiss Red Cross out of crisis
Will Simonetta Sommaruga be the next president of the Swiss Red Cross?
Keystone / Marcel Bieri
Former minister Simonetta Sommaruga is being called to head the crisis-hit Swiss Red Cross and has shown interest, reports the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper.
This content was published on
1 minute
NZZ am Sonntag/Keystone-SDA/jc
Italiano
it
Ex ministro chiamato a contribuire a guidare la Croce Rossa Svizzera fuori dalla crisi
The paper says “influential circles in the field of politics and humanitarian aid are courting her” to head the charity and help steer it out of crisis.
The Swiss Red Cross (SRC), which is Switzerland’s biggest charity (not to be confused with the International Committee of the Red Cross), is in search of a new leader after its president Barbara Schmid-Federer resigned on Friday following a damning report. Schmid-Federer’s leadership style was taken apart by the independent report into the dismissal of SRC Director Markus Mader in December.
This led to the resignations of four members of the Red Cross Council that oversees the SRC. According to media reports, the leadership spat has resulted in a drop in donations to the SRC, with some major donors suspending their support until the problems are resolved.
Informal exploratory talks have been held with Sommaruga, sources confirmed to the NZZ am Sonntag, and she is said to have shown an interest. Sommaruga was a long-standing Social Democrat minister who stepped down at the end of last year.
“Having a former cabinet minister as president would be a very positive sign,” politician and head of an SRC organisation Philipp Matthias Bregy told the newspaper.
Popular Stories
More
Climate solutions
Switzerland turns train tracks into solar power plants
In Switzerland more people are being referred to electrical therapies or psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Are there similar approaches where you live?
Switzerland to give millions to three UN organisations
This content was published on
Switzerland is supporting Unicef, UN Women and the UN Population Fund this year with a total of CHF39 million ($47 million).
Electricity reserves still needed in Switzerland in midterm
This content was published on
Switzerland's energy supply remains uncertain. Electricity reserves are still needed in the medium term, the Federal Electricity Commission (ElCom) said.
ICRC says next few days will be ‘decisive’ for aid to Gaza
This content was published on
The next few days will be absolutely decisive if the Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to continue providing aid in the Gaza Strip, said its director-general Pierre Krähenbühl.
Switzerland unveils a national drought-detection system
This content was published on
Switzerland launched on Thursday a new national system for detecting drought and warning the population and authorities in advance.
Federal coffers to get CHF100 million boost from Swiss Post
This content was published on
Swiss Post will pay a dividend of CHF100 million ($121 million) to the Confederation this year, the company announced on Thursday.
Swiss Federal Railways satisfied with bodycams for transport police
This content was published on
Since the introduction of body-worn cameras, the frequency of assaults on Swiss Federal Railways transport police has fallen by 25%.
Zurich cantonal government to compensate victims of forced labour
This content was published on
Victims of past forced labour measures in canton Zurich could soon apply to receive a one-off solidarity compensation of CHF25,000 ($30,255).
Risk of a real-estate bubble in Switzerland grew in first quarter
This content was published on
The risk of a bubble in the Swiss property market increased slightly in the first three months of the year compared with the previous quarter, says UBS.
French authorities order Nestlé to remove its filtration system
This content was published on
Authorities in the south of France have served formal notice to Nestlé Waters, a subsidiary of the Swiss food giant, to "withdraw within two months" its microfiltration system for its Perrier mineral water.
Switzerland says pushbacks at border by Germany are unlawful
This content was published on
Switzerland considers Germany's planned systematic pushbacks at the border to be contrary to existing law, the department of justice has said.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss Red Cross president steps down after damning report
This content was published on
The President of the Swiss Red Cross has resigned for “health reasons” following heavy criticism of her leadership style.
Swiss Red Cross launches digital advice for Ukrainian refugees
This content was published on
The Swiss Red Cross has launched an online platform to help Ukrainian refugees navigate through the initial steps of arriving in Switzerland.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.