Former US president Bill Clinton to visit Switzerland

Former US President Bill Clinton speaks at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the Swiss resort of Davos in 2005 Keystone / Yoshiko Kusano

After Barack Obama, Bill Clinton will be the second former US president to visit Switzerland this year. Clinton will address global challenges in an interview at the Prix Suisse in Bern on November 11.

The event will take place at the Kursaal venue in the Swiss capital, the Initiative Switzerland organisation said in a statementExternal link. Clinton, 76, was US President from 1993 to 2001 and is married to former US presidential candidate and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The Prix Suisse has been awarded to Swiss citizens for their achievements since 2021. This year Sports Minister Viola Amherd will award the prize to skier Marco Odermatt “for his outstanding achievements as a top athlete and ski racer”. Odermatt, 25, is already an Olympic champion, double world champion and two-time overall World Cup winner.

In addition to Bill Clinton, Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA’s director of research from 2016 to 2022, will share his experience as the leader of 100 space missions and projects.

To mark the 175th anniversary of the Federal Constitution, various personalities will also present their views on present and future Switzerland in all four national languages during the event, Initiative Switzerland added.

Initiative Switzerland is a privately funded organisation which supports innovative ideas and projects. The organisation says it is specifically committed to Switzerland’s competitiveness and prosperity.

At the end of April Barack Obama visited Switzerland and shared insights into government machinery and thoughts on the role the US plays on the world stage at an event in Zurich.