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Section Reports
The purpose of this Section report is to learn about the work that is occurring in your Section. Our hope is to paint a realistic picture of our organization, your candid assessment and input is most appreciated!
Please fill in the blanks:
Section Country: Switzerland |
Section President: Regula Brunner / Irene Willi (co-presidents) |
Address: Fellenbergstrasse 1 |
City, State/Province: Berne |
Postal Code: CH-3012 |
Telephone: +41 31 301 72 07 |
Fax Number: |
Work and/or Mobile Number: +41 79 359 19 67 |
Email Address: regulabrunner@gmx.ch |
Section IEC Member: Helena Nyberg |
Address: Jupiterstrasse 4 |
City, State/Province: Zürich |
Postal Code: CH-8032 |
Telephone: +41 44 383 21 31 |
Fax Number: +41 44 383 21 32 |
Work and/or Mobile Number: +41 79 339 97 86 |
Email Address: textart@freesurf.ch |
Section Fundraising Contact:
(Per the decision at the IEC 2006 each Section is to appoint a fundraising contact person)
Fay Kaufmann (treasurer) |
Address: Seefeldstrasse 112 |
City, State/Province: Zürich |
Postal Code: CH-8008 |
Telephone: +41 44 383 84 50 |
Fax Number: |
Work and/or Mobile Number: |
Email Address: faykauf@gmx.ch |
2008 International Directory:
Please review your copy of the International Directory and provide all additional contacts and/or information that you would like to be listed in the 2008 International Directory. For example: Section Office, Section Treasurer, Secretary, Branch Contacts, etc.
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Section Information:
 Number of members: 28 (Fill in the blank or amend)
 Section website: www.wilpfschweiz.ch
  Section 2006 Income: Fr. 6’470 Expense: Fr. 5’968
Committee or Working Group that your IEC Member participates in: |
What does your Section need from the 2007 Congress and what are the specific decisions that you would like to see this Congress make to further your work? Please place an X beside those that apply.
__x_ Development of 3-year Programme
___ Development of Committee or Working Group. Please specify.
___ Adoption of Policy. Please specify.
___ Adoption of Resolution. Please specify.
___ Adoption of Constitutional Amendment Please specify.
__x_ Specific Proposal from your Section. Please specify.
___ Other. Please list below:
- As the Congress is held in Bolivia, take the chance to have a (closer) look at the situation of indigenous women. How could SCR1325 be adopted to improve their situation?
- Urge the adoption and / or implementation/enforcement of 1325 in the conflicts in Darfur, Middle East and Iraq.
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Geneva Office |
We would like some feedback on the section mailing. Do you like the frequency and length? What topics would you like to see covered?
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What information from the Geneva Office would be helpful to you?
Reports about officer’s meetings, to be informed in time about problems like now (finances concerning the Congress) |
What do you see as priority issues for the work of the Geneva Office?
- Coordinating international work.
- Putting the focus on the overriding issues, linking sections together that work on similar issues.
- Monitoring the Geneva UN-work and transmitting information or results to the relevant sections in order for them to become active.
- ”Service-provision” to sections. (The reports from the interns are very interesting and informative.)
- Publication of WILPF-Newsletter.
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How could we improve communication between us (E-Mail, Conference Calls, Section Visits)?
Maybe by introducing and strengthening a kind of “internal internet” (= intranet), where WILPF-sections (and members) could exchange information and experiences and could retrieve documents that are useful for their own work. Over time, this could cut down costs of travel and print, as many things could be discussed via intranet. |
UN Office (New York) |
What information from the UN Office would be helpful to you?
- Receiving reports from the main sessions and on the themes that are dealt with in NY and not in Geneva (this is already done to a certain degree…)
- Receiving information that is useful for one’s own work and promotes the position of women: results of follow-up meetings of UN-bodies that deal with the implementation of Agenda 21 or SCR 1325, etc.
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What do you see as priority issues for the work of the UN Office?
- Good networking with other present ECOSOC-NGOs
- Coordination with Geneva and the UN-work there
- Mark WILPF-presence in the international arena
- Lobby governments (if need be) for issues at stake, as Geneva probably has less time to do lobby-work
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How could we improve communication between us (E-Mail, Conference Calls, Section Visits)?
See above
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Do you use the Reaching Critical Will website? |
Yes |
No |
If so for what? What is the most useful? What would make the site more useful for you?
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Do you read the RCW E-news reports on CD, UN GA 1st Committee, NPT?
Our new IEC-member will in the future
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What could be improved?
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Do you use the Peace Women website? |
Yes |
No |
If so for what? What is the most useful? What would make the site more useful for you?
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Do you read the Peace Women E-news?
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What could be improved?
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Does the work of your section relate to the United Nations? |
Yes |
No |
If so how?
Not yet. As Switzerland has become a member of the UN only a couple of years ago we will have to look at this and start our lobbying work.
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We know that each Section is involved in many important areas of work and are extremely excited to hear about that work. Please do not feel that you must answer all of the areas listed below.
Does your section work on WILPF’s International Program? |
Yes |
No |
What is your main focus?
We are working with the Swiss Committee for Peace in the Middle East (Nahostfriedenskomitee), which organized a national week of manifestations in November 2006 and now organizes an action week “40 years of occupation are enough!” in the first week of June 2007.
Another focuses are cluster bombs and referendums on the revision of the law about weapons. (see below)
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Global Economic Justice? |
Yes |
No |
How?
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Environmental Sustainability? |
Yes |
No |
How?
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Disarmament and Demilitarization |
Yes |
No |
How?
- Petition on cluster bombs. Lobbying with parliamentarians for a total ban of cluster bombs (working together with Handicap International, Coalition Suisse contre les mines antipersonnel, 1000 peacewomen across the globe and others)
- Supporting the initiative for a ban of war material exports (collecting signatures)
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Water? |
Yes |
No |
How?
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SCR 1325/Women and Peace and Security Issues? |
Yes |
No |
How?
Public event with Ruth-Gaby Vermot and Maren Haartje from the “1000 peacewomen around the globe” project, showing the documentary “1000 Frauen und ein Traum” (1000 women and a dream) |
Women’s political participation? |
Yes |
No |
How?
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Sexual and Gender based violence issues? |
Yes |
No |
How?
Support the initiative for a stricter law on weapons: everyone in possession of a gun has to justify its necessity and give proof of having undergone training. Weapons should be controlled and registered.
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What is the political situation in your country?
- Elections: In autumn 2007, a new parliament is going to be elected in Switzerland. There is quite a strong tendency towards the right-wing populist party (SVP Schweizerische Volkspartei). It is feared that these coming elections polarize the political wings even more than the elections four years ago already.
- An important topic is the ongoing polarization between Christianity and other religions, especially Islam. The right-wing populist party has made this one of their election topics. They have recently launched an initiative for a ban of minarets.
- A new public debate about nuclear power has been sweeping over the country in the last couple of months. It is heated up by the big nuclear energy companies that are spreading fears that we would face a serious lack of energy in the future. For example, alternative energy sources are ridiculed in cinema and other advertisement. Obviously, the ground should be prepared to stretch the life-time of existing old or build new nuclear power stations in about 20 years time.
- Despite its neutrality and its humanitarian tradition, Switzerland exports weapons and war material. An referendum supported also by our section demands a complete stop of these exports. The signatures will be handed over to the government this summer, and then the issue will be put to a public vote.
- It is quite easy to get a weapon in our country. In fact, every soldier of the Swiss army takes his gun home. It is estimated that about 3 million army guns are kept in private homes. They represent a daily threat for violence and suicide. An initiative demands a much stricter law about weapons with an efficient weapon control.
- Switzerland has a national action plan regarding SCR 1325 since this spring.
- On a more positive term, the 2 highest political positions are presently occupied by 2 women (Christine Egerszegy from the strongest right-wing party, and the social democrat Micheline Calmy-Rey, the President for 2007 and Minister of Foreign Affairs). On the occasion of the National Day on August 1, they wanted to organize an official ceremony and family day on the geographical spot where Switzerland was founded in 1291. However, neither the Federal nor the regional authorities want to cover the costs for maintaining the security during the event. There is a high probability that right-wing extremists will once again disturb the ceremony as they have done in previous years. Hence, no one wants to assume the responsibility for safety.
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