Swiss Commission for UNESCO: greater good.
| Auteur | Scheuringer, Carina |
| Fonction | Business: made in switzerland |
On a bitterly cold winter morning, the sophisticated residences of Berne's Bundesgasse reach majestically into a crisp cerulean sky. Commuters hustle past purposefully, wrapped head to toe in woollies. Eyes focused on the Bundesplatz ahead, they take little notice of the shiny g[ass doors leading into number 28. There, President Jean-Bernand Munch (pictured in the centre on page 9 and on the left on page 10) warmly welcomes me to the Swiss Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)--an institution entrusted with the task of acting as an interface between the international community and Switzerland's civil society, and political as well as non-political entities.
"Switzerland's association with UNESCO dates back decades," says Munch by way of explaining the origins of the Commission. "Both were united by the same goal--to foster and safeguard a culture of peace." While Switzerland has maintained a neutral status since 1815 and has acted as a mediator in many international conflicts, the United Nations agency is based on the belief that lasting global peace can be achieved--not only through economic or political alliances-but if built "upon the intellectual and moral solidarity of mankind."
Peace of mind
The prospect of lasting peace inspired great hope in a world ridden by wars, uniting people beyond cultural and national borders. Following ratification by 20 signatories, 37 countries signed the UNESCO Constitution on 16 November 1945 in London, agreeing "to contribute to peace and security by promoting collaboration among the nations through education, science and culture in order to further universal respect for justice, for the rule of law and for the human rights and fundamental freedoms which are affirmed for the peoples of the world, without distinction of race, sex, language or religion, by the Charter of the United Nations." Although present at this milestone event and affiliated with the organisation from the onset, Switzerland was not amongst the founding states. The Confederation filed its application for membership in 1946 and was officially admitted on 28 January 1949.
In May of the same year, Switzerland's Federal Council established the Swiss Commission for UNESCO in Berne in accordance with Article VII of the UNESCO Constitution. A permanent "agency of consultation, liaison and information," the Commission was tasked with associating civil society as well as governmental and...
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