What challenges does our democracy face?
In keeping with tradition, the next meeting of the Council of the Swiss Abroad (CSA) will be held on Saturday 14 March 2020 at the Town Hall in Berne. The meeting will be open to the public and a live feed will be available on the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA) website, www.aso.ch, along with the agenda, which will be published approximately three weeks in advance.
The Council of the Swiss Abroad (CSA), representative body of the “Fifth Switzerland”, is made up of 140 delegates, of which 120 represent the community of the Swiss Abroad. The remaining 20 are individuals living in Switzerland, with a background in politics, economics, social advocacy or culture. They are all committed to representing their 760,000 fellow citizens living abroad.
The CSA meets twice per year to discuss subjects directly impacting the Swiss Abroad and to thereby protect their interests. The spring meeting will be held in March in Bern, and the autumn meeting will be held in August as part of the Congress of the Swiss Abroad. The delegates are appointed on a voluntary basis for a period of four years (2017–2021). They are elected by the communities of Swiss Abroad. During their meetings, the CSA may adopt resolutions and recommendations aimed at authorities, institutions or public opinion.
Immigration, data protection, digital challenges, and exercising our political rights: how is the Swiss democratic system meeting today’s challenges? Where does it need to change? How can we guarantee respect of the basic democratic rights in Switzerland, unique in the world?
Such are the questions, amongst many others, that speakers will be asked to answer or debate at our 2020 congress on the weekend of 22–23 August. Save the date now and join us in Lugano!
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