Several members of the new national council on poverty issues spoke to the media in Bern on Monday.
Keystone-SDA
People affected by poverty will now have a say in Swiss policy: a 17-member committee, comprising those directly affected and experts, is beginning its work immediately. The committee is giving a voice to nearly 750,000 people affected by poverty in Switzerland.
By 2028, the committee aims to remove administrative barriers, combat social stigma and influence the government’s official strategy for tackling poverty.
The newly established national council on poverty issues advocates on behalf of those affected in their dealings with politicians and the authorities. In Switzerland, 750,000 people live in poverty and 1.45 million are at risk of poverty, according to the Federal Social Insurance Office.
Six of the 17 members of the new council spoke to reporters in Bern on Monday and outlined their strategy. The council comprises 11 people with first-hand experience of poverty drawn from all regions of the country.
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Six experts from the worlds of politics, academia, government and non-governmental organisations advise the members. The priority areas are the social security system, stigmatisation, health and access to justice.
“Our aim is to involve people experiencing poverty in the political debate,” council member Denise Brechbühl told news agency Keystone-SDA.
One project involves collaborating on the national strategy to combat poverty drawn up by the Federal Office for Social Insurance. This will be adopted next year by the Federal Council. Broadly speaking, the pilot phase of the new council, which runs from 2026 to 2028, aims to raise awareness, said Brechbühl.
‘There is a great deal of shame’
In Switzerland, stigma persists that pushes people living on the poverty line to the margins of society. In addition to bureaucratic obstacles, there is a sense of shame associated with applying for social assistance, Brechbühl said: “Unfortunately, there is a great deal of shame. If procedures within social services were simplified and documents were no longer written in complicated administrative jargon, that alone could help.”
This is why the council is counting on the involvement of the cantons and municipalities to ensure that this system can evolve.
The number of “working poor” remains high in Switzerland. The Federal Statistical Office estimates that 175,000 people aged between 18 and 64 are directly affected by income poverty. This corresponds to 4.3% of the population. “The council is committed to helping everyone; we do not target any particular group and we do not exclude anyone,” said Brechbühl.
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The Federal Office for Social Insurance is currently drawing up the strategy to combat poverty in Switzerland. According to Thomas Vollmer, head of the ageing, generations and society division at OFAS, the new council will be involved in this process and will have the opportunity to directly influence the strategy.
The federal government is providing part of the funding for the new council. Support is also coming from Migros, the Swiss Society for Public Welfare, Caritas and the Swiss Red Cross, among others.
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Translated from French, reviewed by an English Department journalist.
