Alain Berset (left), who is currently secretary general of the Council of Europe, received an honorary doctorate from the University of Fribourg’s faculty of science and medicine.
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Alain Berset, former Swiss interior minister, has received an honorary doctorate from the University of Fribourg. The ceremony took place on Saturday in the presence of Economics Minister Guy Parmelin.
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Berset, who is currently secretary general of the Council of Europe, received an honorary doctorate from the university’s faculty of science and medicine. Berset, 53, was honoured for his close ties to the natural sciences and medicine during the Covid-19 pandemic, the University of Fribourg declared on Saturday.
The former interior minister had promoted solid and constructive collaboration between politics and research, it said. The faculty also highlighted his role as a mediator between science, politics and society, through which he had strengthened dialogue and promoted evidence-based decision-making.
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Berset’s important position as a government minister and prominent political role epitomised the European and international orientation of the University of Fribourg in a particularly remarkable way, it continued.
The university also honoured Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, known for his commitment to the Middle East. The faculty of theology said it wanted to honour a Franciscan who has been one of the most prominent faces of the Christian presence in the Holy Land for over 20 years.
Ambassador Jacques Pitteloud was also awarded an honorary doctorate from the faculty of arts. The 63-year-old from canton Valais, former head of the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service, is currently Swiss ambassador to Belgium and head of the Swiss mission to NATO.
Translated from French by DeepL/sb
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