Pierre Aubert (3 March 1927 – 8 June 2016) was a Swiss

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

, lawyer and member of the

Swiss Federal Council The Federal Council is the federal cabinet of the Swiss Confederation. Its seven members also serve as the collective head of state and government of Switzerland. Since World War II, the Federal Council is by convention a permanent grand co ...

(1978–1987).

Political career

He was elected to the

on 7 December 1977 as member of the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Form ...

from the

canton of Neuchâtel The Republic and Canton of Neuchâtel (; ; ; ) is a mostly French-speaking canton in western Switzerland. In 2007, its population was 169,782, of whom 39,654 (or 23.4%) were foreigners. The capital is Neuchâtel. History County of Neuchâtel ...

. He handed over office on 31 December 1987. After earning a law degree, he became an attorney-at-law in 1953. He began his political career as a member of the City Parliament of

La Chaux-de-Fonds La Chaux-de-Fonds (; archaic ) is a Swiss city in the canton of Neuchâtel. It is located in the Jura Mountains at an altitude of 992 metres, a few kilometres south of the French border. After Geneva, Lausanne, Biel/Bienne, and Fribourg, ...

(1960–68), then served the Cantonal Parliament of Neuchâtel (1961–75) and was the President of the latter legislative body from 1969 until 70. Elected to the Council of States he sat in this chamber of the Federal Parliament until his election to the Federal Council in 1977. From 1974 to 1977, he belonged to the Parliamentary Assembly of the

Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; , CdE) is an international organisation with the goal of upholding human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it is Europe's oldest intergovernmental organisation, represe ...

and was rapporteur for the admission of

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

. He was the chancellor of the

University of Neuchâtel The University of Neuchâtel (UniNE) is a French-speaking public research university in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. The university has four faculties (schools) and more than a dozen institutes, including arts and human sciences, natural sciences, ...

from 1971 to 1977. During his time in office, Aubert held the portfolio of the Political Department in 1978 and from 1979 to 1987 after it was renamed to "

Federal Department of Foreign Affairs The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA, , , , ), so named since 1979, is one of the seven Departments of the Swiss government federal administration of Switzerland, and corresponds in its range of tasks to the ministry of foreign affa ...

". He was President of the Confederation twice: in 1983 and in 1987. He stood for a Swiss active policy in general and in the Human rights field in particular. Aubert made 55 foreign trips, 39 of which were official trips. Aubert visited four African countries and signed a declaration against apartheid in

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

in 1979. He was the first Swiss foreign minister to establish contacts with the

PLO The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO; ) is a Palestinian nationalist coalition that is internationally recognized as the official representative of the Palestinian people in both the occupied Palestinian territories and the diaspora. ...

leadership when he received Faruk Kaddhumi in July 1980 in Bern. He led the unsuccessful campaign to join the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

in 1986 (only 24% of the voters were in favour).

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Aubert, Pierre 1927 births 2016 deaths People from La Chaux-de-Fonds Members of the Federal Council (Switzerland) Presidents of the Swiss Confederation Foreign ministers of Switzerland Social Democratic Party of Switzerland politicians Swiss Protestants Knights Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour Commanders with Star of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland