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Solidar Suisse is a Swiss
non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
with headquarters in
Zurich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...
. It also has a French-speaking Swiss branch in
Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...
and an association in
Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
, Solidar Suisse Genève. As an NGO, it fights for global justice and against extreme inequality. It campaigns for decent working conditions, democratic participation and social justice. Solidar Suisse is the development organization that became organizationally independent from the Swiss Workers' Relief Association (SAH) in 2005 and was renamed Solidar Suisse in 2011.


History


Activities of the SAH abroad

In 1936, the Swiss Workers' Relief Organization was founded by the
Swiss Trade Union Federation The Swiss Trade Union Federation (, SGB; ; , USS) is the largest national trade union center in Switzerland. History The federation was founded in 1880. The SGB has close ties with the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland (SPS). Ruth Dreifuss ...
and the
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland (, SP; ), also called the Swiss Socialist Party (; , PS), is a List of political parties in Switzerland, political party in Switzerland. The SP has had two representatives on the Federal Council (Switzerl ...
. Its purpose was to alleviate the effects of the
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
and to support workers' families in precarious situations in Switzerland and abroad, in part by funding holiday camps. The organization soon became involved in
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
to help children who were victims of the
Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
. During the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the SAH distributed food parcels in refugee camps throughout
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
and cared for more than 2,000 refugees in
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
. In the immediate post-war period, the SAH provided emergency aid, social support and opened children's homes. In 1949, the SAH was one of the first Swiss relief organizations to become involved in international development aid, working in
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
,
Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...
/
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
,
Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...
and, after the
Algerian War The Algerian War (also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence) ''; '' (and sometimes in Algeria as the ''War of 1 November'') was an armed conflict between France and the Algerian National Liberation Front (Algeri ...
, in Algeria and
Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...
. In 1951, the SAH was also a founding member of the International Association for Workers' Relief (IAH), which was renamed SOLIDAR in 1995. The SAH supported political refugees from the Hungarian uprising, the
Prague Spring The Prague Spring (; ) was a period of liberalization, political liberalization and mass protest in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. It began on 5 January 1968, when reformist Alexander Dubček was elected Secretary (title), First Secre ...
, the
Nigerian Civil War The Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970), also known as the Biafran War, Nigeria-Biafra War, or Biafra War, was fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a Secession, secessionist state which had declared its independen ...
and the
Greek junta The Greek junta or Regime of the Colonels was a Right-wing politics, right-wing military junta that ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974. On 21 April 1967, a group of colonels with CIA backing 1967 Greek coup d'état, overthrew the caretaker gove ...
. Since the 1970s, the SAH was involved in the solidarity movement for
Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...
, including
Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...
. In the 1980s and 1990s, the SAH was also active in a large number of countries. In the 1980s, for example, it supported those persecuted by the Pinochet regime in
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
and was active in
Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
and
Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...
during the
Yugoslav wars The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related#Naimark, Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and Insurgency, insurgencies that took place from 1991 to 2001 in what had been the Socialist Federal Republic of ...
(1991-2001), while maintaining its activities for the benefit of the population in Switzerland. A dozen regional branches of the OSEO, however, continue to develop independently activities related to professional reintegration, training or the integration of migrant people  


As an independent organization

In 2005, as part of a reorganization, the former foreign department of the SAH became an independent organization, although it continued to operate under the name Swiss Workers' Relief Organization. Even after the organizational separation, the organization continued its previous international development aid. For example, Solidar supported the victims of the devastating floods in Pakistan (2010). In 2011, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the SAH, the organization was renamed Solidar Suisse, which in addition to the organizational separation also led to the separation of the name from the Swiss SAH associations. The name Solidar Suisse is based on the international network of the same name, SOLIDAR. After Typhoon Hayan (2013) in the Philippines, Solidar Suisse provided short-term emergency aid and was also involved in reconstruction for years. Solidar Suisse also provided emergency aid after the earthquake in Nepal in 2015, for the
Rohingya The Rohingya people (; ; ) are a stateless Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who predominantly follow Islam from Rakhine State, Myanmar. Before the Rohingya genocide in 2017, when over 740,000 fled to Bangladesh, an estimated 1.4 million Ro ...
refugees in
Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
in 2017, after the earthquake on the island of Sulawesi in 2018, after the
Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
and the floods in Pakistan in 2022, and after the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria in 2023.


Locations of activity

In 2024, Solidar is active in 15 countries: Burkina Faso, Mozambique, South Africa, Kosovo, Bosnia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Türkiye, Syria, Philippines, Sri Lanka, China, Bolivia, Nicaragua and El Salvador. In Switzerland, ten independent regional ''Schweizerisches Arbeiterhilfswerk'' SAH associations (Basel, Berne, Friborg, Geneva, Schaffhausen, Ticino, Vaud, Valais, Central Switzerland, Zurich) are involved in 16 cantons with around 900 employees for disadvantaged people. They provide education, employment and work integration programs for the unemployed and displaced, and provide guidance and assistance to asylum seekers, refugees and migrants.


National campaigns

Since 2008, Solidar has been conducting national awareness campaigns such as "Responsible Public Purchasing – No to Exploitation with Our Taxes", "For a FIFA and Socially Responsible World Cups", "Fair Toys", on toys that have come from China, "Stop food speculation" or "For pans produced in decent conditions". In 2017 it published material promoting the successful integration of asylum migrants. It also takes part in the Popular Initiative "Responsible enterprises – to protect the human being and the environment" and carried out, in 2011, 2013 and 2016, an evaluation of the communal policies for development cooperation and fair purchasing. (''Solidar Rating'' of Commons).


Presidents of Solidar Suisse since its independence

The first president of the independent organization Solidar Suisse was the previous president of the entire SAH. The Solidar Suisse Genève association was founded in 2014. The current president is Valery Bragar.


Solidar Suisse employees

Solidar Suisse has its headquarters in Zurich and a branch office in Lausanne. In each country where Solidar is active, there is a coordination office managed by local experts in the field of humanitarian aid and development cooperation. The NGO employs more than 45 people in Switzerland and about 135 people abroad, the majority of whom are local staff.


Publications

Solidar Suisse publishes the magazine "Solidarität-Solidarité" four times a year in German and French, which reports on its international projects and deals with general topics related to development cooperation.


References


External links

*
Chronique illustrée des actions de l’OSEO de 1936 à 2005
* *
Réseau International de Solidar
{{authority control Organizations established in 1936 Development charities based in Switzerland Organisations based in Zurich