The ICRC Museum has to remain in Geneva

by Eva-Maria Föllmer-Müller and Daniel Güntert

Swiss press reported at the beginning of January 2025: Switzerland’s funding for the Museum of the International Red Cross in Geneva, an institution of national and international importance, is to be drastically reduced from 2027. This alarmed us! The museum has an annual budget of 4.5 million CHF. Annual subsidies of 1.1 million CHF from the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) to date for the maintenance of the ICRC Museum are to be cancelled. This is the recommendation of an external working group that was commissioned to draw up proposals on how the Confederation can eliminate its “structural deficit”. In the future, the Federal Office for Culture is to be responsible for the subsidies, but it can only provide a maximum of 300,000 CHF to the museum. The proposal was made without consulting the museum.
  The Museum’s director, Pascal Hufschmid, said the resulting funding gap of 800,000 CHF could not be coped with and would mean that the museum would either have to be closed or relocated abroad if no solution was found. There are already proposals to move the museum to Abu Dhabi.
  This process calls for national and international protest. Do they want to further erode another pillar of Switzerland’s unique historical place in the world as a neutral nation, Switzerland’s humanitarian legacy? And this at a time when the international law of war is being trampled underfoot, humanitarian aid is being put under pressure and the neutrality of humanitarian work is being disregarded, as ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric said in an interview with SRF News (28 October 2024).
  What a scandal that 12 million francs of taxpayers’ money should be wasted on a fruitless Bürgenstock conference, while it turns out that a mere 800,000 francs will not be forthcoming to keep such an important institution running. Where is the respect for international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions? It was the experiences of the Second World War that led to the adoption of the Geneva Conventions 75 years ago. They were ratified by all states.
  The ICRC Museum was inaugurated on 26 October 1988; it documents the outstanding humanitarian activities of Switzerland and the Red Cross movement, whose birthplace is Geneva. The museum is a reflection of Switzerland’s constant commitment in the humanitarian field.
  A sentence by Fyodor Dostoevsky from the book “The Brothers Karamazov” can be read in the entrance hall of the museum: ‘Chacun est responsable de tout devant tous.’ (Everyone is responsible for everything before everyone else). (And that we are all responsible to all for all). •

National Councils motion calls on the Swiss Confederation preserve the ICRC Museum

ef/dg. To prevent the possible closure or relocation of the museum to another country, Geneva National Councillor Estelle Revaz submitted a motion on 4 December 2024. She is calling on the Confederation to maintain sufficient financial support for the museum. Her reasoning (extract):

“The MICR (Musée International de la Croix Rouge) is an institution of national importance.

  • It is at the centre of Switzerland’s commitment to international humanitarian law and strengthens Switzerland’s position as depositary state of the Geneva Conventions.
  • It fully embodies the principle of neutrality, which is so dear to Switzerland’s heart, and supports the visibility of Swiss diplomacy on the international stage.
  • It preserves a unique cultural heritage that reflects Switzerland’s commitment and makes it accessible to the public. For example, Henry Dunant’s Nobel Peace Prize medal or the archive of the International Centre for Prisoners of War from the First World War, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The MICR is also listed as a ‘cultural property of national importance’ (category A). […]

It is the duty of the Confederation to do everything necessary to preserve this institution, which symbolises Switzerland’s national identity and contributes to the dissemination of Swiss values at national and international level”.
  The motion was co-signed by 76 other National Councillors.

Source: https://www.parlament.ch/de/ratsbetrieb/suche-curia-vista/geschaeft?AffairId=20244297

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