Cornelio Sommaruga (* December 29, 1932 in Rome) is a prominent Swiss humanitarian, lawyer and diplomat who is best known for being President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) from 1987 to 1999. Today, he chairs the International Center for Humanitarian Mine Clearing Operations (ICHCD) in Geneva. He is also active on a number of boards, such as the Caux Foundation, promoting social and cultural change and projects. Nickname: The Eternal City Motto: SPQR: Senatus PopulusQue Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area    - City 1285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... English barrister 16th century painting of a civil law notary, by Flemish painter Quentin Massys. ... Diplomat redirects here. ... The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a private humanitarian institution based in Geneva, Switzerland. ... Hunters a cool hobo For other uses, see Geneva (disambiguation). ...

Background

Early years and education

Cornelio Sommaruga was born in Rome, Italy, where his father was was stationed at the Swiss embassy. In fact, he spoke Italian long before he learned German. He was brought up by a Catholic father and a Protestant mother and remained a devout Christian throughout his life. He was profoundly influenced by his early years in Rome. The period in which his father represented Switzerland at the Vatican probably inspired him the most in terms of his long diplomatic and humanitarian career. Despite his connection to Rome, he has close ties with Ticino, his family's canton of origin. This article is about the Swiss canton Ticino. ...

He went to grammar and high school in Italy and attended university in Zurich, Switzerland, where he obtained a doctorate in law in 1957. It was only during this period that he learned German, one of the four national languages of Switzerland. Location within Switzerland   Zürich[?] (German pronunciation IPA: ; usually spelled Zurich in English) is the largest city in Switzerland (population: 366,145 in 2004; population of urban area: 1,091,732) and capital of the canton of Zürich. ...

Professional career

Cornelio Sommaruga entered the Swiss diplomatic corps after working two years in the banking sector from 1957 to 1959. He served as a senior diplomat in The Hague, Rome and Bern. From 1968 to 1973, he was the deputy of the Swiss delegation to the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and the senior representative to UNCTAD, GATT and the United Nations (UN), where he further developed his diplomatic and negotiating skills. From 1973 to 1975, he served as the deputy to the General Secretary of EFTA in Geneva. From there, he returned to Bern where he held senior posts at the Office of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss government. From 1984 to 1987, he was Undersecretary of State at the Office of Foreign Affairs, a job he left when he was nominated to the ICRC in 1986. Arms of The Hague Flag of The city of The Hague. ... Nickname: The Eternal City Motto: SPQR: Senatus PopulusQue Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area    - City 1285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban... Location within Switzerland The city of Bern, English traditionally Berne (Bernese German Bärn , German Bern , French Berne , Italian Berna , Romansh Berna ), is the Bundesstadt (administrative capital) of Switzerland, and is the fourth most populous Swiss city (after Zürich, Geneva and Basel). ... The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) was established on May 3, 1960 as an alternative for European states that were not allowed or did not wish to join the European Community (now the European Union). ... The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) was established in 1964 as a permanent intergovernmental body, UNCTAD is the principal organ of the United Nations General Assembly dealing with trade, investment and development issues. ... General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (usually abbreviated GATT) functions as the foundation of the WTO trading system, and remains in force, although the 1995 Agreement contains an updated version of it to replace the original 1947 one. ... The foundation of the U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ... The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is historically a committee of Swiss nationals, although non-Swiss nationals have recently been allowed (the committee appoints new members to itself to replace those who resign or die) which leads the international Red Cross movement (often simply known after its symbol...

Cornelio Sommaruga served as President of the ICRC from 1987 to 1999, succeeding Alexandre Hay. During his tenure, the budget and the international activities of the Committee increased considerably. He maintained the neutrality of the ICRC while keeping close ties to the Swiss government as well as other member nations. One of his last initiatives was to propose the introduction of the Red Crystal as the third symbol representing the Red Cross movement, alongside with the Red Cross and Red Crescent. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is historically a committee of Swiss nationals, although non-Swiss nationals have recently been allowed (the committee appoints new members to itself to replace those who resign or die) which leads the international Red Cross movement (often simply known after its symbol... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Emblems of the Red Cross. ... The symbols of the Movement - The Red Cross and the Red Crescent emblems at the museum in Geneva. ...

Among his challenges at the ICRC were: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is historically a committee of Swiss nationals, although non-Swiss nationals have recently been allowed (the committee appoints new members to itself to replace those who resign or die) which leads the international Red Cross movement (often simply known after its symbol...

• bringing the ICRC in tune with the younger generation of delegates to reduce the defections which plagued the ICRC when he took over as President
• the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War
• the genocide in Rwanda in 1994
• the killing of six delegates of the ICRC in Grosny in December 1996
• the debate within the ICRC of the role of the Red Cross in World War II and the issue of the Holocaust

From 2000 to the end of 2006 Cornelio Sommarug served as President of Intiatives of Change International, an international movement working to build bridges of trust across the world's divides. In that capacity he was able to support peace and reconciliation initiatives in Africa's Great Lakes region and in Sierra Leone. He continues to be a major player on the board of the Caux Foundation - the Swiss chapter of Initiatives of Change - and an active Chairman of the Swiss Cancer Society as well as a prominent personality on a number of charitable and corporate boards. The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass extermination of hundreds of thousands of ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus in Rwanda. ... Concentration camp inmates during the Holocaust The Holocaust was Nazi Germanys systematic genocide (ethnic cleansing) of various ethnic, religious, national, and secular groups during World War II. Early elements include the Kristallnacht pogrom and the T-4 Euthanasia Program established by Hitler that killed some 200,000 people. ...

Family life

Despite an intense political and management career, Cornelio Sommaruga maintained strong family ties. Family gatherings were extremely meaningful to him in his early years, and as a result, Dr. Sommaruga has promoted strong family social values among his family just as in the institutions with which he worked. He married Ornella Marzorati in 1957 and he and his wife have six children. He and his family have preserved the ritual of annual family reunions at the same time each year.

Awards

• Personalité suisse la plus populaire auprès des journalistes étrangers, Association de la Presse Etrangère en Suisse, 2003
• Prix de la Fondation Dr. J.E. Brandenberger, 2003
• North/South prize, Council of Europe, 2001
• Culture, Canton of Basel, 1998
• International Society for Human Rights, Swiss section, 1996
• Josef Krainer, 1996
• Century Foundation, BSI, 1995
• Dr. Jean Mayer Award for Global Citizenship, Tufts University

External Links

• Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement History - Cornelio Sommaruga
• Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining - Dr. Cornelio Sommaruga
• Legacy Dr. Sommaruga donated four hours of high-definition audiovisual life story interviews to Legacy.