Peter Arbenz Memorial Fund

Dear friends of Peter Arbenz,

P

eter Arbenz was the first head of what was then the Federal Office for Refugees, now part of the State Secretariat for Migration. Peter was aware that we were still sending women, men and children without residence permits back to their countries of origin, who were in a precarious situation but whose lives and physical integrity were not threatened. On their return, these people often find themselves in the same situation as when they left their country of origin. To help them, the association “Réintégration dans le pays d’origine” (Reintegration in the country of origin) was set up in 2009.

Its aim is to facilitate the return of rejected asylum seekers, undocumented migrants and other foreign nationals without residence permits who find themselves in a difficult family, professional or health situation, to enable them to reintegrate into everyday life in their country of origin. Since the association began its activities, 1,625 people have been supported in 930 projects in 77 countries.

Mario Gattiker, Jean-Daniel Gerber and Eduard Gnesa, members of the committee of the “Reintegration in the country of origin” association, wish to preserve the memory of Peter Arbenz and pay tribute to his work. To this end, we intend to set up a special fund, called the “Peter Arbenz Fund”, to support projects that were particularly close to Peter’s heart. The money raised is to be used where helping others is most effective: setting up a mini-restaurant, running a small farm, guiding tourists around the region, etc.

From experience, we know that these are difficult projects with no obvious chance of success. But it is precisely in such situations that Peter Arbenz’s actions have been exemplary. He never shied away from a challenge. Despite the difficulties, we can boast a high success rate. In most cases, reintegration has been successful. The results of the various projects are monitored every year (see annual report). French-speaking Swiss television, known for its critical attitude, paid positive tribute to the association’s work in the programme “Mise au point”, in which Peter Arbenz spoke.