Caritas Forum with Federal Councillor Baume-Schneider: Sustainable Solutions Needed

All people in Switzerland should be able to lead a dignified life at all times, emphasized Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider to the 300 professionals and interested parties present. However, this aim is not consistent with the reality faced by over 700,000 people affected by poverty. From the perspective of the Social Minister, sustainable solutions are needed in the fight against poverty. Switzerland takes its responsibility seriously. 'The federal government works together with cantons, municipalities, and civil society - including Caritas - to promote the development and implementation of effective measures.' Baume-Schneider also addressed questions from the audience following her speech.

Inequality in Switzerland is growing. The conference questioned the fractures and gaps in Switzerland's social system. Andreas Lustenberger, a member of Caritas Switzerland's management, highlighted the growing inequality, which is also evident in Switzerland. As wealth increasingly concentrates, many households barely have enough to live on. 'When the social divide grows, the sense of belonging decreases. Those affected by poverty are looked down upon, while the wealthy receive social appreciation,' said Andreas Lustenberger. The public must therefore discuss not just the 'too little' but also the 'too much' to reduce structural inequality.

Claudia Schwarz Farhat illustrated the impact of poverty on a family based on her own experiences. This launched the panel discussion centred on strategies against poverty. Valais State Councillor Mathias Reynard, President of the Conference of Cantonal Social Directors, and Patricia von Falkenstein, National Councillor of the Liberal Democratic Party, Basel, discussed with Marco Salvi from Avenir Suisse and Caritas Director Peter Lack.

Anna Koukal from the Federal Social Insurance Office outlined the key findings from the recently published first national poverty monitoring report. Emilie Rosenstein and Naël Froehlich from the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland in Lausanne explained how the Corona crisis highlighted blind spots in social policy. Oliver Hümbelin and Rulla Sutter from the Institute of Social Security and Social Policy at the Bern University of Applied Sciences, along with Ismail Mahmoud, a social worker at Caritas both Basel, demonstrated how NGOs can serve even better as an early warning system for social issues.

Images from the Caritas Forum can be downloaded at www.caritas.ch/fotos.

Caritas Switzerland has also published the Social Almanac 2026 'Poverty Here & Now'. Information about the book can be found at www.caritas.ch/socialalmanac-2026. For review copies, contact Fabian Saner, Head of Education Department, Caritas Switzerland: fsaner@caritas.ch.

Facts and figures on poverty in Switzerland:
- Over 1.4 million people in Switzerland live below or just above the poverty line, according to the Federal Office of Statistics. This represents 16 percent of the population.
- 708,000 people are directly affected by poverty.
- This includes approximately 100,000 children affected by poverty.
- 336,000 men and women are affected or threatened by poverty despite employment, categorizing them as the working poor.
- A single person affected by poverty must make do with a maximum of 2,315 francs per month in Switzerland, while a family of four with parents and two children must manage with 4,051 francs per month.

Contact:
Niels Jost, Media Spokesperson Caritas Switzerland
medien@caritas.ch
076 233 45 04

Editor's note: Image rights belong to the respective publisher. Image rights: Caritas Schweiz / Photographer: Dany Schulthess