On March 21, 1999 at 6 a.m. GMT, the two aeronauts Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones landed the Breitling Orbiter 3 in the Egyptian desert after three weeks of what is now an historic expedition. By completing the first ever nonstop round-the-world flight in a balloon, they had accomplished one of the most remarkable feats of the late 20^th century.

Upon their return, they decided to dedicate their adventure to the children of the world and devote their success to fighting human suffering and forgotten diseases. The Winds of HopeFoundation was thus created.

The next step was determining which causes to support. When the pilots met a young girl being treated in Switzerland for Noma, the decision became obvious. This vision of horror convinced the co-founders that they had found their first cause: Noma, the symbol of little-known diseases that can be fought effectively with basic means.

More info:

http://www.windsofhope.org
http://www.bertrandpiccard.com
http://solarimpulse.org

Share/Bookmark

Lucius Caflisch has been appointed chairman of the United Nations International Law Commission. The panel of independent legal experts is preparing most multilateral conventions.

The foreign ministry considers the appointment of 76-year-old Caflisch a mark of recognition for the former dean of the Geneva-based Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies.
 
Switzerland gives great importance to the work of the commission, particularly concerning compliance with international law and its further development, the ministry said in a statement.
 
In 2006, Caflisch became the first Swiss citizen to join the 34-strong commission. He was re-elected by the UN General Assembly for a second five-year term last November.
 
He also worked a judge at the European Court of Human Rights, as a legal advisor to the Swiss foreign ministry and taught at a number of universities.
 
His mandate as chairman of the commission, which is based in Geneva, is valid for the current session. It lasts until August 2012.

(swissinfo.org, May 11, 2012)

Share/Bookmark

Share/Bookmark

Swiss Deputy Consul General Emil Wyss and his wife Arie kindly invited the comitee of the Semaine de la Francophonie for a dinner at their home. The following organizations were represented: Alliance Française, Centre Francophone, Bureau du Québec, Glendon College, CBC Radio Canada, CinéFranco and the Consulate General of Switzerland.

This marks the end of many successful events during this week of celebration.

The Comité will soon meet again and prepare the 2013 edition.

Merci à tous et à bientôt!

Share/Bookmark

Stéphane Goël presented his successful and very intriguing documentary on March 29, 2012 at TIFF Bell Light Box in Toronto. During his visit in Toronto, Stéphane Goël met a variety of movie directors and lawyers in the field of labor arbitration. He was present at the screening and had a lively Q&A with the audience.

PRUD’HOMMES is an immersion into the heart of a judicial court that handles disputes between employers and employees. This specific jurisdiction is a place of confrontation where the tensions, suffering and revolts that span the world of employment are exposed. In search of justice or recognition, employees speak out and face their employer face to face. This unique theatre plunges us into a real human drama and forces us to reflect upon today’s society.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzPN9MVOX3A

The Swiss Consulate General was represented at the screening by Bernadette Hunkeler Brown, Floriana Ruhier, and Emil Wyss

Share/Bookmark

CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, is one of the world’s largest and most respected centres for scientific research. Its business is fundamental physics, finding out what the Universe is made of and how it works. At CERN, the world’s largest and most complex scientific instruments are used to study the basic constituents of matter — the fundamental particles. By studying what happens when these particles collide, physicists learn about the laws of Nature.

The instruments used at CERN are particle accelerators and detectors. Accelerators boost beams of particles to high energies before they are made to collide with each other or with stationary targets. Detectors observe and record the results of these collisions.

Founded in 1954, the CERN Laboratory sits astride the Franco–Swiss border near Geneva. It was one of Europe’s first joint ventures and now has 20 Member States.

More info

Share/Bookmark

Not only was it Switzerland’s gold medal, but it also secured enough qualifying points for Switzerland to all but guarantee a spot in the Olympic field in 2014 at Sochi, Russia.

Congratulations to the Swiss Ladies!

Read entire article from the National Post:
http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012/03/25/miriam-otts-swiss-rink-takes-gold-at-world-womens-curling-championship/

Share/Bookmark

The 2 well-known artists and their bands performed at Toronto’s famous Lula Lounge on March 19. The audience had the pleasure to assist two different performances : the colorful artists from Madagascar who entertained the audience with captivating African music, followed by the talented Florence K who masterfully performed songs in different languages. The event was attended by over 250 happy guests.

Share/Bookmark

Talented Swiss writer Douna Loup was invited to present her first book “l’Embrasure” at the French Department of McMaster University. Douna Loup read some extracts from her first book and gave some insights from her journey to become a writer.  Her reading was followed by Q&A from the interested audience. The attending Master students and Faculty expressed their desire of getting more information on Swiss French literature and to welcoming additional writers from the French part of Switzerland.

A light reception including a number of Swiss chocolate rabbits concluded this event.

Share/Bookmark

As a part of the Semaine de la Francophonie, Douna Loup was invited to present her first book “l’Embrasure” at the Alliance Française. Due to a flight cancellation, Douna Loup could not participate at the event. However, Professor Pascal Michelucci from the University of Toronto masterfully presented Douna Loup and her book. He included a video interview with this young and talented writer. The audience is looking forward to meeting Douna Loup in Toronto at another occasion in the future.

The Swiss Consulate General offered a reception including Swiss chocolates for the guests.

Share/Bookmark