Baume-Schneider said the right to participation in public life is the DNA of her ministry – a key value in Switzerland’s constitution since 1848.
She said her ministry would tackle violence against women and children, improve the status of LGBTQ+ parented families and non-binary people, and combat new forms of human trafficking.
Speaking at her first official news conference since taking office at the beginning of January, Baume-Schneider said she wanted to further develop the integration of Ukrainian refugees into Swiss society and the labour market.
Up to 80,000 people have fled to Switzerland following Russia’s attack on Ukraine last year, prompting concern about their accommodation.
Refugees
Baume-Schneider called for close cooperation between her ministry, cantonal and local authorities to house an increasing number of refugees.
She said Switzerland is committed to help Ukraine in the long-term but stressed that it is not possible to provide war materiel under current Swiss law.
She rejected criticism at home and from other countries about the government’s unwillingness to allow the re-export of Swiss tanks or ammunition to Ukraine.
“The understanding of the legal and historical limits of our support is not the same everywhere,” she told reporters on Monday.
Parliament elected Baume-Schneider, a member of the left-wing Social Democratic Party, to the Swiss government in December. She is one of seven ministers in the country’s multi-party cabinet.
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Swiss charity warns of waning solidarity with Ukraine refugees
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