'Incomprehensible': Red Cross Museum Fears Closure amid Swiss Funding Cuts

The collection houses around 30,000 objects as well as archives and the first Nobel Peace Prize medal, given to Red Cross founder Henry Dunant. Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP
The collection houses around 30,000 objects as well as archives and the first Nobel Peace Prize medal, given to Red Cross founder Henry Dunant. Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP
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'Incomprehensible': Red Cross Museum Fears Closure amid Swiss Funding Cuts

The collection houses around 30,000 objects as well as archives and the first Nobel Peace Prize medal, given to Red Cross founder Henry Dunant. Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP
The collection houses around 30,000 objects as well as archives and the first Nobel Peace Prize medal, given to Red Cross founder Henry Dunant. Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP

The Red Cross museum in Geneva is warning that it risks closure after its funding was axed in a broad government cost-cutting plan, with some suggesting it could be moved to Abu Dhabi.

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum has been a national institution in Switzerland for nearly four decades, playing a key role in promoting and explaining international humanitarian law and principles in the birthplace of the Geneva Conventions.

Museum director Pascal Hufschmid said he was shocked to learn last September that the fate of the museum was, apparently inadvertently, being threatened by a small administrative measure in a government savings drive, AFP reported.

"It jeopardizes the very existence of the museum," the Swiss historian, who took the helm of the institution in 2019, told AFP in a recent interview.

The museum, built adjacent to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) headquarters, opened in 1988. It welcomes around 120,000 people annually, ranging from elementary school classes to visiting dignitaries.

It keeps a collection of around 30,000 objects, including the first Nobel Peace Prize medal, given in 1901 to Red Cross founder Henry Dunant, an award shared with the French pacifist Frederic Passy.

It also houses the archives of the ICRC's International Prisoners of War Agency, established to restore contact between people separated during World War I, which have been listed on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register.

'Incredible heritage'

"Through this incredible heritage," Hufschmid said, the aim is to create "a dialogue on what humanitarian action means on a daily basis".

He said the Swiss government had long recognized the value of the museum, and its role in telling "the story of an idea born in Switzerland, of major figures of Swiss history", like Dunant.

Since 1991, the private museum has received an annual subsidy from the Swiss foreign ministry of 1.1 million francs ($1.2 million), accounting for about a quarter of its overall budget.

But a general cost-cutting measure, proposed by a group of experts and approved by the government last September, included the decision to transfer responsibility for subsidizing the museum to the culture ministry.

At first, Hufschmid said he was not too concerned at what appeared to be merely an administrative change, until he realized "the transfer actually meant a major reduction of the subsidy".

This was because the culture ministry requires museums seeking its funding to take part in a competition, facing off against hundreds of other museums.

When successful, Hufschmid said, museums typically obtain a subsidy of "between five and seven percent of their expenses, (which) in our case would mean approximately 300,000 francs".

'Structural deficit'

"Suddenly, I understood that we would be facing a structural deficit starting 2027, (and) that we would have to close," he said, calling the situation "totally incomprehensible".

He said the government decision was taken as Switzerland marked the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Geneva Conventions, and amid warnings of dwindling respect for international humanitarian law.

Hufschmid has since been lobbying parliamentarians and decision-makers with ideas to save the museum.

The Geneva canton has stepped up its support, and parliamentarians both at the regional and national levels have voiced support for the institution -- but so far the threat of closure remains.

Hufschmid has proposed nationalization among other possible solutions.

Others have raised the possibility of moving the museum, with suggestions that Abu Dhabi, which hosts other museums including an outpost of the Louvre, could house its collection.

But Hufschmid said such a move "doesn't make any sense". "We were shocked when we heard that, because we are so deeply connected to Swiss identity, to Swiss heritage, to ideas born in Switzerland... (as) the depository state of the Geneva Conventions," he said.

"We are a Swiss museum and we will stay in Switzerland."



Riyadh’s Diplomacy Takes Center Stage at Saudi Media Forum

Participants are seen at a panel discussion at the Saudi Media Forum. (Saudi Media Forum)
Participants are seen at a panel discussion at the Saudi Media Forum. (Saudi Media Forum)
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Riyadh’s Diplomacy Takes Center Stage at Saudi Media Forum

Participants are seen at a panel discussion at the Saudi Media Forum. (Saudi Media Forum)
Participants are seen at a panel discussion at the Saudi Media Forum. (Saudi Media Forum)

The second day of the Saudi Media Forum in its fourth edition, held in Riyadh, featured discussions and workshops with the participation of local and international media professionals, academics, experts, and specialists. The sessions explored the role of media in shaping perceptions, cultural identities and narrating Saudi Arabia’s transformation toward its future.

One of the key discussions focused on Saudi diplomacy and its role in fostering strategic partnerships that promote peaceful solutions. Participants emphasized that media plays a crucial role in conveying the true image of Saudi Arabia’s global efforts.

Political analysts noted that trust in Saudi Arabia and the credibility of its political positions played a key role in preventing the possibility of a third world war. They highlighted the high-level meeting in Diriyah on Tuesday, where senior American and Russian delegations, under the patronage of Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, started to mend the diplomatic rift between Washington and Moscow.

Jameel Al-Theyabi, editor-in-chief of Saudi Arabia’s Okaz newspaper, pointed out that Saudi soft power was evident in the historic meeting between the US and Russian delegations in the heart of the Saudi capital.

Western media, which once portrayed Saudi Arabia negatively, has now shifted its focus, highlighting the Kingdom’s remarkable potential and capabilities, he remarked.

Saudi Arabia is pursuing an interactive, dynamic and attractive foreign policy that seeks to address global crises and challenges, he went on to say. He linked this approach to Vision 2030, spearheaded by Crown Prince Mohammed, which aims to bring transformational change to the region.

Political writer and analyst Jasser Al-Jasser stated that Saudi Arabia’s political foundations are built on clarity and credibility. He asserted that the changes led by the Crown Prince have transformed the Kingdom’s approach across all sectors, boosting global trust, recognition and admiration for Saudi Arabia and its leadership.

Al-Jasser highlighted the far-reaching impact of Saudi Arabia’s political and economic transformation, noting that its effects are clearly reflected in global indicators. He described this transformation as a long-term journey, emphasizing that one of the keys to Saudi Arabia’s success is its team of ministers and officials, who have played a significant role in shaping both policies and leadership under Vision 2030.

He also acknowledged the Kingdom’s regional and international responsibilities, underlining the humanitarian dimension of its efforts. He praised the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center for advancing humanitarian work through its extensive technical and logistical capabilities.