Ruth Dreifuss
Ruth Dreifuss is Doctor honoris causa of the Universities of Haifa, Jerusalem and Fribourg (Switzerland) and former Chair of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, she currently serves as a member of the International Commission Against the Death Penalty.
Ruth Dreifuss studied in Geneva where she received a degree in economics with a special focus on econometrics in 1971. She worked for nine years in the Swiss Agency for Development and Humanitarian Aid (Federal Department of Foreign Affairs) and in 1981 became the Secretary of the Swiss Labour Union Federation. In that capacity, she was responsible for sectors including social insurance, labour law, gender equality and relations with the International Labour Organization (ILO). Ruth Dreifuss was elected Federal Councillor (Member of the Swiss government) in 1993 by the Federal Assembly (Parliament), and was re-elected twice. From 1993 to her resignation in 2002 she was Head of the Federal Department of Home Affairs, the ministry responsible for public health, social insurance, scientific research, higher education, gender equality, culture, and environment. During the year 1999, Ruth Dreifuss was President of the Swiss Confederation. Being responsible for public health and social insurance, she implemented a new policy in the fields of drug addiction and prevention of HIV/Aids. She was also tasked with the introduction of the new law on health insurance, which guaranteed universal coverage for the Swiss population. After her retirement from government, she contributed to the WHO report on intellectual property rights, innovation and public health.