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| Founded | 1968; 57 years ago (1968) |
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| Focus | Sustainability,International development and social service |
| Location | |
| Origins | manifesto on “Switzerland and the Developing Countries“ by a group of theologians |
Area served | Switzerland related sustainibiliy topics of involved Swiss companies worldwide |
| Method | It demands in magazines and information campaigns, the creation of fair trade conditions, but also addressed nutrition awareness and health issues, among other things, the use of pesticides, biotechnology and genetic engineering and drug policy.[1] |
| Membership | 25,000 (2015)[2] |
Official language | German and French |
Key people | • Pierrette Rohrbach, chairwomen since 2007 • Andreas Cassee, vice-chairman since 2010 • Fabrizio Cioldi, vice-chairman since 2002 |
| Subsidiaries | Regional groups inAarau,Basel,Bern,Central Switzerland,Geneva,Lausanne,St. Gallen,Winterthur andZürich |
| Volunteers | About 200[2] |
| Website | www.publiceye.ch |
Public Eye is anon-governmental organisation based in Switzerland, with the stated goals ofsustainability-oriented, politically and religiously independent solidarity development.
Public Eye notably encourages Swiss politics and business to respecthuman rights and theenvironment in poor countries.
Erklärung von Bern (translation:Declaration fromBern), was founded in 1968 by the merger of signatories to amanifesto on “Switzerland and the Developing Countries“ by a group of theologians,[3] which objected to the growing differences in prosperity between the so-calledfirst world and thethird world. One thousand people signed the consequently calledErklärung von Bern, meaning declaration of Bern, and among other things declared to contribute 3% of their income towards development cooperation. On 6 January 1969 the manifesto was presented to the Swiss Federal Council.[4]
In 1971, the movement was constituted into an association. Funded by donations the organization grew to 18,000 members by the late 1970s.[1] At the annual general assembly in 2012, the regional branches were amalgamated into one overall national organization. As of 2016, the NGO is supported by over 25,000 members.[5]
As a representative of the so-calleddependency theory, the founder involved especially for the elimination of the dependency of the so-called developing countries by the developed countries and for a sustainabledevelopment cooperation.[1] EvB also participated in the 1970s in the drafting of the Federal Law on Development Cooperation, and in 1992 related to the referendum against Switzerland's accession to theInternational Monetary Fund.[1]
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At the general assembly on 23 May 2016, the members decided to change their organisation's name toPublic Eye. EvB announced that the NGO's new name isforward-looking, and is alreadywell established thanks to the former counter-summit of the same name that they organised to protest against the Davos World Economic Forum for 15 years. It is believed thatPublic Eye ismore representative of the values, aims and methods of the organisation, andfocuses on the issue of "business and human rights". The name change was implemented in mid-September 2016.[5]
In general, EvD demands in magazines and information campaigns, the creation of fair trade conditions, but also addressed nutrition awareness and health issues, among other things, the use of pesticides, biotechnology and genetic engineering and drug policy.[1]
The focus is to improve the living conditions of the so-called underprivileged populations in other countries, so the EvB declared long-term aims. According to the aims, Switzerland has to formulate its policies in such a way that the Swiss economy does not prosper at the cost of other countries and their populations, by using its membership in international and multilateral organizations Switzerland. Therefore, also campaigns for fair relations between industrialized and so-called developing countries are to organize, as Switzerland is one of the financially richest nations in the world. There are also legally binding regulations to be established, on a national and international level – which compel also business enterprises based in Switzerland to adopt a just, sustainable and social code of conduct, and which render a company's observance of its responsibilities verifiable. According to the EvB's aims, enterprises based in Switzerland assume their corporate social responsibility. Multicorporate enterprises are committed to respecting human rights, labour laws and conventions, as well as socio-ethical, ecological, and peace-keeping norms of conduct, by supporting the entire value creation chain. The Swiss population has to be informed about the conduct of the Swiss business enterprises, and the Swiss policies with respect to developing countries, and therefore to enable the Swiss people to decide and act in a responsible fashion. EvB aims also to increase the awareness of the population with respect to their purchasing decisions, thus creating consumer attitudes which promote equitable economic relations with partner countries.[6]
To achieve these aims, EvB carries out research and gathers information on issues of global justice, with a focus on economic issues and human rights. It also urges politicians and the Swiss government to aim fairer relations with poorer countries and calls on business enterprises to assume their social and ecological responsibilities worldwide and to respect human rights. EvB raises the level of awareness of the population with respect to conscious and sustainable consumption, and networks at home and abroad with other non-governmental organizations and grassroots movements.[6]
From 2000 to 2015,[7] thePublic Eye Awards event has been held by EvB andGreenpeace Switzerland inDavos as a counter-event to the annual meeting of theWorld Economic Forum (WEF), and to spotlight irresponsible business practices.Public Eye was intended as a counter-public view to the closed elitist circle of the WEF. Since 2005 Public Eye has awarded prizes for shameful conduct in order to draw attention to the dark side of the globalization championed by the WEF,[8][9] andNGO's from over 50 countries have already nominated corporations for the Public Eye Awards.[8] Following the announcement of theLifetime Award winner on 23 January 2015, a closing conference was held in Davos, with the participation of theYes Men,Sven Giegold, theAssociation for the Taxation of Financial Transactions and for Citizens' Action Attac co-founder andEuropean Parliamentarian, andAdrian Monck as Managing Director and Head of Public Engagement of the WEF association, as well asNoreena Hertz, economy professor and best-selling author.[10] According toSchweiz aktuell broadcast on 16 January 2015, a last public presence during the 2015 WEF was not guaranteed because of the massively increased security in Davos, which was confirmed by local politicians and by the police official.[11]
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