Pierre Aubert (3 March 1927 – 8 June 2016) was a Swiss

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

, lawyer and member of the

Swiss Federal Council The Federal Council (german: Bundesrat; french: Conseil fédéral; it, Consiglio federale; rm, Cussegl federal) is the executive body of the federal government of the Swiss Confederation and serves as the collective head of state and governme ...

(1978–1987).

Political career

He was elected to the

on 7 December 1977 as member of the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties For ...

from the

canton of Neuchâtel The Republic and Canton of Neuchâtel (french: République et Canton de Neuchâtel); rm, Chantun Neuchâtel; it, Cantone di Neuchâtel is a French-speaking canton in western Switzerland. In 2007, its population was 169,782, of whom 39,654 (o ...

. He handed over office on 31 December 1987. After earning a law degree, he became an attorney-at-law in 1953. He began his political career as a member of the City Parliament of

La Chaux-de-Fonds La Chaux-de-Fonds () is a Swiss city in the canton of Neuchâtel. It is located in the Jura mountains at an altitude of 1000 m, a few kilometers south of the French border. After Geneva, Lausanne and Fribourg, it is the fourth largest city loc ...

(1960–68), then served the Cantonal Parliament of Neuchâtel (1961–75) and was the President of the latter legislative body from 1969 until 70. Elected to the Council of States he sat in this chamber of the Federal Parliament until his election to the Federal Council in 1977. From 1974 to 1977, he belonged to the Parliamentary Assembly of the

Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; french: Conseil de l'Europe, ) is an international organisation founded in the wake of World War II to uphold European Convention on Human Rights, human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. ...

and was rapporteur for the admission of

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

. He was the chancellor of the

University of Neuchâtel The University of Neuchâtel (UniNE) is a French-speaking university based in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. The university has four faculties (schools) and more than a dozen institutes, including arts and human sciences, natural sciences, law and eco ...

from 1971 to 1977. During his time in office, Aubert held the portfolio of the Political Department in 1978 and from 1979 to 1987 after it was renamed to "

Federal Department of Foreign Affairs The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA, german: Eidgenössisches Departement für auswärtige Angelegenheiten, french: Département fédéral des affaires étrangères, it, Dipartimento federale degli affari esteri, rm, ), so name ...

". He was

President of the Confederation The president of the Swiss Confederation, also known as the president of the Confederation or colloquially as the president of Switzerland, is the head of Switzerland's seven-member Federal Council, the country's executive branch. Elected by ...

twice: in 1983 and in 1987. He stood for a Swiss active policy in general and in the Human rights field in particular. Aubert made 55 foreign trips, 39 of which were official trips. Aubert visited four African countries and signed a declaration against apartheid in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

in 1979. He was the first Swiss foreign minister to establish contacts with the PLO leadership when he received Faruk Kaddhumi in July 1980 in Bern. He led the unsuccessful campaign to join the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

in 1986 (only 24% of the voters were in favour).

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Aubert, Pierre 1927 births 2016 deaths People from La Chaux-de-Fonds Members of the Federal Council (Switzerland) Foreign ministers of Switzerland Social Democratic Party of Switzerland politicians Swiss Protestants Knights Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur Commanders with Star of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland