Question 1

Red Cross Assembly

Accepted Answer

A new vice-president was appointed at the 27th Red Cross Assembly held in Lausanne on 27 & 28 June. The delegates elected Barbara T. Wyssbrod to this position on the Red Cross Council. In the by-elections for the 2023–27 term of office, Alexandra Kämpf was put forward by the Solothurn Red Cross and elected to the seat left vacant by outgoing member Christian Ludwig (cantonal association representative). The delegates also approved the Red Cross Council proposal to award Christian Ludwig honorary membership, by acclamation. Loïc Etter was elected as a new member of the Management Control Commission. SRC President Thomas Zeltner welcomed the delegates and guests. Opening remarks were delivered by Rebecca Ruiz, State Councillor from Vaud, and Council of States Member Pascal Broulis. Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin addressed the assembly by video message. The Red Cross Council awarded five Henry Dunant Gold Medals: to Mara Donati, Angela Donati and Paola Foresti, at the request of Lavizzara Samaritans; to Christian Keeling-Huber, at the request of Richterswil/Samstagern Samaritans; and Felix Stadelmann, at the request of AeschPlus and Hitzkirch Samaritans. Theme afternoon on SRC Strategy 2030 “Half way there! How far along are we in implementing the SRC Strategy 2030?” This was the topic of the theme afternoon at this year’s Red Cross Assembly. The various world cafés, each covering a particular individual strategy, discussed what had already been accomplished, what needed adapting and what it would take for us to achieve the goals by 2030. The aim was to strike a balance between tried and tested methods and new approaches. Future of the domain circle The domain circle acts as a coordination and decision-making body for all the important operational business of overarching significance that concerns the whole organization. The SRC domain circle was set up at the 2023 Red Cross Assembly, initially for a transition phase up to the 2025 assembly. The Red Cross Assembly in Lausanne was in favour of continuing the domain circle beyond the pilot phase. It instructed the Red Cross Council to start follow-up work based on the recommendations in the evaluation and take any measures necessary. Young Leaders Forum The Young Leaders Forum looked back on the first board seminar, held for the first time in 2025. The aim of the seminar was to attract and empower young people for board work within the SRC so that more young people would be able to join the boards of Red Cross member organizations in future.

Question 2

Red Cross Council

Accepted Answer

In 2025, the Red Cross Council met in accordance with its new schedule of May, June, August and December, for four full-day sessions held in Bern. In February, a two-day meeting was held at SRC Solothurn in Olten, and included discussions with a cantonal association board delegation. It also held a two-day retreat in Murten (FR) in October. As it does every year, the council held discussions with the Management Control Commission and the SRC Headquarters management, along with strategy talks with various Red Cross organizations, specifically with the Schweizerische Lebensrettungs-Gesellschaft, Blood Transfusion SRC AG and Swiss Samaritans. In 2025, the Red Cross Council dealt with the following matters: Launching a project to draw up a future-oriented governance model for the SRC and enshrine it in the SRC’s legal framework An in-depth examination of the way in which the SRC fulfils its role as auxiliary to the public authorities. Completing the process to re-orient the SRC’s international commitment Approving the way the ‘health, everyday support, integration and migration plan’ would be applied to the strategic goals in the areas of activity ‘health and everyday support’ and ‘integration and migration’ within Switzerland Delegating operational responsibility for implementing the SRC Strategy 2030 to the SRC domain circle, with the instruction to review and adapt the scopes of reference of the SRC working groups Preparing for by-elections to fill the three vacant seats on the Red Cross Council by the summer of 2026 with members who can bring key expertise and insights Red Cross Council committees The council’s committees were composed as follows: Personnel & Finance Committee: meets four times a year under the chairmanship of Hans Jürg Steiner; other members: Filippo Bolla and Hans Muff. Elections Committee: meetings are held as required, in accordance with its mandate. Cantonal Associations Committee: meets four times a year under the chairmanship of Barbara Wyssbrod; other members: Filippo Bolla, Alexandra Kämpf, Marzio Medici and Hans Muff. International Committee: meets once or twice a year under the chairmanship of Manuel Bessler; other members: Elischa Link and Ömer Güven. Marketing & Communication Committee: meets once or twice a year under the chairmanship of Ursula Forrer; other member: Manuel Bessler. Technological Development & Digitization Committee: meets once or twice a year under the chairmanship of Ömer Güven; other members: Ursula Forrer and Elischa Link. The Red Cross Council members as on 31 December are listed in the appendix to the Corporate Governance Report 2025.

Question 3

National Conference of the Red Cross Cantonal Associations

Accepted Answer

The National Conference makes a significant contribution to the unity of the Red Cross and implementing the SRC Strategy 2030. It met last year in Lausanne on 27 June. The Cantonal Associations Committee briefed delegates on the key performance figures relating to the core services provided by the cantonal associations and their service portfolio, which will enable the bodies of the cooperation system to regularly address the further development of shared services and courses in a structured approach.

Question 4

Management Control Commission

Accepted Answer

The MCC acts as supervisor and auditor to ensure transparency and foster trust between the various governing bodies of the SRC. Its work includes overall supervision to assess the way business is conducted and monitoring the work of the governing bodies. Its remit also covers an assessment of the effectiveness of the SRC’s activities in general or those of its governing bodies more specifically. It acts independently, is not subject to outside directives, and decides for itself which areas and aspects to audit. In the year under review, the MCC held six meetings, six times in the first half of the year and twice in the second half, including a two-day retreat. During the first half of 2025, the MCC’s work covered the following topics: Report on SRC finances by the SRC Vice-President and Director-General Finalizing the audit topics for the Code of Conduct and whistleblowing Discussions with the external auditors Finalizing the 2024 Annual Report before and after consultation with the Red Cross Council Exchange with the Red Cross Council on the MCC Annual Report, especially the recommendations During the second half of 2025, the MCC’s work covered the following topics: Consequences for the MCC of the Red Cross Assembly’s decisions in Lausanne in late June At the MCC retreat in Neuchâtel in October, a report by two domain circle representatives and discussions with the President and Managing Director of the Neuchâtel Red Cross. The MCC members as on 31 December are listed in the appendix to the Corporate Governance Report 2025.

Question 5

SRC Headquarters activities

Accepted Answer

The Headquarters provides a large number of core services for the SRC as a whole. It runs various projects in roughly 30 countries around the world, carries out the instructions of the Red Cross Assembly and the Red Cross Council, and acts as a competence centre. Health and integration By recognizing foreign qualifications, the SRC provides access to jobs in the Swiss healthcare sector and helps ensure high quality standards. In 2025, the number of recognitions rose by 26% to 7500, 5000 of which were in nursing. Ten new staff members are now handling these requests. Digitizing the equivalence procedure for nursing auxiliaries was more expensive to implement, but at the same time led to greater efficiency and quality. The mental health of vulnerable groups remains a priority. The SRC Sui app is intended for refugees who have recently arrived in Switzerland. Last year, we added five more languages, providing low-threshold access to information for more refugees. While donations declined, the interpreting overheads at the Outpatient Clinic for Victims of Torture & War rose due to the higher number of cases and greater complexity of treatments. Under a contract fully funded by the cantonal authorities, the SRC asylum and refugee service in Uri took care of an average of 900 refugees, a slight drop in comparison to the previous year. In the elderly care sector, we carried out an evaluation of the driver service and successfully completed negotiations for the 2026–29 contract. International cooperation With the start of a new programme phase in 2025, the SRC reoriented its international cooperation activities. The focus is on the national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies, which are the local actors with distinct responsibility for the programmes and services in their own countries. We therefore strengthen our sister societies’ organizational, professional and institutional capacities, enabling them to effectively fulfil their mandate and provide vulnerable communities with high-quality, needs-based services. We help our partner organizations take responsibility for planning and running their programmes and their impact. A particular focus is on strengthening structures and systems in the sustainable fundraising, disaster preparedness, financial and risk management sectors. At the same time, we play a specific role within the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement: through specialist support, short-term emergency response operations and by helping to shape the humanitarian agenda. We stepped up our multilateral commitment to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement last year. Through our active participation in global specialist networks, themed working groups and international coordination platforms, we emphasize key areas of interest. We apply our expertise specifically to shaping standards, strategies and shared positions within the Movement and increasing the effectiveness of multilateral programmes. This multilateral work not only improves networking, but also the consistency of humanitarian activities outside our borders. We also hold a clear position within the Movement: as a recognized national society in the host country of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the SRC has significant international visibility and responsibility. We take part in strategic decision-making processes, are committed to implementing the IFRC’s Agenda 2030, and contribute to the improvement of shared standards and the Movement’s humanitarian goals. By playing an active role, we strengthen both the Movement’s ability to act globally and our own position as a reliable multilateral partner. Youth and voluntary work We took an important step in digitizing our volunteer management, with the introduction of Salesforce to coordinate the services provided by the cantonal associations and the work of the volunteers. All the procedures relating to the involvement of volunteers, from recruitment to offboarding, can now be managed centrally on this digital platform. Since the spring of 2025, the three cantonal associations in Lucerne, Solothurn and Thurgau have also successfully digitized the procedures for core services, such as emergency response, home visits and assistance, and the Junior Red Cross services. There are tangible advantages for volunteers. They have an overview of their assignments, can report them directly, and can sign up for new ones on the platform. This makes coordination easier and reduces the administrative work for everyone involved. After this successful launch, the platform will gradually be rolled out to other cantonal associations. The centralized database means we can track how volunteers’ involvement changes over time: for example, what roles they take on, how long they remain active, and how their responsibilities change. This knowledge enables the cantonal associations to provide the volunteers with tailored support, strengthen their impact, and make it more visible. Supporting staff The Staff Delegation at SRC Headquarters championed the interests of the staff. The year was marked by significant organizational decisions and a restructuring of the delegation. Elections brought five new members to the seven-member team. The Staff Delegation defended the staff’s perspective, for example by drafting a statement on cost-of-living adjustments and maintaining a regular dialogue with the President, the Director-General and other members of the management. It also provided support for staff members in conflict situations. Several ‘coffee hours’ were held in Bern, Wabern and Uri, so that staff could voice their concerns to the delegation, which were then anonymized and forwarded appropriately. The delegation also represented staff in the ‘gender and diversity sounding board’ and the ‘health promotion working group’ and coordinated the information flow with the Publica occupational pension plan. The delegation is in demand as a confidential point of contact and it ensures transparent communication, constructive cooperation and a good working environment for staff. Last year, its advisory services were in high demand once again. The members of the management team as on 31 December are listed in the appendix to the Corporate Governance Report 2025.

Question 6

Schweizerische Lebensrettungs-Gesellschaft SLRG

Accepted Answer

The SLRG continued its mission to promote safe behaviour in and around water under the motto ‘Prevent drowning’. The focus was on prevention, training courses, lifesaving services and sporting initiatives, with the aim of sustainably improving water safety in Switzerland. It has 124 local branches and around 23 000 members throughout the country. Great interest in courses More than 34 000 people completed one of the 3638 training courses in 2025. These provide children, teenagers and adults with important skills in water safety and first aid. They are intended for teachers, youth leaders, lifeguards, emergency services and other individuals with an interest in lifesaving, including many participants in the SRC reanimation courses. The increase in course numbers confirms the high demand, particularly given that around 50 people drown in Switzerland each year. There has also been extensive media coverage: over 1500 articles mentioned the SLRG last year, an average of four times every day. The organization achieved significant progress in the training sector. The training programme for course leaders has been developed into a competence-based model. In addition, the course regulations have been completely overhauled to strengthen legal compliance and quality standards. A new quality framework outlines roles, procedures and tools that give the training programme a clear structure. Campaigns and events Last year, the SLRG provided support for a large number of prevention campaigns, took part in the Swiss Aquatics Lake Crossing Trophy, a national initiative to promote safety in and around open water. Regional and national lifesaving competitions encouraged interaction and engagement between the local branches. Many branches organized club events, training camps and lake crossings, some attracting hundreds of participants. The campaign promoting swimming and river safety rules was run again, with over 100 new information boards installed, reaching both local residents and tourists directly on site. In Zurich, prevention walks for unaccompanied underage asylum-seekers were arranged in collaboration with the AOZ, the local asylum organization. Successful range of activities The SLRG’s broad range of activities and the continual expansion of its courses helped make a significant contribution to water safety in Switzerland. Thanks to the loyal support of its donors and sponsors, it remains a strong promoter of safety in and around water. Further information SLRG

Question 7

Swiss Samaritans

Accepted Answer

The Samaritans make an important contribution to safety and solidarity in Switzerland. They provide competent help in emergencies, pass on their know-how, and support people in extraordinary circumstances. Their work is not only effective in emergencies: preventative measures and training help ensure that more and more people can save lives. Every year, the Samaritans perform about 500 000 hours of voluntary work, providing first aid, organizing club and youth activities, and supporting blood donor campaigns, along with countless hours of training courses for companies and private individuals. Swiss Samaritans is one of the leading providers of first-aid courses in Switzerland. Event safety Whether a village festival or a major public event, many gatherings could not be held without the support of the Samaritans, providing first aid and responding quickly and professionally in an emergency. This prompt action can prevent further harm and plays a crucial role in ensuring that events run smoothly and safely. First aid courses: live-saving know-how Every year, more than 150 000 people take Swiss Samaritan first aid courses, intended for learner drivers, company staff and members of the public. All participants receive thorough hands-on training so that they can act in an emergency. The ‘Retten ist Klasse’ first aid in schools campaign teaches children and teenagers the basic life-saving gestures. Last year, roughly 250 classes, or about 4400 pupils and 330 teachers, took part and learned important first aid skills. Further information www.samariter.ch

Question 8

Swiss Disaster Dogs Association REDOG

Accepted Answer

REDOG’s work focuses on rubble search and missing persons operations by training search and rescue dog teams and technical detection specialists. It deployed 13 teams in Switzerland last year, searching for missing persons and providing support for their families in emergencies. Landslide in Blatten One major operation followed the glacier collapse above Blatten (VS). It had been forecast well in advance, but when the glacier in the Lötschental finally collapsed, Switzerland held its breath. Blatten vanished beneath scree, debris and ice. It quickly became clear that someone was still missing. Experienced rescue dog handlers were immediately ready to deploy to the valley and helicopters flew them and dogs to the disaster zone. However, the River Lonza had been dammed up by the debris and was threatening to burst its banks, so the area had to be closed off and the search halted. 800 volunteers on call As many as 255 REDOG members are on stand-by all over the country, ready to provide fast, competent assistance. In Switzerland, they can be on site within two hours of the alarm; for deployment abroad, they are ready to fly out within four hours. They train in 12 regional groups. As many as 800 volunteers dedicate their time to helping professional search and rescue teams assist people in emergency situations. They carry out club work, train their club colleagues, practise weekly with their four-legged companions using detection equipment in the field or under rubble, and organize and assess tests. In 2025, they carried out 113 828 hours of unpaid work. Thanks to donations, searches in Switzerland are free of charge for relatives. Public authorities and private individuals can request assistance 24 hours a day by dialling the emergency number 0844 441 144. REDOG Annual Report 2025 (in German)

Question 9

Schweizerischer Militär-Sanitäts-Verband SMSV

Accepted Answer

Through its 2128 members in 31 regional army medical corps, the SMSV is an SRC rescue organization that also enhances first aid skills, thereby making a tangible contribution to public safety throughout the country. All together, they gave around 754 850 hours of voluntary work last year, in an extraordinary commitment that has a direct impact on society. By providing comprehensive training, professional medical services and targeted support for young people, the SMSV ensures that qualified assistance can be provided quickly in emergencies. Every hour invested increases the likelihood that whoever needs it will receive expert support when it matters most. Confident gestures Last year, the SMSV and its regional corps held 751 courses, providing thousands of participants with life-saving skills, in which the focus was not only on imparting knowledge, but above all on ensuring the first-aiders were confident in their approach. Modern training formats, blended learning environments and continuous quality improvement ensure that what has been learnt can be reliably recalled in an emergency. Besides training, SMSV members provided medical back-up at 1676 public events and administered first aid on 248 occasions. AULA training camp The AULA training camp is an important way to ensure our numbers increase. Last year, 325 young adults attended an intensive hands-on first aid course. In addition to developing participants’ medical skills, the camp is intended to increase their self-confidence, teamwork and sense of responsibility, so that they manage to keep their cool and act in a methodical way, even under challenging circumstances. AULA has a lasting impact: many participants go on to get involved in their local clubs or choose a career in healthcare or the emergency services. So, the SMSV makes a purposeful investment in the next generation of first-aiders and strengthens the long-term resilience of our society.

Question 10

Swiss Transfusion SRC

Accepted Answer

Swiss Transfusion SRC AG is an independent, private charitable joint stock company within the Swiss Red Cross. Together with the regional blood donor services, it ensures a supply of blood units within Switzerland and has a service agreement with the Swiss government to manage the Swiss Registry of Blood Stem Cell Donors. Blood stem cells: international networking Every day in Switzerland, children and adults receive a diagnosis of a life-threatening blood disease, such as leukaemia. For many of them, a blood stem cell transplant is the only chance of survival. However, only one in five patients can find a suitable match. Our registry continued to expand again in 2025, as we focused on encouraging young people to register and on maintaining high-quality tissue typing. Demand from abroad for transplant tissue from unrelated donors in Switzerland remained high. Swiss Transfusion SRC delivered more than 100 products destined for patients in Switzerland and abroad. The number of tissue typing tests and actual donations remained consistently high. This is a reflection of the Swiss registry’s close involvement in worldwide cooperation. Key figures for blood stem cell donations 199 783 registered blood stem cell donors (2024: 190 800) 11 753 new registered donors (2024: 10 665) Blood donations: a stable supply The consistent supply of blood products was generally possible throughout the year, though occasional bottlenecks occurred during the summer months and around public holidays. Thanks to targeted appeals, awareness-raising campaigns and the high level of willingness among donors, these situations were quickly brought under control each time.

Around 700 blood donations are needed every day to ensure a reliable supply for hospital patients in Switzerland. Ensuring sufficient donations are available at the right time and in the right place still requires a good deal of effort. This reality is reflected, among other things, in the continued importance of mobile blood donor campaigns and in a downward trend in the number of donations per campaign. Swiss Transfusion SRC AG: Annual Report 2025

Question 11

SRC Humanitarian Foundation

Accepted Answer

The SRC Humanitarian Foundation is an institution of the Swiss Red Cross. Its purpose is to provide the SRC with funding to pursue its overall goals and strategic focus. In and of itself, it does not have any operational activities; only the Red Cross and Red Crescent societies are entitled to carry these out. In 2025, the Humanitarian Foundation approved funding for 20 new initiatives, projects and programmes, totalling CHF 17.38 million. CHF 12.11 million came from the regular grant budget, while another CHF 5.27 million was drawn from funds earmarked for special projects, such as addressing the Ukraine crisis and its aftermath. Broken down by area of activity, the picture is as follows: Search, rescue, disaster relief, Switzerland: CHF 2.30 million (including CHF 1 million from earmarked funds for special projects and CHF 0.17 million from the Ukraine fund) Health and everyday support, Switzerland: CHF 2.86 million (including CHF 0.19 million from the Ukraine fund) Health and everyday support, abroad: CHF 7.50 million (including CHF 2.3 million from the Ukraine fund and CHF 1.31 million from the foreign blood donation credit facility) Integration and migration, Switzerland: CHF 0.4 million (including CHF 0.23 million from the Ukraine fund) Overheads: CHF 4.32 million Since 2002, the Humanitarian Foundation has approved as many as 470 projects, programmes and other initiatives, with a total budget of CHF 500 million, all of which are supervised by the foundation. Annual reports are submitted to enable it to monitor how projects are being run. In 2025, the Humanitarian Foundation provided funding for 91 ongoing projects, programmes and initiatives, for a total of CHF 12.68. The SRC Humanitarian Foundation adopts an impact-oriented approach and it requires its implementing partners to plan and run the projects that receive funding in the same way. Applicants must motivate their funding requests with an impact assessment and are required to explain the impact ultimately achieved in their final report. The Humanitarian Foundation’s own activities have been based on an impact approach since 2024. The Foundation Council has adopted funding principles which, with increased collaboration between funding partners and the broader dissemination of successful methodologies, are intended to produce a greater overall impact. The foundation conducts an annual survey to assess whether the funding principles are achieving the desired impact.

Question 12

Lindenhof Foundation, Bern

Accepted Answer

The Lindenhof Foundation in Bern runs the Lindenhof hospital and develops healthcare training and development courses. As a partner of the SRC, in 2012 it set up the FGL, the Lindenhof healthcare fund, which supports SRC humanitarian activities and projects in the healthcare sector along with SRC training and development courses. A three-member fund committee, selected by the SRC and the Lindenhof Foundation, decides which funding applications to approve. Between June 2024 and June 2025, the fund committee approved nine applications, for a total of CHF 2.81 million, three of which, for amounts under CHF 50 000, were processed through the circulation procedure during the year, while the remaining six were processed at the Fund Commission’s regular meeting in August. Out of the total amount of CHF 2.81 million approved, the 2025 budget was underspent by CHF 212 298, which will be credited to the 2026 budget.

Question 13

SRC Fundraising Foundation

Accepted Answer

The purpose of the SRC Fundraising Foundation is to collect money, primarily on behalf of the SRC and its organizations and, to a lesser extent, for other members of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. It is based at SRC Headquarters in Bern.

Question 14

Interregional Blood Transfusion SRC Ltd

Accepted Answer

Interregional Blood Transfusion SRC Ltd is a non-profit entity. It supplies blood products for Bern, Vaud and Valais cantons. Like the other 10 regional blood donor services, it is a member of Swiss Transfusion SRC AG. Interregional Blood Transfusion SRC Bern Ltd

Question 15

RBTS Foundation BE

Accepted Answer

The aim of the foundation it to support Interregional Blood Transfusion SRC Ltd. It also provides support for the activities of Blood Transfusion SRC Ltd. RBTS Foundation BE (in German)

Question 16

Curena AG

Accepted Answer

Curena AG is fully owned by the SRC. It provides, organizes and coordinates services, primarily in the social and healthcare sectors, in particular through an emergency switchboard. Curena AG

Question 17

Psychotherapeutische Praxis für Überlebende von Folter und Krieg AG

Accepted Answer

The SRC founded the Psychotherapeutischen Praxis für Überlebende von Folter und Krieg (PP AG) in 2022, as the sole shareholder.

Question 18

Red Cross Movement assemblies

Accepted Answer

In December, an extraordinary general assembly was held online, as a follow-up to the Federation's general assembly in 2024. The meeting was to deal with amendments to the statutes; however, none of the proposals secured the required majority, so no changes were made.

Question 19

Worldwide humanitarian network

Accepted Answer

The International Movement is the largest humanitarian network in the world. For more than 160 years, it has been providing neutral and impartial aid and protection for people in need. The Movement comprises the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the 191 national societies themselves. These national societies are supported by as many as 16 million volunteers and provide aid each year to 160 million people. The roles and responsibilities are set out in the Seville Agreement 2.0, adopted by the Council of Delegates in 2022. ICRC Within the Movement, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) coordinates the international humanitarian relief efforts in armed conflicts. Its goal is to protect the lives, rights and dignity of the victims of armed conflicts and prevent human suffering. International Federation The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the association of the 191 national societies. It promotes collaboration between them and supports them in their work and development. Within the Movement, the IFRC coordinates humanitarian aid operations in the event of natural and man-made disasters, providing support for the victims and others in need, and helping refugees outside conflict zones. National societies The national societies carry out the humanitarian mission in their own countries. With their volunteers and staff, they provide a broad range of services that correspond to their populations’ particular needs. They have a special relationship with their governments. In their role of auxiliary to the public authorities, they help the state fulfil its humanitarian activities. And in this role they adhere to the seven Fundamental Principles and International Humanitarian Law.

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Organization and leadership 2025

Contents of this page

Corporate Governance

Work of the Headquarters and governing bodies

SRC member organizations

Red Cross cantonal associations

SRC rescue organizations

SRC institutions and other organizations

Swiss Transfusion SRC in figures 2025

registered blood stem cell donors

blood donations

mobile blood donor campaigns in 1037 localities

Connection to the international Red Cross organizations

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Health and everyday support

Finances 2025

Creating a future together

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