“The atmosphere was electric” – “I yodeled for Konrad Adenauer and Robert Schuman”

About 30 people came together in Geneva to reminisce on the first days of the Foundation in 1946 when the former Caux-Palace hotel became the international conference center it is still today.

Most of them remembered the incredible atmosphere of the time. People were determined to make a change by opening a centre for reconciliation for Europe in Switzerland, country that had been spared by WWII.

Many spoke of the deplorable state the Caux Palace was in as they first bought it and how they had to clean and reform it in just a matter of months before the first international conference started. Those who were part of the cleaning teams remember that it took them days to clean the floors, “we had to clean our room in order to sleep in it”.

First time Buchman came to Caux the only thing he asked was “where are the Germans?” – we could not rebuild Europe without the Germans.

“It was the first time after the war that a German delegation participated in an international forum.  I remember that as they walked in, we greeted them with a song we had learned in German “es muss alles anders werden” – it was such an electric moment.”

Many also described what they remembered of Buchman: he was a visionary but he was also very practical to organize meetings and initiatives.

Many talked of their memories of the first times they met Americans and how their world views were broadened “it was all very exciting- through them we discovered the power of music and of theatre”.

“In Caux I found the courage to really listen to my interior voice, and trust my intuitions. That is something I also shared as a nurse to my colleagues”.

Cornelio Sommaruga also talked of his first impressions of Caux and how he accompanied the change of name from Moral Re-amarment to “Initiatives of Change” as President of the Foundation in 2001.  

Barbara Hintermann, Secretary General of the CAUX-IofC Foundation concluded the meeting by thanking all those present and by expressing her appreciation for the many stories shared during the afternoon. She noted that of course many things have changed since 1946 but the essential remains:  the four values, the time for reflection, the importance of storytelling and the community service.

The afternoon was also an important moment for the current team of the Foundation, to remember how it all started and to be reinforced in their motivation to bring positive change in this world.

In the year 2015/16, the CAUX-Initiatives of Change Foundation was invited by AIESEC to deliver workshops to students on four themes:“Working in an Intercultural Team”, “You as a leader”, “Handling Leadership Challenges” and “Facilitation Tools for Meetings”.  The workshops took place in Fribourg, Bern, Basel, Zürich, Lugano and during AIESEC Switzerland’s National Assembly in Leysin, Switzerland.

The workshops aimed at inspiring, equipping and connecting students to work together more effectively in order to tackle challenges in their immediate environment and lead diverse and intercultural teams in view of a more just, peaceful and sustainable world.

In the evaluation of the workshops, 80 out of 133 participants (60%) said that they expected it to make a considerable to high difference in the way they live their life or do their job.  A participant wrote that “the workshop was very motivating, inspiring, innovative, […] amazing!” and another wants to now “go out there and be a leader instead of talking about it!”.

The CAUX-Initiatives of Change Foundation is immensely grateful to its team of highly qualified and motivated volunteer trainers and facilitators who are contributing to sharing their knowledge and skills, as well as the Foundation’s approach and values with the younger generation.

Click here for more information and stay tuned for more workshops to come!

Swiss Ambassador Martin Dahinden welcomed alumni, academic and program directors, faculty and supporters to a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Caux Scholars Program at the Swiss Embassy in Washington, DC, on April 28.

Referring to Switzerland’s hosting of the Syria peace talks in Geneva, the Iran nuclear talks in Montreux and the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Ambassador underlined his country’s commitment to global peacebuilding, from which followed support for the Caux Scholars Program. The embassy not only provided meeting space but also invited everyone to the residence on the grounds for a generous reception following the program.

Liberian alum, Dr. Samuel Gbaydee Doe (CSP 1995), who has also been a member of the faculty many summers, was the featured speaker. He currently serves as Senior Policy Advisor and Team Leader of the Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery with the UN Development Program, based in New York. Arriving at Caux in 1995 straight from the terrible Civil War in Liberia, Doe spoke of the huge contrast that Caux offered – “an alternative to deprivation, to terror; another world where people are people again.” His second principle takeaway was that Caux is a place where “the ordinary confounds the extraordinary” - where a person like Kofi Annan might be found washing dishes - the sort of occurrence that “shook my image of the world.”  And thirdly, Doe emphasized the impact of the stories that are told in meetings, over meals and on walks. “Each encounter changes something in me,” he said, underlining “the courage of opening oneself to another’s stories, even if that person is an enemy.  Weaving them into a tapestry recreates our world.”

Barbara Hintermann, who became Secretary-General of the Caux Foundation just over a year ago after serving in numerous positions with the International Committee of the Red Cross, came from Switzerland for the occasion. Noting that Caux was celebrating its 70th anniversary, she spoke of IofC’s commitment to training future leaders in peacebuilding and ethical business. Using the powerful tools of “inner reflection” and “storytelling”, the Caux Foundation hopes to help build bridges of trust between the migrant and resident populations in Switzerland. It also plans to offer training in ethical leadership for the private sector and to continue hosting confidential dialogues between groups in conflict. 

Appealing for “investments” in future scholars and to “ensure the program’s continuation,” graduate Dr. Ian Ralby (CSP 2001) said that “more often than not, CSP ends up being a pivotal moment in the lives of the scholars.” Elaborating on his experience that “the best things that happen to the scholars often come together after they leave the program,” Ralby told of helpful encounters with fellow alum, often from quite different years, in Bosnia, Malaysia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Abu Dhabi, as well as how his experience with leaders from Sierra Leone at Caux prepared him for later work on security issues there. Ralby, founder and director of I.R. Consilium, works with governments and organizations solving complex security-related problems.

“Every place in the world should look like Caux. Unfortunately, we have not arrived there yet, but the Caux Scholars are the first soldiers striving towards these ideals,” concluded Ambassador Dahinden. 2016 CSP class is remarkably diverse with students from Syria, Turkey, Pakistan, Sudan, Burundi, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Qatar, Kenya, Brazil, Mexico, Armenia,  Ukraine, Lithuania, Nepal, Bulgaria, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, and the United States. They are teachers, journalists, social workers, business professionals, government employees, lawyers, and students. 

Generous gifts were made to support the Caux Scholars class of 2016 including a gift of $7500 from one family. We still need to raise 4 full scholarships of $3800 each for scholars coming from Syria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Mexico. 

For more information on the Caux Scholars Program please click here.

What’s trust got to do with migration? This is one of the questions answered by human books who participated in the Human Library event organized by CAUX-IofC at the United Nations Library in Geneva on 11 May 2016. The event was part of a range of activities organized in celebration of the foundation’s 70th anniversary. Instead of checking out regular books, participants were invited to listen to personal stories of 5 human books sharing their experiences of migration and to interact directly with them.

The event was kicked off by Cornelio Sommaruga, the honorary president of Initiatives of Change International, who stressed the importance of trust building in addressing the current migration crisis, noting that ‘there will be no sustainable peace without justice, no justice without trust and no real trust without forgiveness.’ Mr. Sommaruga referred to the reconciliation efforts made in Caux in 1946 to build trust among former enemies France and Germany as a crucial model for establishing mutual trust and understanding in Europe today.

‘Readers’ were then invited to pick from a catalog of 5 ‘human books’ they wanted to learn more about: Melissa Fleming, Head of Communications and Chief Spokesperson for UNHCR; Dr. Imad Karam, Executive Director of Initiatives of Change International; Jens J. Wilhelmsen, Norwegian writer having worked for Initiatives of Change for 60 years; Leonard Doyle, Director of Media and Communications for IOM; Huruy Gulbet, Eritrean refugee born in Sudan and student in Geneva.

Thank you to our human books + @CAUXIofC + Participants for today's event. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!

                                                             - UN Library at Geneva (@UNOGLibrary) May 11, 2016

Groups of 10 to 20 curious ‘readers’, including Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva Michael Møller, then gathered around their human book to hear about engaging stories ranging from the perilous journey of refugees fleeing conflict and persecution across the Mediterranean to building trust at a personal level between discouraged and broken-hearted Europeans after World War II.

The intimate setting of the UN library allowed for real personal exchanges: to hear the stories first-hand and to have the opportunity to ask questions about the storyteller’s experience and life. Participants were then invited to share the compelling stories they were told and the emotions and thoughts that were triggered by these stories in small groups.

As ‘readers’ and ‘human books’ were brought closer together by their shared experience, the human library became a unique platform to promote understanding between people and to challenge stereotypes about migration. As noted by human book Jens J. Wilhelmsen, the key to immigration in Europe is integration and ‘integration is welcoming people and trusting in the contribution that they can make.’

This is what the Human Library at the UN library was all about: sharing personal stories of migration with each other and building trust to understand the other.

On April 21, 2016, the World Council of Churches and the Focolare Movement hosted a round-table discussion at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland, around a major question: is there a European Identity? The event gathered representatives of non-governmental organizations, academics, and journalists to share perspectives and ideas about how to deal with the current challenges Europe is facing on migration and integration.  

An initial presentation was made by Mr. Pasquale Ferrara, an Italian diplomat, and professor in Rome and Loppiano (Italy). Reactions followed by Mr. Andreas Gross, former Swiss parliamentarian and former member of Council of Europe’s Assembly, Mr. Eric Ackermann, member of the Israeli community in Geneva and Ms. Gaëlle Courtens, a journalist for the Italian Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy.

Over the past decades, and especially in these last years, institutional responses in Europe towards migration flows and integration have not been effective when tackling phenomena such as intolerance, religious and political extremism, and exclusion, among others.

Instead of moving towards a more tolerant, respectful, plural and diverse European community, there is a sense of regression and a lack of political will to accept plurality and diversity.  A “creative integration” is needed, according to all panelists and participants. However, how to achieve a tolerant and respectful integration remains an open discussion. 

Identities should not be blurred within Europe, but strengthened in order to achieve a common European identity, all participants agreed. Trust building becomes essential in a complex multi-ethnic and multi-religious scenario such as today’s Europe.

Discover our summer conference: Addresing Europe’s Unfinished Business! This year, European citizens from all backgrounds will be reflecting on topics such as immigration, cultural and religious minorities and interethnic conflicts, focusing on their own personal role in achieving the peace and trust building efforts needed in Europe.

Photo credit: World Council of Churches

Humanity faces three enormous, inter-related challenges in the 21st century: mitigating the impact of climate change, feeding the world’s population and preserving the integrity of the planet’s ecosystems.

These challenges are felt acutely in semi-arid Africa. In the search for solutions, the County Governments of Baringo and Elgeyo Marakwet in Kenya invited the IofC program 'Initiatives for Land, Lives, and Peace' to partner with them in the organization of a 'Dialogue on Land and Security'.

The dialogue took place in Kabarnet, Baringo County, from 12-15 April.

It followed the participation of the Deputy Governors of Baringo and Elgeyo Marakwet at the 'Caux Dialogue on Land and Security' in 2014 and 2015.

Click here to read the press release.

Building trust between all stakeholders of society is at the heart of the CAUX-Initiatives of Change Foundation’s (CAUX-IofC) mission to bring global change through personal change. In a world led by business and the global economy, business leaders and decision makers set the tone for action and have the power to influence communities and society at large. By promoting ethical leadership, CAUX-IofC aims to encourage leaders to make decisions based on values of integrity and honesty, and to contribute to a more sustainable and humane world.  By embodying these values at a personal level and shaping the world in which they live in, leaders become catalysts for change in society.

In this context, Secretary-General Barbara Hintermann attended the Caux Initiatives for Business (CIB) international conferences at Asia Plateau, Initiatives of Change’s (IofC) conference centre located in the scenic hills of Panchgani, India. The purpose of Ms Hintermann’s visit to India was to learn more about IofC India’s business and economy programmes, training courses and conferences and to discuss future collaboration between the Caux Conference Centre and Asia Plateau, its counterpart in India.

Established by the CAUX-IofC Foundation as an Initiatives of Change Programme focusing on business and industry, Caux Initiatives for Business (CIB) has grown into a series of successful and highly effective conferences, round tables and seminars aiming to engage business people and decision-makers in honest conversations on global economic issues including environment protection and poverty reduction. Based on its view that it is possible to conduct business ethically and still remain competitive, CIB aspires to make business sustainable and humane by bringing IofC values to the workplace. This year, CIB’s leading theme ‘Making Business an Engine for Sustainable Growth’ laid the ground for inspiring exchanges on how to prompt key stakeholders into becoming effective values and purpose driven leaders of change.

Just as CIB originally drew its inspiration from the Caux Conferences, Ms Hintermann noted that there was much to learn from India. Many of IofC India’s programmes have already been extended to other parts of the world. CAUX-IofC will soon be launching in Switzerland the Heart of Effective Leadership training programme for business leaders which originated in India. Furthermore, the Dialogue on Just Governance held at Asia Plateau is run in collaboration with the Caux Conference Just Governance for Human Security.

Drawing inspiration from Ms Hintermann’s enriching and rewarding visit to India, the CAUX–IofC Foundation will continue to take action to strengthen links with the private sector, develop training programmes in ethical leadership for business leaders and  make ethical and values-driven leadership a priority objective.  

'The promotion of ‪‎just governance‬ is at the heart of our work for peace, rights, and well-being. Initiatives of Change is a strong partner in these endeavors. I have personally benefited from these inspiring exchanges at the Caux Conferences.'

Watch the inspiring video message shared by the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva Michael Møller during the Inauguration Ceremony of the 2016 Dialogue on Just Governance at Asia Plateau in Panchgani, India!

The Foundation hands down the archives of the former Caux-Palace hotel to the city of Montreux 

On Friday, 11 December 2015, the CAUX - Initiatives of Change Foundation (CAUX - IofC) officially handed down the archives of the former Caux-Palace hotel to the Municipality of Montreux.

These archives include all documents relating to the fascinating history of the former hotel from its construction until the end of World War II, when the Foundation purchased the hotel and turned it into an international conference centre.  

Mr Laurent Wehrli, Mayor of Montreux, thanked the Foundation for the trust placed in the city and was honored to receive this donation which reflects the strong link between the City of Montreux and the Foundation since its inception. 

Ms Barbara Hintermann, Secretary-General of the CAUX – IofC Foundation, explained that this donation demonstrates the Foundation’s commitment to making the archives available to the public for discovery and research. The archives are a key source of information for the study of the Belle Époque architecture and for the history of the hospitality industry in the Montreux Riviera region. They also provide valuable information about the history of World War II, since the Palace was requisitioned at that time to house Jewish refugees.  

The former Grand Hotel hosted among others F. Scott Fitzgerald and John D. Rockefeller and, since its conversion into an international Conference Centre, the Dalai Lama and Kofi Annan.

The remaining historical records from 1946 on are stored in Lausanne. They have also been made public and are currently used for research. In light of the celebration of its 70^th anniversary in 2016, the Foundation is pleased to share the history of this unique place and to make it available to a wider audience.

Discover the history of the Caux-Palace and the inventory of the archives.

Historical Treasure Hunt in the Caux Palace

The CAUX - Initiatives of Change Foundation hosted six historical treasure hunts in the Caux Palace during the Montreux Christmas market. Over 60 participants attended the treasure hunts this year which took place over two weekends in November and December.

Groups consisting of children and adults of approximately 10 participants discovered the rich and fascinating history of the Caux Palace during the Belle-Epoque and how it became the international Caux Conference Centre. Through this journey, participants explored the corners of the splendid Maharadja room, discovered hidden pathways and places, and wandered down the countless hallways of the former luxury hotel in search of clues that would lead them to the treasure.

The historical treasure hunts will take place again during the Montreux Christmas market next year. Make sure to check our website in 2016 or subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed about our activities!