The SHRI has a general mandate to protect and promote human rights in Switzerland. As its resources are very limited, however, the SHRI has to set targeted priorities in its activities.  

As part of a strategic process and based on the recommendations of the human rights mapping commissioned in 2023, four areas were defined as priorities for a period of approximately three years (2025-2027):  

• Human rights and democracy 

• Federalism and human rights 

• Outsourcing of the responsibility for human rights  

• Multiple discrimination  

Further details on the priority topics 

All four priority topics are cross-cutting issues, so they do not concern a single specific human right, specific convention or specific group of people. On the contrary, they open up space for questions that cut across a variety of areas of human rights.  

This is particularly relevant in the first years of the SHRI’s existence. Firstly, the particular value of a national human rights institution lies essentially in the scope of its mandate. This facilitates the possibility of combining different topics with one another and gaining new insights from them. Secondly, cross-cutting issues are the most appropriate to bring about a broad impact for the promotion and protection of human rights.  

 The priorities do not exclude other topics 

The fact that the SHRI sets priorities does not mean, however, that it will work exclusively on these issues, since the SHRI may, in principle, become involved in any human rights issues if it sees it as expedient and necessary. Taking action above and beyond the priority topics is expedient in particular if human rights are imminently at risk. 

New positions 

Now that the topics are defined, the SHRI will start building up a team for research and consultation. For this, it is recruiting two employees in research and consultation whose expertise is consistent with the first priority issues of the SHRI. Applications will be accepted until 29 September. 

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