Berne Declaration becomes Public Eye

Berne/Zurich/Lausanne, 21. May 2016

The members that gathered for the Berne Declaration's general assembly have decided to change their organisation's name to "Public Eye". This new name better describes the NGO's role, is forward-looking and is already well established thanks to the counter-summit that the Berne Declaration organised to protest against the Davos World Economic Forum for 15 years. It is believed that "Public Eye" is more representative of the values, aims and methods of the organisation, which is supported by over 25,000 members and focuses on the issue of "business and human rights".

Around 150 Berne Declaration members were in Berne on Saturday, where they democratically agreed to amend the organisation's statutes to rename it "Public Eye". Close to 90% ratified the proposal made by the organisation's Governing Board. This new name extends beyond Switzerland's borders and will help reduce linguistic barriers. In addition the name will lend further support to the central aims of this development NGO that was founded in 1968, which are to publicly denounce injustices and act in Switzerland to foster the respect of human rights around the world. The association's official name, "Public Eye – based on the Berne Declaration", maintains the link with its origins and underlines the desire to remain loyal to the vision of its founders. Finally, while the organisation's name is changing, the values that it defends through its research, campaigns and advocacy remain very much the same. The name change is due to be implemented in mid-September 2016.

For more information, please contact:

Géraldine Viret, media relations, +41 (0)21 620 03 05, geraldine.viret@publiceye.ch