2022 Right Livelihood Laureates Fartuun Adan (left) and Ilwad Elman (right) speaking at the University of Zurich, credit: Right Livelihood.

We gather support for change-makers and spread their solutions in Switzerland.
Founded in 2007 by publisher Annette Ringier, the Zurich-based Right Livelihood Award Foundation Switzerland aims to increase the impact of Right Livelihood Laureates by raising their profile and bringing visibility to the Right Livelihood Award. The Swiss Support Foundation also gathers donations from Switzerland to support the work of Right Livelihood.
In recent years, the Swiss Support Foundation has been instrumental in establishing the Right Livelihood Centre of the University of Zurich. This commitment has been made possible by the continuing support of dedicated private donors and foundations, as well as by several generous bequests the Swiss foundation received in recent years.
The close relationship between the University of Zurich and Right Livelihood Laureates goes back to 2008. Since then, the University has co-hosted a lecture annually with one of the new Right Livelihood Laureates in connection with the Award Presentation in Stockholm.
Address
Right Livelihood Award Foundation
c/o Scala Treuhand
Etzelstrasse 42
8038 Zürich

President
Ole von Uexkull
about Ole
Ole leads the work of the Right Livelihood Foundation and has been actively involved in the research and evaluation of candidates for the Right Livelihood Award in more than 35 countries. Prior to his leadership role at the Foundation, he worked at the German Parliament in Berlin, the United Nations Environment Programme in Paris, and the European Parliament in Brussels. He is also a member of the Advisory Board of the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights in Berlin.
“I have visited candidates for the Award in more than 35 countries and written reports to our international Jury. As a result, I have seen again and again the tremendous support the Award entails for those who receive it. The Award has a much bigger effect than if we were to simply transfer money to the projects – this way we multiply the effect of the contributions from our donors.”

Member of the Board
Monika Griefahn
about Monika
Monika is a former Member of the German Parliament (1998-2009) and former Minister of Environmental Affairs in Lower Saxony. In 1980, she co-founded Greenpeace Germany, of which she was the first Executive Director and later Member of the International Board of Directors. Today, she is a consultant for various institutions and companies.
Monika was on the Right Livelihood Award Foundation’s Board from 1986 until 2018, the last three years as Chair.
“As an activist, I fought against the Goliaths of the world myself. It is therefore a great satisfaction for me to support people who stand for the same values and who see cultural diversity as an opportunity rather than an obstacle. If this Award didn’t exist, it would have to be invented.”

Member of the Board
Erwin Fuchs
about Erwin
Erwin has been working in the financial sector in Switzerland for over three decades, self-employed since 1994, and in his own trust company since 2003. Their services include accounting, tax matters, HR services, investments, real estate, financing, asset management, etc. He works with clients from small and medium-sized businesses to listed companies.
“The incredible achievements of the Laureates are impressive, especially their courage, passion, tenacity, perseverance, and the way they deal with setbacks in extremely difficult environments. We can all only take our hats off.”

Member of the Board
Gesine Krüger
about Gesine
Prof. Dr. Gesine Krüger was appointed chair of Modern History with a focus on Africa at the University of Zurich in 2003. She studied in Germany and South Africa and wrote her PhD on the aftermath of the colonial genocide in Namibia. She was a Fellow at the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin and is co-editor of the online Journal “Geschichte der Gegenwart.” Her research includes colonial and post-colonial history and Human-Animal Relations.
“The often-resigned question, ‘What should you do in the face of… ?’ usually does not expect an answer. The Laureates of the Right Livelihood Award work on solutions and put their lives, their intelligence and their heart into it. We can learn from them.”