Global humanitarian & development programmes

Swiss Re humanitarian and development aid activity represents a long cultivation process. This has its roots in an extensive history of social responsibility, and has grown into a programme committed to making a sustainable difference in locations all over the world. Each of our projects sows a vital seed of credibility by demonstrating that we turn our words into action. We know that where we are tomorrow depends on what we did yesterday and what we do today.

Knowledge transfer in action

We focus our humanitarian and development support on projects related to natural catastrophes, water preservation and climate change. We work with highly respected nonprofit and governmental organisations on targeted initiatives to benefit the maximum number of people. The success of our involvement is not measured in donated dollars. We strive to make a measurable difference in terms of knowledge transfer, sharing our experience in risk management. This hands-on approach reaps long-term rewards as it helps people to help themselves.

A history of giving back

The dictionary defines ‘humanitarian’ as, “commitment to helping improve the welfare and happiness of human beings”. Already in the early years of our existence, we took this to heart. For example, in 1885 our company set up a welfare fund for employees, a groundbreaking step. From1914 to 1919 Swiss Re also joined forces with the Red Cross to provide valuable aid in the exchange of prisoners of war. We have a history of turning words into action, always guided by transparency and ethical principles. In this sense, history will certainly continue to repeat itself in our humanitarian and development activity.

Corporate responsibility

We have a long-standing commitment to corporate responsibility and strive to implement this across our business. Our performance has received high ratings from independent third-party organisations.

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