Ruth Dreifuss

Ruth Dreifuss is a Swiss politician and former President of the Swiss Confederation (1999). Elected to the Federal Council in 1993, she led Switzerland’s Federal Department of Home Affairs until 2002, overseeing public health, social insurance, and gender equality, and driving impactful reforms in drug policy and HIV/AIDS prevention. Dreifuss also served with the Swiss Agency for Development and Humanitarian Aid and was Secretary of the Swiss Labour Union Federation, focusing on social justice and labor law. A founding member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, Dreifuss is active on its Steering Committee, where she previously served as Chair. She holds a degree in economics with a special focus on econometrics, and is Doctor honoris causa of the Universities of Haifa, Jerusalem, Fribourg (Switzerland), Neuchâtel, and Bern.