Born 1947, schools and studies in Zurich

1973 Doctorate in Law from the University of Zurich (Thesis on United Nations Human Rights Covenants and the legal status of women in Switzerland)

1973 - 1974 Legal advisor in private office for architecture and urban development

1975 - 1977 Responsible for the European Convention on Human Rights at the Federal Departement of Justice

1978 - 1984 Private law firm in Bern

1985 - 1988 Member of the City of Bern municipal government (Head of the Department of Education)

1987 - 1994 Member of Swiss Parliament (National Council), the Swiss Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (1990-1994) and of OSCE (1993 / 1994)

1993 / 1994 President (Speaker) of Swiss Parliament (National Council)

1994 - 1996 Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the Council of Europe

1996 - 2000 Human Rights Ombudsperson for Bosnia and Herzegovina based on Annex 6 of the Dayton / Paris Peace Agreement (nominated by OSCE)

since 2001 Publicist

2004 Doctorate honoris causa awarded by the University of St.Gallen, Switzerland

2006 - 2011 Guest Scholar at the Institute for criminal sciences and philosophy of law, Goethe-University, Frankfrt am Main (as of 2009 associate member of the Cluster of Excellence "Formation of Normative Orders")

2006 - 2013 Member of the European Commission for Democracy through Law of the Council of Europe ("Venice Commission")

2014 - 2018 President of the Swiss Association for Foreign Policy SGA-ASPE

since 2020 Guest Scholar at Research Institute for Social Cohesion at the University of Konstanz, Chair of Public, European and International Law