Conferences

There is a great need for coordination between cantons with regard to public health, not least in times of cross-border health crises. A conference of health authorities was called into being in 1919 during the Spanish flu epidemic; in 2004 it was renamed the Conference of the Cantonal Ministers of Public Health. The aim of this Conference is to ensure an exchange of information between the cantons, the national government, and key organizations in the health care sector.

Social problems often require cross-cantonal solutions. The Swiss Conference of Cantonal Social Services Directors helps ensure cantonal coordination in this sector. This Conference represents cantonal interests vis-à-vis the national government, and it has a permanent office in Bern. It also works with various national authorities, including the Federal Social Insurance Office, the Federal Statistical Office and, in asylum cases, with offices in the Federal Department of Justice and Police.

The Swiss Conference of Welfare Organisations (SKOS) is a professional association of welfare stakeholders. It edicts guidelines used by the Confederation, cantons and municipalities. The SKOS dates back to the Swiss Conference on Poor Relief set up in 1905.