Finally, after the long break due to the pandemic, the 98th Congress of the Swiss Abroad (OSA) opened its doors to 400 delegates representing 40 countries from all over the world. From 19 to 21 August 2022, highly topical issues such as the state of our democracy and the free circulation of people were discussed in the Congress Centre. "The voices of the Fifth Switzerland have a great influence on the development of our democracy," said the President of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad, Filippo Lombardi, welcoming the media at the press conference on 16 August 2022 in Lugano's City Council Chamber.
The Plenary Assembly of 20 August 2022 began with an opening speech by the heads of the Swiss executive and legislature, Federal President Ignazio Cassis and National Council President Irène Kälin.
The Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA), a.k.a. SwissCommunity, informs, connects, advises and represents 780,000 Swiss citizens living abroad. It organises the Congress of the Swiss Abroad and publishes the independent magazine "Schweizer Revue". The OSA organises summer and winter camps in Switzerland for young Swiss between the ages of 15 and 25 who live abroad. The OSA is a private charitable foundation operating on the basis of the Swiss Abroad Act. The Council of the Swiss Abroad (CSA), the highest body of the OSA as well as the "Parliament" of the Fifth Switzerland, is recognised by the Confederation as the official voice of the Swiss living abroad.
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