Thomas Greminger

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Thomas Greminger (2017)

Thomas Greminger (born April 22, 1961 in Lucerne ; resident in Oberbussnang and Friltschen ) is a Swiss diplomat . He was the Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) from July 18, 2017 to July 2020 [1] . He is a general staff officer in the Swiss Army ( lieutenant colonel ).

education

Thomas Greminger studied history, economics and political science at the University of Zurich and completed his studies with a doctorate in history with the dissertation of order troops in Zurich. The deployment of the army, police and city armed forces, end of November 1918 to August 1919 .

Diplomatic career

In 1990 Greminger joined the diplomatic service of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). After working in Bern , Tel Aviv and Geneva , he worked in various leading positions at the FDFA in Germany and abroad. Among other things, he was diplomatic assistant between 1992 and 1998, then deputy section head and finally section head in the Politics and Research section of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

From 1999 to 2001, Greminger was the coordinator of Swiss development cooperation and agent a. i. the Swiss Embassy in Maputo , Mozambique . From 2002 to 2004 he worked as deputy head of the political department for human security and head of the peace policy section. He then became head of the political department for human security and was also appointed ambassador. He headed the competence center for peace, human rights, humanitarian and migration policy from 2004 to 2010.

From 2010 Greminger was Switzerland's ambassador to the OSCE, the United Nations and the international organizations in Vienna . During Switzerland's OSCE Chairmanship in 2014, he headed the Permanent Council of the OSCE and played a key role in establishing the Observer Mission for Ukraine . From August 2015 Greminger was Deputy Director and Head of the SDC's Southern Cooperation Division in Bern.

On July 11, 2017, Greminger was designated as Secretary General of the OSCE to succeed Lamberto Zannier , who resigned at the end of June . An objection period of five days passed unused, whereupon Greminger was unanimously confirmed on July 18, 2017 for a term of office of three years. The term of office can be extended once for three years. Greminger prevailed against the four candidates Štefan Füle (Czech Republic), Erlan Idrissow (Kazakhstan), Alena Kupchyna (Belarus) and Ilkka Kanerva (Finland). The Secretary General is the Deputy Chairman of the OSCE (who changes annually) as well as the Administrative Director of the OSCE and Head of the OSCE Secretariat.

Private

Greminger grew up in Adliswil . He lives in Vienna and is the father of four daughters. In addition to his mother tongue German, he speaks fluent English and French and has a good knowledge of Portuguese. His hobbies include mountain biking, modern and classical music, and photography.

Awards

  • 2012: The OSCE White Ribbon for its longstanding efforts to promote gender equality

Publications (selection)

  • Order troops in Zurich. The deployment of the army, police and city armed forces, end of November 1918 to August 1919. Helbing & Lichtenhahn, Basel / Frankfurt a. M. 1990, ISBN 978-3-7190-1155-0 (also dissertation University of Zurich).
  • with Peter Stutz: The Field Division 7. A look back at the last two decades. Appenzeller Verlag, Herisau 2003, ISBN 978-3-85882-362-5 .
  • Peace: another world is possible. Verlag Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Zurich 2003.
  • Along the same lines in peace policy. In: Switzerland global. The magazine of the Department of Foreign Affairs (EDA), issue 2/2003, pp. 14-15.
  • with Raphael Nägeli: Securing the peace in the long term. In: ASMZ - Security Switzerland: General Swiss military magazine. Issue 7/8, 2006.
  • Armed forces and civil actors in complex multilateral peace operations. In: Military Power. Review of the Swiss Army. No. 1, 2007, pp. 6-17.
  • AGORA: Human Security - Origins, Power and Potential in Times of Crisis, Considering Ukraine. In: Manfred Nowak and Ursula Werther-Pietsch (eds.): All Human Rights For All. Vienna Guidebook on Peaceful and Inclusive Societies. NWV, Vienna 2014, ISBN 978-3-7083-0853-1 .
  • Vocational Skills Development. Welcome address on SDC Day before the 2nd International Congress on Vocational Education and Training . Winterthur, June 20, 2016 (PDF; 284 kB).

Web links

Commons : Thomas Greminger  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Heidi Gmür: New Swiss OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger. “Today we have a deep crisis of confidence”. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung . July 18, 2017 (interview).
  2. ↑ Thomas Greminger: order troops in Zurich. The deployment of the army, police and city armed forces, end of November 1918 to August 1919. Helbing & Lichtenhahn, Basel / Frankfurt a. Main 1990, ISBN 978-3-7190-1155-0 (also dissertation University of Zurich).
  3. ↑ Appointments to the FDFA. In: Website of the Swiss Federal Council . October 28, 2004 (press release).
  4. ↑ Speakers. In: EDA website, accessed on September 10, 2018.
  5. ↑ Jutta Sommerbauer: Five candidates for OSCE chief posts. In: The press . 20th February 2017.
  6. ↑ Greminger Thomas. In: Symposium «Transparency». June 12, 2014. Website of the Notenstein La Roche Academy.
  7. ↑ Thomas Grüninger. In: OSCE website.
personal data
SURNAME Greminger, Thomas
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss diplomat
DATE OF BIRTH April 22, 1961
PLACE OF BIRTH Lucerne