News

The Geneva Center for Security Policy is organizing this Thursday a webinar accessible to all on the geopolitical and economic consequences of the Coronavirus health crisis.

02 April 2020 14h00 – 15h15

The Didier et Martine Primat Foundation, as an associate partner of SwissFoundations, commits to apply the following recommendations on the commitment of Swiss donor foundations in the current crisis situation and to react flexibly to the needs of their beneficiaries.

Recommandation_commitment of foundations in times of crisis COVID-19

Art gives a touch of hope in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis hitting hard on Northern Italy: the jury of the Science Gallery Venice “Earth Water Sky”, the environmental arts and science residency program sustained over 3 years by the Primat Foundation, met virtually on  16th & 17th of March 2020 and awarded its annual prize to HASEEB AHMED (US).

The jury statement reads: “In this time of great global uncertainty, Haseeb Ahmed’s process and practice which concentrate on the relations between people, artefacts and nature show a new way of art-making for the 21st century which engages the mind, body and soul. In addition, at this particular moment which we are all experiencing, which is currently limiting the normal course of cultural activities, Haseeb showed the most imaginative way of beginning the residency, even if there is the possibility of not being present.”

Full press release HERE

Whereas an unprecedented number of children and young people are no longer attending schools or universities because of COVID-19, the Foundation has decided to respond urgently to the appeal of Synlab, a partner NGO, to strengthen its e-platform to support teachers in distance education in the context of the COVID-19 emergency containment.

The donation  will enable Synlab to temporarily expand its team and mobilize a pedagogical task force to accompany for a month thousands of teachers who requested support and  impact positively  hundreds of thousands of students.

This task force will be in charge of  :

– Organizing two daily exchange sessions for teachers and school heads.
– Producing and distributing 10 video tutorials, toolkits and a practical guide on the key themes of this pedagogical continuity and the link with parents.
– Organizing a permanent hotline accessible from morning to evening which will allow each teacher to discuss their specific situation with experienced teachers.

Target: 200,000 teachers and 3,000 head teachers.

This donation is fully in line with the Education Chapter of the Foundation and is a concrete response to an immediate problem posed by the confinement.

Six months after Hurricane Dorian hit the Bahamas, here is a report on the actions implemented by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), to which the Fondation Didier et Martine Primat has entrusted a significant donation to support long-term recovery efforts.

BAHAMAS Hurricane Dorian_Situation report no. 11 – 19.02.2020 (004)

As bushfires affect people and native wildlife across Australia on an unprecedented scale, the Fondation decided to support two organizations at the forefront doing great work on the ground:

– New South Wales Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Services: WIRES with 2500 volunteers in 28 branches is involved in the rescue and care of wildlife and has a dedicated Rescue Office that operates 365 days a year assisting the community to help native animals in distress. They currently play a major role in assisting bushfire affected animals.

For more information: https://www.wires.org.au/

– New South Wales Rural Fire Service which is the primary agency for responding to bushfires in the land area of New South Wales and the Jervis Bay Territory.

For more information: https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/

The Didier and Martine Primat Foundation granted support to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies for the provision of basic services and long-term recovery efforts in the Bahamas related to the damage caused by Hurricane Dorian.

This grant will contribute to the anticipated outcomes of the overall response under the IFRC Emergency Appeal which are outlined below:

• Restoring and strengthening the safety, well-being and longer-term recovery of communities in disaster affected areas through shelter and settlement solutions.
• Sustainable reduction in risk of waterborne and water related diseases in targeted communities in the recovery phase.
• Reduction of the immediate and medium-term risks to the health of affected population.
• Restoring and strengthening the livelihoods of communities in disaster and crisis affected areas.
• Identifying and addressing the distinct needs of the most vulnerable and particularly disadvantaged and marginalized groups, as a result of inequality, discrimination and other non-respect of their human rights.
• Supporting the needs of migrants and their families and those assisting migrants at all stages of migration (origin, transit and destination).
• Disaster preparedness and prevention of communities in high risk areas.

The Didier and Martine Primat Foundation and its special fund Odonata are delighted to announce their support to the exhibition “Making FASHION Sense”, which will be held from 16 January to 8 March 2020 at the Haus der elektronischen Künste Basel Foundation.

The exhibition deals with the fundamental transformation of the fashion industry through technology, ranging from new creative processes to experimentations exploring sustainability: fashion that makes sense.

H3K_MFS_A5_Einladung_WEB-3

Pour en savoir plus : https://www.hek.ch/fr/programme/events-fr/event/making-fashion-sense-2.html

Beyond Plastic Med (BeMed) launches its fourth call for micro-initiatives to support projects aimed at reducing plastic pollution in the Mediterranean.

The call is open until Wednesday 1 January 2020 to the following types of organisation: NGOs, regional authorities, private companies with less than 20 employees, and scientific institutions. The initiative, supported by the Didier and Martine Primat Foundation, is being carried out through the Albert II Foundation of Monaco in collaboration with Tara Ocean Foundation, Surfrider Europe, IUCN and the Mava Foundation.

For more information on the call for micro-initiatives and to download the application package, please go to the BeMed website.

The Didier and Martine Primat Foundation is pleased to announce the launch of the second open call  for the “Earth Water Sky” residency and artistic production program in the field of art and environmental sciences.

This artistic program is run by Ca’Foscari University and Science Gallery Venice, in collaboration with internationally renowned curator Ariane Koek.

This year, the call for applications is placed under the theme of the Wind.

What is the wind? Where does it come from? And why does it blow? These were questions which preoccupied thinkers in the Renaissance and led to the development of a global science, including the creation of the concept of the atmosphere.

The future laureate selected by the Jury* will work mainly with the international researcher and historian of science and philosophy, Craig Martin, author of a world history of wind at Ca Foscari University in Venice.

The details of this call, supported by the Didier and Martine Primat Foundation, is available below:

https://opencall.sciencegallery.com/earth-water-sky-residency

* In addition to the curator Ariane Koek and Professor Craig Martin, the jury is composed of an international curator or external artist specialized in the field of environmental arts; a representative of Science Gallery Venice and a representative of the Didier and Martine Primat Foundation.