INES (Institute New Switzerland) is Switzerland’s post‑migrant think & act tank – We are committed to an equitable, plural and future‑oriented democracy.

We bring people together, analyse socio‑political developments, create new knowledge and design visions as well as concrete courses of action – critical, collective and transformative.

INES was founded in 2016 as a non-profit association, politically and religiously independent, and based in Bern.

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OUR SOCIETAL ROLE

Switzerland has long been a post‑migrant society – yet its institutions, narratives and power structures do not reflect this transformation.

Migration and globalisation have profoundly shaped Switzerland over recent decades. Nearly half of the population has a migration background. Multiple belongings, linguistic diversity and post‑migrant life realities shape everyday life. Questions of migration and integration permeate political debates as well as the labour market, education, healthcare, cultural policy and gender relations.

Nevertheless, many people continue to experience discrimination and a lack of participation – their voices and perspectives remain unheard.

Questions such as Who belongs to Switzerland? or Who gets to shape society? must be reframed in order to move beyond “us” and “them”.

While many institutions still follow traditional structures, INES actively shapes and negotiates the reality of the New Switzerland – and makes it visible. INES drives social change from a post‑migrant perspective, brings overlooked knowledge into public discourse, strengthens participation and develops new narratives – so that the New Switzerland is not only diverse, but also just, future‑oriented and solidaristic.

In recent years, INES has played a decisive role in ensuring that questions of post‑migration, belonging and participation are renegotiated in society, politics, culture and the media. Through projects, publications and interventions such as the Handbook Neue Schweiz, the _Tour de Nouvelle Suisse _and the Argumentarium für ein neues Bürgerrecht, post‑migrant perspectives have become visible and have shaped public debates.

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WHAT WE STAND FOR

INES envisions a New Switzerland in which everyone who lives here – and everyone who will come – participates equally and can lead a good life. A Switzerland that recognises diversity and takes responsibility for its global actions.

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WHAT WE DO – AND WITH WHOM

INES is more than a traditional institute. INES is also a community where committed people can get involved to work on #NewSwitzerland.

Sixty active experts with and without migration backgrounds have already found a home in INES. Together we develop analyses, content and projects through collective processes to improve coexistence in Switzerland. Our portfolio includes:

• COLLECTIVE KNOWLEDGE PRODUCTION
Using participatory methods such as oral history, audio walks, storytelling and community archives, INES documents collective experiences and establishes them as legitimate forms of knowledge – complementing academic structures. INES initiates studies, discourse projects and analyses on socially relevant topics such as citizenship, democracy and participation from a post‑migrant perspective – independently or in cooperation with universities and institutions.

• TRANSFORMATIVE KNOWLEDGE DISSEMINATION
Through collaborative formats such as dialogue events, roundtables, publications and artistic interventions, INES brings together actors from academia, civil society, culture, education, administration and politics. We develop new narratives and concrete policy recommendations for a plural society. At the same time, we create spaces for visions, experimentation and strategic innovation – future labs for a just, post‑migrant future.

• TRANSFORMATIVE KNOWLEDGE DISSEMINATION
Through collaborative formats such as dialogue events, roundtables, publications and artistic interventions, INES brings together actors from academia, civil society, culture, education, administration and politics. We develop new narratives and concrete policy recommendations for a plural society. At the same time, we create spaces for visions, experimentation and strategic innovation – future labs for a just, post‑migrant future.

• NETWORKING AND ALLIANCE BUILDING
INES is a platform and resonance space for people committed to a just and solidaristic Switzerland. Through community events, digital spaces and participatory formats, INES fosters collective action and strengthens post‑migrant voices – in public discourse and institutional structures. Change also emerges through targeted networking with civil society and political actors.

• POST‑MIGRANT EXPERTISE
INES continuously observes and analyses issues arising in a post‑migrant society and acts as an advisory voice in debates on naturalisation, participation, migration policy, memory culture, democratic development and more. We advocate for post‑migrant voices to be present in media, committees and professional events – and we act as experts ourselves. INES offers workshops and consulting for institutions and organisations.

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OUR VALUES AND WORKING PRINCIPLES

Plural and solidaristic
INES stands for a respectful culture of dialogue in which different perspectives are taken seriously and brought together – internally and publicly. Openness, empathy and trust shape our approach. Power‑critical collaboration and shared goals are essential for social change. Solidarity, plurality and the quality of our relationships form the foundation of our work.

Future‑ and resource‑oriented
INES sees itself as part of a movement for social justice and sustainable change. We think creatively, act resource‑consciously and actively shape the New Switzerland – visionary and future‑focused. We recognise existing strengths and create spaces where potential becomes visible and can unfold.

Reflexive and confident
Our working style is structured yet experimental. Courage, confidence and a willingness to learn shape our stance. INES reflects critically and develops approaches that embrace ambiguity and make difference productive. We analyse social developments and formulate positions in a nuanced way – as simple as possible, as complex as necessary.

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OUR STRATEGY

Our new Strategy 2026–2029 will be published here in spring 2026.

Until 2025, INES worked towards three goals:

NEW CITIZENSHIP
INES aimed to initiate a fundamental shift in Swiss citizenship law. Central demands included easier access to naturalisation, automatic citizenship for children born in Switzerland and a shift in perspective in debates on nationality. INES worked with legal and historical analyses and supported initiatives such as Aktion Vierviertel in launching the Democracy Initiative.

See
o New citizenship

DIVERSE CITIZENSHIP
Through projects such as Tour de Nouvelle Suisse and the INES platform, INES promoted a contemporary understanding of citizenship – one that recognises the lived realities of people with migration and racism experiences. The goal was to anchor this understanding in media, politics, administration, business and civil society, and to encourage more people to participate confidently and plurally in public debates.

See
o Tour de Nouvelle Suisse
o Blog
o Postmigrant School Cultures
o Handbook New Switzerland
o We Talk. Switzerland unfiltered : A project initiated by the Friends of INES

DISCRIMINATION-FREE PARTICIPATION
INES contributed to opening institutions towards more diversity, transparency and participation justice. Building on experiences with Literaturhaus and Kaserne Basel, INES developed recommendations for institutional opening, personnel and programmatic changes, and concrete support for cultural organisations seeking to make their structures more inclusive.

See
o Tour de Nouvelle Suisse
o Atelier Neue Schweiz
o Pro Helvetia

Do you want to know more?
You can find more information and examples in the Introduction of the HANDBOOK NEW SWITZERLAND as well as in the articles Gegenwart und Zukunft der Neuen Schweiz - Citizenship in the Making and Arguing with each other in many voices and in solidarity - Values of good cooperation and communication.

Do you want to stay up to date? Subscribe to the INES Newsletter.

Do you also want a #NewSwitzerland? Do you also want to stand up for a #NewSwitzerland? Strengthen INES' independence with a contribution, we appreciate every single one, even small ones! "DONATE HERE!".

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WHO IS INES

The INES Team:
Artan Islamaj (co-director), Lisa Pedicino (co-director), Celin Fässler (administrative assistant and executive assistant), Sunčana Laketa (project manager for analysis and knowledge processes), Mardoché Kabengele (project manager for outreach, communication, and community building)

The INES Board:
Tatiana Cardoso (Presidency), Anisha Imhasly, Sandra King-Savić, Hannan Salamat, Alain Stampfli Leite, Duarte Pacheco, Cristina Vega

The INES Advisory Board:
Ganga Jey Aratnam, Milos Stokic, Gaby Szöllösy, Geesa Tuch

To date, actively involved in the establishment of INES:
Melinda Nadj Abonji, Hélène Agbémégnah, Lucía Aguilar, Cenk Akdoğanbulut, Mithra Akhbari, Milad Al-Rafu, Amir Ali, Sabine Baier, Bettina Aremu, Myrsini Arvanitis, Natalie Avanzino, Mohamed Wa Baile, Izabel Barros, Jacqueline Beck, Nicolle Bussien, Kadiatou Diallo, Asmaa Dehbi, Mo Diener, Migmar Dolma, Rahel El-Maawi, Auguste Essama, Kijan Espahangizi, Babak Fargahi, Nina Fargahi, Georg Gatsas, Dominik Gross, Uğur Gültekin, Sara Arzu Hardegger, Lamya Hennache, Samia Henni, Urs Hofer, Rohit Jain, Shpresa Jashari, Vanja Jelic, Jan Jirat, Roland Jurczok, Christoph Keller, Jennifer Khakshouri, Fuat Köçer, Albana Krasniqi, Manuel Krebs, Marianne Halasy-Nagy Liratni, Cathrine Lutz, Inés Mateos, Fatima Moumouni, Katharina Morawek, Tarek Naguib, Pamela Ohene-Nyako, Giorgia Piffaretti, Halua Pinto de Magalhães ,Victoria Popova, Maria-Cecilia Quadri, Nertila Ramadani, Edwin Ramirez, Sara Winter Sayilir, Pascal Schwaighofer, Shirana Shahbazi, Dögg Sigmarsdottìr, Rosemarie Weibel, Marius Zürcher

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OUR PARTNERS

We would like to thank the Mercator Stiftung Schweiz for the funding partnership 2025–2027, which enables and strengthens our work in the coming years.

In our past and current projects, we have been able to rely on the support and collaboration of numerous partners.

With the kind support of:
Eidgenössische Migrationskommission EKM
Fachstelle für Rassismusbekämpfung FRB
Bundesamt für Kultur BAK
Kanton Zürich
Kanton St. Gallen
Stadt St. Gallen
Stadt Zürich
Stadt Bern
Ville de Genève
Ev.-ref. Gesamtkirchgemeinde Bern
Christoph Merian Stiftung
ERBPROZENT KULTUR
Ernst Göhner Stiftung
Jubiläumsstiftung Mobiliar
Karl & Sophie Binding Stiftung
Landis & Gyr Stiftung
Migros Kulturprozent
Oertli-Stiftung
Paul Schiller Stiftung
Temperatio Stiftung
Volkart Stiftung
Schweizer Kulturstiftung Pro Helvetia
Schweizerische Gemeinnützige Gesellschaft SGG
Stiftung Mercator Schweiz

In collaboration with:
norm
A & O Consulting
aktion vierviertel
Archiv für Frauen- und Sozialgeschichte Ostschweiz
Berner Rassismus Stammtisch
Freundliche Grüsse
Hochschule für Gestaltung und Kunst Basel FHNW
IZFG - Universität Bern
Kaserne Basel
Kollektiv Ostwind – Ostschweiz mit Migrationsvorsprung
KOSMOS
Migros Museum
Mitstimme
Ostschweizer Fachhochschule (OST)
podcastlab.ch
Université des Cultures de Genève
and many more.