Party Swiss Animal Protection removed from the Zewo blacklist

The certification body for non-profit organizations (Zewo) has once again removed Swiss Animal Protection (STS) from its blacklist. This means that Zewo no longer advises against supporting the STS with donations.

The step was taken after Zewo considered the first important reform steps at STS to have been implemented, the animal welfare organization announced on Tuesday. For example, the STS annual accounts for 2023 have now been published in more detail on the website. From the 2024 financial year, the STS will also publish its annual financial statements in accordance with the Swiss GAAP FER 21 standard - with an ordinary audit, including the budget process and internal control system.

STS has also reportedly made organizational changes. Key positions have been filled and Marco Mettler was appointed as the new Managing Director in May 2024. The umbrella organization of 71 sections in Switzerland and Liechtenstein will now be managed operationally by a four-member Executive Board.

The STS is therefore back in calmer waters. The organization hit the headlines in 2023 when two suspended board members filed criminal charges against association president Nicole Ruch and former board colleagues. The charges concerned allegations of dishonest management and excessive expense allowances. In January of this year, Ruch was then dismissed by the STS delegates.

At the end of 2023, Zewo placed the STS on the blacklist of organizations that "deviate significantly from Zewo standards" and criticized the lack of transparency in the expenses system and the accumulation of power by the association president. According to Zewo, there was also a lack of an internal control system, invoice control or approval processes in the real estate sector.

SDA