Bernard Kundig, member of the committee and former vice-president of BIEN.CH, passed away

The committee of BIEN-Switzerland regrets to announce the death of Bernard Kundig, member of the committee and former vice-president of BIEN-Switzerland, from Geneva, who passed away suddenly on September 7, 2022. He had a doctorate in sociology specializing in work and a degree in law. He had worked first in Paris, then in Frankfurt and finally in Geneva and Athens.

He was won over by the idea of an unconditional basic income (UBI) as early as the beginning of the 1980s, and has since devoted a large part of his research to this innovative idea. In 1998, he was commissioned by Mr. Guy-Olivier Segond, State Councillor and Director of the Department of Social Action and Health of the Canton of Geneva, to carry out an in-depth study of the subject. In 2002, he joined the newly formed BIEN-Suisse association and soon after became its vice-president for nearly ten consecutive years. In 2008 he wrote the book "Vers une économie vraiment libérale – Le revenu de base inconditionnel [1]" (Towards a truly liberal economy - The unconditional basic income), published by our association.

Very attentive to the technological progress that translates into productivity gains, he had quickly come to the conclusion that the UBI would be imposed sooner or later, because if robots were increasingly replacing the worker, it would never be the case for the consumer. He saw the UBI as both a possible and necessary advance in social justice and a major economic change that is indispensable to prevent inevitable crises.

The committee of BIEN-Suisse presents its sincere condolences to his family. It will keep a moving and infinitely grateful memory of these years of collaboration with Bernard whose absence will be painfully felt, both by the loss of his always enthusiastic company, his great competence and the incalculable number of his contributions in favor of the UBI.

Attached is a biographical summary written by his son Stefanos Kundig [2].