Between mountain wall, media power and war zone

What does climbing have to do with insurance? Or war journalism with risk assessment? At the anniversary of the SIA insurance association, three unusual voices showed that safety has many faces.

125 years of the Swiss Insurance Association SIA: reason enough to celebrate more than just numbers. The anniversary put the topic of security in a surprising context. With climber Nina Caprez, NZZ journalist Dr. Katharina Fontana and war reporter Dr. Kurt Pelda, people whose lives and work are associated with risk on a daily basis, yet who brought with them very different ideas of safety, took to the stage.

Safety on the steep face

For Nina Caprez, one of Europe’s most prominent sport climbers, safety lies not in retreating, but in consciously taking risks. “When I fall, I’m in the moment. That gives me freedom.” For her, leaving the competition circuit at the age of 20 was a step towards self-responsibility, towards the walls of the world, where mental strength is just as important as physical technique. Her message to the industry: safety does not mean standing still, but trusting in your own preparation and letting go of control.

Responsibility instead of promises

Dr. Katharina Fontana, a long-time journalist at the Federal Parliament, sees the media in a similar role to insurance companies: They provide orientation, or uncertainty. “Trust in institutions has been damaged. This makes it all the more important that we remain transparent.” Freedom of the press is a cornerstone of democratic security. However, Fontana also warned of growing polarization and dwindling understanding between the generations. “Responsibility is not a question of age, but of attitude.”

Risk in its purest form

Kurt Pelda knows risk like no other: he has traveled to over 25 war zones, most recently eastern Ukraine. His descriptions – from the improvised jammer on the roof of his car to the decision to wear splinter protection instead of a bulletproof vest – made it clear just how real risk can be. “Statistically, I’m not insurable,” he said dryly. And yet he is haunted by a bureaucratic nightmare: open proceedings by the Ukrainian military judiciary for illegally crossing the border, even though he was traveling with their army.

Courage to tell the truth

Pelda sees his work as a journalistic duty: to warn, document and shake things up. “I hope I’m wrong, but I fear that war will not spare Europe.” Switzerland’s security must not be lulled into a sense of prosperity. Fontana also emphasized the importance of enlightenment in troubled times, and Caprez recalled the power of trust that people place in themselves and others.

Rethinking security

What remains of these three voices? Perhaps the realization that security does not lie in standards or guarantees, but in dealing with uncertainty. The insurance industry, as the day impressively demonstrated, has to offer more than just policies today: it has to listen, mediate and remain adaptable. Like a mountaineer on a route, a reporter in a crisis area or a journalist in a discussion: only those who remain open to new perspectives can not only insure against risks, but also shape them.

Binci Heeb

Read also: From rockfall to the future – when safety is more than (just) a feeling