Aid sent by Switzerland to victims of the Nepal earthquake in 2015
Keystone / Urs Flueeler
The government proposes to give Switzerland’s international development strategy a makeover, narrowing the focus to encourage greater effectiveness. The proposed strategy aims to place greater emphasis on Swiss interests, economic growth and the private sector.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/sb
العربية
ar
برن تتجه نحو إعادة ترتيب الأولويات في مجال التعاون الدولي
On Thursday the government gave details of its proposed international cooperation strategyExternal link for 2021-2024, which will be now be discussed by relevant partners before approval by parliament in early 2020.
The projected budget for this period is CHF11.37 billion ($11.14 billion), up by CHF260 million compared to the 2017-2020 period. The government will thus invest 0.45% of Gross National Income in overseas development aid, below its 2011 commitment of 0.5% and the United Nations goal of 0.7%.
“The main focus will be on local job creation, the fight against climate change and the causes of irregular and forced migration, as well as the commitment to peace and the rule of law,” according to a joint report by the foreign and economics ministries.
Both departments say they want to “improve the effectiveness of development aid by refocusing thematic and geographical priorities” and by making better use of technologies.
In the future, the geographic focus will be on four regions instead of six: Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Eastern Europe. Switzerland will pull out of Latin America and East Asia. It plans to gradually disengage from cooperation work in Latin America by 2024.
The number of priority countries covered by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the humanitarian arm of the foreign affairs ministry, will drop from 46 to 34. Swiss cooperation activities will progressively cease in Bolivia, Cuba, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Azerbaijan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Swaziland, Lesotho, Malawi and Zambia.
For the first time, the international cooperation strategy will be subject to a public consultation procedure. The cantons, political parties, municipalities, mountain towns and regions, umbrella associations and other interested parties are invited to submit their opinions on the proposal by August 23.
More
More
Swiss aid ‘too focused on stopping migration’
This content was published on
Swiss development aid should concentrate more on the needs of its partner countries and less on stopping migration, says the OECD.
Should raw milk sales be banned or should consumers decide?
Swiss food regulations do not allow raw milk to be sold for direct consumption. However, a loophole allows 400 raw milk vending machines to do just that.
COP29: Swiss NGOs call for strong financial support
This content was published on
Ahead of COP29, Swiss NGOs call for wealthy nations to pay $1,000 billion a year to help other countries solve climate problems.
Real Swiss wages likely to rise in 2025, says UBS bank
This content was published on
Higher wages and falling inflation are likely to boost Swiss purchasing power, which will be dragged back by rising health premiums.
This content was published on
Switzerland has a new tectonic map at a scale of 1:500,000, containing updates to geometry, distribution and nomenclature of the tectonic units.
This content was published on
Swiss artist Daniel Spoerri, known for his artworks using leftover food with dirty cutlery and crockery, has passed away in Vienna at the age of 94.
Climate change tipped to alter Swiss avalanche patterns by 2100
This content was published on
Climate change is expected to result in fewer avalanches overall in Switzerland but to increase the danger of wet snow avalanches by 2100.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss aid ‘too focused on stopping migration’
This content was published on
Swiss development aid should concentrate more on the needs of its partner countries and less on stopping migration, says the OECD.
This content was published on
Switzerland aims to donate 0.5% of its gross national income to development aid projects by 2015; in 2012, it gave 0.45%. The OECD especially lauded Switzerland for complying with recommendations to focus its aid on poverty reduction and sustainability projects, noting that cooperation with other Swiss entities working in areas like diplomacy and migration had…
This content was published on
Controversial and currently on hold in Switzerland, the UN Migration Pact strives to help people live in peace and follow their dreams.
Urbanisation poses challenge for Swiss development aid
This content was published on
Switzerland is adapting its international assistance policy to put more emphasis on aiding the urban poor in developing countries.
Swiss send more aid to cyclone-hit south-east Africa
This content was published on
Switzerland is dispatching more experts to the areas of Mozambique devasted by Cyclone Idai. Their focus: restoring the water supply.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.