This was CHF263 million more than in 2019, largely because of financial assistance linked to the Covid-19 pandemic. Last June parliament signed off on supplementary credit to support international efforts to deal with the coronavirus.
Swiss overseas development assistance (ODA) also includes costs associated with assisting refugees and asylum seekers in the country. These costs amounted to CHF303 million, or 9% of ODA, in 2020.
“Latest estimates indicate that the ODA/GNI ratio over the period of the International Cooperation Strategy 2021–24 will average at 0.44%,” the foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
The United Nations’ target for the ODA/GNI ration is 0.7%. In 2020 only Sweden, Norway, Luxembourg, Denmark, Germany and the UK managed to reach this target among Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member states.
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