Swiss set aside CHF100 million in Ukraine development funding
A war-damaged solar plant near Kharkiv, Ukraine.
Keystone / Sergey Kozlov
The Ukrainian funds available to the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) for 2022 will not affect projects elsewhere, an official said on Thursday.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/dos
Español
es
Suiza destina 100 millones de francos para financiar el desarrollo de Ucrania
Before the Russian invasion in February, the SDC had earmarked CHF25 million ($26 million) for development and cooperation projects in Ukraine; parliament has since boosted this by CHF61 million, SDC director Patricia Danzi said on Thursday.
On top of this, various other ministries have sent development aid to the region directly or indirectly, the Keystone-SDA news agency reports: Swiss migration authorities contributed CHF6 million to help refugees in Poland, while the economics ministry has given CHF20 million to multilateral projects coordinated by the World Bank.
As for the SDC, Danzi said that the extra credit allocated by parliament means the agency can boost its projects in Ukraine while not being forced to pull out of other areas of the world – many of which are suffering the consequences of the conflict in Europe, for example via the threatened food shortages in Sub-Saharan Africa.
According to the SDC websiteExternal link, the four priority areas for Swiss development cooperation in Ukraine for the 2020-2023 period are local governance and peacebuilding, sustainable economic development, health issues, and providing humanitarian aid.
Humanitarian needs
Since the outbreak of war, however, the elements within these priorities are being “adapted to the new circumstances”, while humanitarian aid has become more present, with the Swiss sending supplies as well as providing financial support to humanitarian organisations working on Ukraine.
In March, the government also announced a CHF80 million humanitarian aid package for Ukraine.
Switzerland will also host next month in the southern city of Lugano the international “Ukraine Recovery ConferenceExternal link” (renamed from the previously planned “Reform Conference”), where diplomats and politicians will discuss “Ukraine’s reconstruction and development programme and on contributions from international partners”.
More
More
Switzerland approves CHF80 million in emergency aid for Ukraine
This content was published on
The Swiss government has ramped up its humanitarian support to victims of the war in Ukraine.
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
This content was published on
The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), Swissinfo's parent company, must restructure due to financial pressures and to stay competitive in the fast-moving media environment.
This content was published on
There has been a sharp decline in the consumption of single-use disposable plastic bags and reusable plastic bags in the Swiss retail sector.
This content was published on
A biometric Swiss identity card (ID) is expected to be available in Switzerland by the end of 2026. The Federal Office of Police and its federal and cantonal partners are working on a new ID card that features a chip.
Heatwave reduces output at Swiss nuclear power plant by 50%
This content was published on
The ongoing heatwave has forced the Beznau nuclear power plant, which relies on water from the River Aare, to halve its output.
Swiss continue to enjoy high social mobility, study shows
This content was published on
Opportunities for upward social mobility have remained intact in Switzerland since the 1980s. Social mobility is exceptionally high by international comparison, a study shows.
Swiss government affected by cyberattack on health foundation
This content was published on
Switzerland says a ransomware attack on the non-profit health foundation Radix that involved data being stolen and encrypted had also affected the federal administration.
Federal Council agrees to investigation into alleged Swiss-Russian spying affair
This content was published on
The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland can open spying investigations into the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service (FIS).
Appeal launched against Starlink satellite antennae project planned in Swiss village
This content was published on
A group of Swiss citizens has filed an appeal against plans to install 40 Starlink satellite antennae in the mountain village of Leuk in southern Switzerland.
UBS launches buyback scheme for up to $2 billion in shares
This content was published on
UBS is starting a share buyback programme for up to $2 billion (CHF1.6 billion) in shares, in line with a plan approved at its annual general meeting (AGM) in April, the Swiss bank said on Monday.
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 to re-open Ukraine embassy
This content was published on
Switzerland is re-opening its embassy in Kyiv, with five staff members set to return over the next days, the foreign ministry said on Thursday.
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.