02

Honduras now exports six times more cocoa than it did a decade ago, and cocoa farmers are optimistic about the industry's future. The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), as well as other international organisations, has supported this change through its PROCACAHO programme, a public-private initiative tackling key issues in the cocoa value chain.

Switzerland has played a significant role in shaping the development cooperation landscape in Latin America and the Caribbean over the past six decades. In 2025, Switzerland will embark on a new chapter of collaboration with Latin America and the Caribbean.

An earthquake ravages Turkey, the war of aggression against Ukraine rages on and the Middle East conflict flares up once more. In 2023, Switzerland's international cooperation (IC) made effective contributions to tackling humanitarian crises and met the challenges of promoting sustainable development. In the digital IC Annual Report 2023 you will find information on the SDC's and SECO's global activities.

The Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit (SHA) is a key component of Switzerland's international cooperation. Founded half a century ago, it now counts some 550 specialists, who can be deployed anywhere in the world to provide assistance in the event of natural disasters or other crises. Discover through pictures and videos some of the programmes and operations that have marked the history of the SHA.

Following the search for survivors by Swiss Rescue in Turkey, the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit of the FDFA has entered a second phase of support. Experts from the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit, including doctors and engineers, are now on the spot to continue helping the Turkish and Syrian population. Relief supplies have also been transported to the affected areas.

Mosaic Hospital in the centre of the Turkish city of Antakya was short of staff after the earthquakes in February 2023. Four specialists from the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit (SHA) stepped in and provided counselling for children and parents. Doctor Céline Ritter Schenk was a member of the team.

Members of the international community, which is continuing to provide financial support for the humanitarian response to the crisis in Yemen, joined the pledging event co-hosted by the governments of Sweden and Switzerland and organised in conjunction with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

From fish to meat and vegetable dishes, to bakery and confectioneary, hazelnuts are a staple ingredient in Georgian cuisine. Moreover, hazelnuts are one of the country’s most important agricultural products. With a steady demand for organic food, the industry has a potential for growth. The SDC has launched a private sector engagement partnership to enable Georgian farmers to increase productivity and income from organic hazelnut production.

Together with Ambassador Maya Tissafi, SDC Director General Patricia Danzi has visited Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. The focus of the visit was on Switzerland's humanitarian work.

The SDC has been working in Egypt since 2017 to improve drinking water management and make water distribution more equitable in disadvantaged neighbourhoods of the Aswan Governorate. Egypt, where COP27 is being held in early November, is among the African countries with the highest water stress.

Sandro Didebashvili is one of seven students from the Swiss Agricultural School Caucasus in Georgia who visited Switzerland for two weeks, learning about animal husbandry, fodder and cheesemaking. The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) supports Georgia in agricultural education and training.

Patricia Danzi, the director general of the SDC, recently paid a working visit to Benin and Chad, two priority countries for Swiss international cooperation. She talks to us about Switzerland's contribution to the positive development of Benin, the importance of remaining committed to the Sahel region, and the difficult situation in Chad following the influx of refugees fleeing the crisis in Sudan.

For over 20 years, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) has been supporting the Open Doors section of the Locarno Film Festival. Its goal is to strengthen the role played by culture as a driver of stability in society and social development by supporting films and filmmakers from countries in the Global South and East. Cuban director Daniela Muñoz is benefiting from this support. Here she shares her experience.

On 12 February 2023 – one month after the general elections – Benin's National Assembly has welcomed its new members of parliament. For the first time in Benin's democratic history, twenty-eight of the 109 parliamentary seats will be occupied by women. Switzerland's governance and gender equality programmes have helped to strengthen women's political leadership.

Mozambique and Zimbabwe are two of the priority countries for Switzerland's international cooperation work. In November, Nicolas Randin, SDC Assistant Director General and head of the Sub-Saharan Africa Division, paid working visits to Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

Cities across Africa are experiencing unstoppable growth. Through its PROECCO project, the SDC is supporting sustainable urban development in the Great Lakes region. The project centres on a technology for manufacturing modern bricks. In the Rwandan capital of Kigali alone, the project has saved 115,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions since it launched in 2013.

The fight against climate change is everyone's responsibility, and humanitarian workers are no exception. Through the Geneva Technical Hub, the SDC is supporting the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the design and use of sustainable, environmentally-friendly shelters. The newly launched Shelter Sustainability Assessment Tool represents an important innovation in this effort. It ensures that the need for shelter does not come at the expense of the environment.

Since 2015, global progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2, which aims to eradicate world hunger under the banner 'zero hunger', has fallen behind schedule. This was the conclusion reached at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), which began on 8 July in New York. Addressing global hunger and malnutrition requires not only sufficient food quantity but also ensuring food quality. As the quality of nutritional intake is not currently measured under SDG 2 of the 2030 Agenda, Switzerland, in collaboration with other countries and UN agencies, has proposed adding a new measurement indicator.

One in eight people worldwide reside in mountainous areas. These regions supply fresh water to half the global population. They are home to numerous plant and animal species found nowhere else. However, these delicate ecosystems face severe threats from climate change. The SDC-funded 'Adaptation@Altitude' project supports four mountain regions by analysing scientific climate change data, developing and replicating locally tailored adaptation strategies, and ensuring that the specific needs of mountain regions are considered in political decision-making processes.

Ulaanbaatar, the world's coldest capital, faces a significant threat from air pollution. The need for heating results in hazardous smog, leading to severe health issues and resulting in 300 fatalities annually. Switzerland supports transformative projects and innovative solutions such as the refurbishment of schools and kindergartens and providing the CHIP (Cooking Heating Insulation Package) products.

Although the HIV/AIDS situation in Africa has improved in recent years, medication can still be difficult to obtain, and those affected continue to struggle against stigmatisation and social exclusion. This particularly impacts young people. The SDC supports a programme in Zimbabwe in which young people help their peers to cope with the disease and combat stigmatisation.

Five young and ambitious data science entrepreneurs from the Gaza Strip embark on a life-changing journey to Switzerland. For the coming four months, these talented individuals are getting exposure to an international working environment as interns in Swiss start-ups and research laboratories at prestigious universities in Lausanne and Fribourg.

Over the past 30 years, the Kantha Bopha children's hospitals founded by Dr Beat Richner have significantly improved healthcare for people in Cambodia. The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) has backed these efforts since the very beginning and will continue to support the hospitals until 2027. SDC Director General Patricia Danzi signed an agreement to this effect with the Kantha Bopha Foundation on 17 February 2023.

Engineer Hans Aschmann led the first Swiss-backed construction of a suspension bridge in Nepal in 1960–61. In this interview, he recalls that pioneering mission.

Swiss development cooperation has been helping Nepal build trail bridges since 1960. By standardising technology, teaching the required engineering and planning skills, and introducing a system of responsibilities at all levels of government, Nepal is able to mass produce infrastructure that makes everyday life for its citizens much easier.

Nepal has completed its 10,000th trail bridge with technical know-how and support from Switzerland. Two-thirds of the local population benefit from these vital transport routes. The construction of this 10,000th bridge is a fitting conclusion to Switzerland's involvement in this field, which Nepal will now continue under its own steam.

A dynamic private sector is a key driver for reducing global poverty. In developing countries, the private sector generates nine out of ten jobs. It contributes to development through incomes earned by employees, capacity building and taxes paid which can be used for the provision of public services.

Despite the highest number of violent conflicts since the Second World War, the issue of mental health continues to be largely neglected in most contexts. Yet, it is undisputed that addressing the psychological and social needs of communities is essential for sustainable peace. The SDC supports health sector reforms and locally-led mental health initiatives in different conflict and post-conflict contexts. Its engagement in Ukraine particularly demonstrates the potential of this approach.

The Debating Our Destiny project, which is being supported by the SDC in the Arabic-speaking world, gives young people, women and marginalised groups a voice and helps them to be heard. The goal is to empower these groups to actively participate in the political and social discourse.

Since 2019, Lebanon has been experiencing a severe economic crisis while simultaneously hosting approximately 1.5 million refugees from Syria. Access to clean drinking water for all is not guaranteed, exacerbating tensions. In the Bekaa Valley, the SDC is running a project that utilises digitalisation and solar energy to improve water management. The project also aims to ease tensions surrounding water access. This initiative is part of Switzerland's broader efforts to address water-related issues in Lebanon.

In a world facing numerous crises and conflicts and where violence against the civilian population is on the rise, the need for peace for all has become ever more urgent. Sustainable solutions and cooperation at all levels are required. Opinion leaders, experts, civil society and governments are all called upon.

The Peace Dividend Initiative's (PDI) experience in Colombia shows promising signs that supporting grassroots entrepreneurs helps secure sustainable peace. PDI's approach focuses on accelerating grants, private investments, and philanthropy to build profitable and peace-supporting businesses in conflict-affected areas.

Decent work worldwide is considered a key factor for reducing poverty within international development policy. Cooperation with the private sector is an important plank but there are major challenges – and the pandemic has only added to them.

For years, Moldova has suffered from a rapidly shrinking population and the paradoxical situation that many young people are emigrating to the West because of political instability, a lack of employment opportunities and low wages, while at the same time the country faces a shortage of skilled labour. The health sector is in a particularly precarious predicament.

Mental disorders can exacerbate poverty, reduce life expectancy and hinder the development of entire nations. Yet this issue continues to be neglected in international cooperation. The experiences of three very different countries illustrate why this is so and why there is hope nevertheless.