Sixty decades of adaptability: Switzerland's international cooperation

The spread of the novel coronavirus required a rapid response from Switzerland's international cooperation. The crisis has had a particularly strong impact on developing countries, where many education systems faced problems even before COVID-19, such as shortcomings in teaching quality and shortages in capacity and infrastructure. The closure of schools in SDC partner countries due to COVID-19 has worsened the long-term social and economic prospects of local populations.

Children affected may not get access to school, fail to obtain qualifications and consequently miss the opportunity to embark on careers. Switzerland implemented measures quickly to mitigate the economic, social and health impact of the crisis and to prevent progress made on development cooperation from being jeopardised. It is providing emergency humanitarian aid, supporting international actions and gearing current projects and development programmes specifically towards the management of COVID-19. 

Women are particularly affected by poverty: due to discriminatory laws and social norms, they account for around 70% of people living in poverty. In Benin, for example, they are deprived at the institutional level of inheritance rights to their deceased husband's land. As women in Benin have low incomes, they have little chance of obtaining loans to purchase the land after their husband's death. In a society dominated by agriculture, women are left with few opportunities.

Worsening climate change is having a particularly strong impact in places where livelihoods are directly dependent on natural resources. Its effects exacerbate poverty, hunger and migratory movements. Livestock farmers in Ethiopia, for example, are being hit hard. Climatic changes have been having a major impact on pastureland, water resources and livestock there for 40 years. Towards the end of the 1990s, droughts increased and rainfall became less frequent. This has resulted in a lack of milk, butter and other animal-based products. A similar picture can be observed around the world. 

There are currently over 70 million displaced people around the world as a result of armed conflicts, persecution, increasing authoritarianism, ongoing gender-based violence and human rights abuses. Swiss international cooperation aims to reduce the causes of displacement and irregular migration and to create long-term prospects locally. 

The post-war period in Europe was marked by economic growth and technical innovation. The idea of modernisation dominated thinking on development in the 1960s. At that time, development aid assumed that underdevelopment was the result of countries lagging behind technically and economically. Supporting developing countries through modernisation in these areas was the instrument of choice for development cooperation then. During this period, Swiss development aid established an international reputation for itself with a series of innovative technical projects. A good example is the construction of suspension bridges in Nepal. Working under the most basic conditions, Swiss engineers built these structures together with the Nepalese. They lived in tents or makeshift accommodation and all the building materials had to be transported in from great distances away. These pioneering projects had a long-term effect. 

The Federal Council laid the foundation for the Swiss Disaster Relief Unit in 1971. After an appeal made by the Federal Administration in 1973, around 1,000 volunteers were trained for international relief efforts in the event of disasters. Ninety-nine members of the Swiss Disaster Relief Unit were deployed for the first time in September 1974 in the drought and hunger-hit region of the Lake Chad basin. During the 1970s, humanitarian aid developed into a key institution for Switzerland and enjoyed great public support.

The use of nuclear power, the destruction of the rainforests and other natural habitats, and the realisation that natural resources are finite were reflected in Swiss development cooperation during the 1980s. A groundbreaking report commissioned by the UN, known as the Brundtland Report, first outlined the concept of sustainability.

The notion that good management of resources and nature plays a decisive role in development was also embraced by Swiss development cooperation. Since the 1990s all new projects have been designed to include environmental protection in all planning dimensions. The transversal issues of gender equality and good governance were also included later.

The fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, the reunification of Germany – which had been divided since 1945 – in October 1990, and the break-up of the Soviet Union at the end of 1991 were all signs of unprecedented political upheaval in Europe. Twenty-eight states with a combined population of 429 million emerged from this radical transformation. Switzerland responded quickly to the political changes in the east and was one of the first countries to carry out activities in Eastern Europe. Switzerland's official aid here began after the upheaval, primarily through food aid and the supply of milk and cheese. The priorities have now shifted to strengthening human rights and democracy by establishing citizen-oriented institutions based on the rule of law and by promoting economic and social development and the sustainable use of natural resources. 

In September 2000, 189 member states of the United Nations adopted the Millennium Development Goals. They focus on combating extreme poverty which was now defined not just by low income, but also a lack of opportunities and prospects. The Millennium Goals were to be achieved by 2015. On 1 January 2016, the 2030 Agenda with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) replaced the Millennium Development Goals. In contrast to the latter, the 2030 Agenda applies to all states and not just developing countries. Switzerland's current International Cooperation Strategy 2021–24 – the point of reference for all SDC activities – is also aligned with the 2030 Agenda.