Bolivia

Area: 1.1 million km2
Population: 12.2 million
GDP per capita: USD 3,523 (PPP USD 9,684)
Priority country since 1975

The SDC launched its first projects in Bolivia in 1969. At the time, the focus was on agricultural projects on the Altiplano and in the Andean valleys. Later, projects in the tropical lowlands in the east were also rolled out in certain areas. During the 1980–81 military regime in Bolivia, the SDC significantly scaled down its operations in the country. From 1986 onwards, following a major economic crisis, Switzerland backed the Bolivian government's far-reaching structural adjustments with several innovative measures – balance-of-payments assistance, an emergency social fund (co-financed with the World Bank) and debt relief. The SDC's work in the country gradually expanded from focusing on agriculture and forestry to promoting the sustainable use of natural resources and urban trade, particularly through vocational education and training, as well as microfinancing.

Supporting disadvantaged groups

From the mid-1990s onwards, the SDC became increasingly involved in improving public governance, particularly at local level. This started with efforts aimed at decentralisation, strengthening local administrations and bolstering civic participation, followed by a focus on access to justice for all. The SDC has also worked on cross-cutting issues such as gender equality since the 1990s and climate change, particularly disaster risk reduction, over the last decade. Its primary aim continued to be improving the situation of disadvantaged groups, particularly during and after the 2006 commodities boom. SDC projects were increasingly entrusted to a range of implementing partners including Bolivia's public institutions, local and Swiss NGOs, private sector actors and universities. Capacity building at local level is key to the SDC's sustainability strategy for bilateral cooperation.