Women play a key role in poverty reduction and food security in both rural and urban contexts. The SDC supports women in obtaining access to natural resources, vocational education and training, and markets, as well as other services.
Access to natural resources, education, and income
SDC focus
The SDC is committed to empowering women in the area of food security. In its projects and strategies, the SDC sets the following priorities:
- establishing gender equality in the context of access to resources with a particular focus on land governance
- strengthening the economic situation for women through improved value chains and access to vocational education and training, markets, and other services
- integrating gender-sensitive social welfare systems in rural economies.
Context
Women play a key role in poverty reduction and food security, because they are very active in agricultural production and rural economies. However, in many countries they face social and legal discrimination and have only limited access to land ownership and user rights, means of production, vocational education and training, and financial services.
In rural economies, most women work on family farms or in the informal sector, where the combination of long hours but low productivity generates only a low income. Women often work in low-income sectors, such as the textile industry, and under precarious working conditions. Their potential to contribute to food security, economic security, and development is not fully exploited.
Studies show the following two decisive factors for structural discrimination against women in economic development:
1. multiple forms of discrimination based on religious, social, or ethnic affiliation
2. the burden of unpaid household and care work, dictated by social norms and entrenched gender roles that are mostly carried out by women.
These factors reduce the opportunities for women to complete an education or pursue productive and paid work. They also limit access to social welfare systems, which is usually only available in the formal job sector and with a fixed income.
Links
Documents
Gender and Land Governance (2017)
Gender and Land – Implications for Sustainable Development (2014) (PDF, 28 Pages, 13.8 MB, English)
Added Value – Contributions to gender equitable economic development (2011) (PDF, 2.4 MB, English)
Gender and Unpaid Care Work (PDF, 9 Pages, 866.5 kB, English)
Measuring Women’s Economic Empowerment, OECD (PDF, 23 Pages, 1.0 MB, English)
Current projects
Selection
Women and Girls First
01.05.2023
- 30.04.2026
In Myanmar, the pandemic and military coup have increased the risks for gender-based violence (GBV) and deep-rooted gender inequality. Through the Women and Girls First programme, Switzerland supports women, girls and young people to realise their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and fulfil their potential. It does so by strengthening community-based and ethnic systems to be more responsive to needs related to GBV, SRHR and mental health.
Women’s Increased Leadership for Democracy in Georgia
01.04.2023
- 31.03.2027
To engage more women in Georgia’s political and public life, the WILD project will (i) increase the political literacy and skills of 1’150 locally active women, their organizations and public servants; (ii) sensitize 60 journalists, and 150 data producers and users on gender-related reporting; (iii) contribute to development and adoption of gender-responsive laws and policies, benefitting some 38’350 public servants. The project will engage with men to foster behavioural change.
Réinsertion des détenu.e.s en Algérie
01.04.2023
- 31.12.2026
Le projet « Réinsertion des détenu.e.s en Algérie » contribue à la promotion de la réinsertion des détenu.e.s les plus vulnérables dans le tissu social algérien, dans un but déclaré de renforcer la cohésion sociale, une priorité pour le gouvernement. Le projet propose un accompagnement à la Direction Générale de l’Administration Pénitentiaire et de la Réinsertion (DGAPR) pour la modernisation et l’optimisation de la prise en charge et de la formation des détenu.e.s, dans le but de faciliter leur réinsertion sociale.
Renforcement de la protection des populations vulnérables dans les régions de l’Ouest et Nord-Ouest du Cameroun
01.03.2023
- 31.12.2025
Le conflit armé dans le Nord-Ouest et le Sud-Ouest (NOSO) a déjà fait plus de 4'000 morts et a déplacé plus de 715'000 personnes. La population civile est victime de violations graves et répétées du droit international humanitaire et des droits humains. Ce projet vise à réduire la violence et améliorer l’accès aux services de prise en charge des victimes.
Enhancing Protection and Justice for Vulnerable Children and Youth in Jordan
01.02.2023
- 31.12.2025
Children are among the most affected by multiple crisis in Jordan. The holistic child protection intervention proposed by Terre des hommes (Tdh) addresses and responds to the complex and intertwined protection needs of the most vulnerable children and youth in Jordan. It links quality of services with institutionalcapacity building and advocacy, thereby fostering a right-based and more sustainable child protection system and addressing hindering social norms in a comprehensive way.
Working for Health (W4H)
01.01.2023
- 31.05.2027
More health workers with the right skills are needed to achieve the SDGs, particularly in low income countries. Switzerland contributes to a joint WHO, ILO and OECD program providing catalytic support to governments, social partners and other key stakeholders to develop, finance and implement national health workforce strategies and investment plans. This will improve the supply and employment of health workers, maximise their performance, create decent jobs and accelerate progress towards UHC.
CARE International: Breaking the Silence
01.01.2023
- 31.12.2024
The proposed project seeks to address key drivers of GBV, promote help-seeking behaviour, access to quality services for survivors and promote economic empowerment of vulnerable women and girls. Some key activities will include the provision of health, psychosocial, and protection support in one (1) existing safe house and three (3) women and girl-friendly spaces (WGFSs), the provision of unconditional emergency cash support to vulnerable survivors and livelihood opportunities. Through the partnership with WIDO, a local women-led organisation, CARE will work to transform negative masculinities and social norms.
Financial support to the Programme of Work and Budget of the OECD Development Assistance Committee 2023-2024
01.01.2023
- 31.12.2024
Switzerland’s support to the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) aims at maximizing the impact and effectiveness of international development cooperation towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in developing countries, ensuring that no one is left behind. Through knowledge sharing, joint learning and standards setting, the DAC contributes to enhance the coordination and coherence of international cooperation.
DRC: Building resilience of Yemeni communities through integrated water resource management and provision of water supply, sanitation and hygiene services
01.12.2022
- 30.11.2025
Through the proposed intervention, the climate and conflict resilience of displacement-affected Yemeni in targeted locations will be reinforced through sustainable and community-led integrated water resource management (IWRM), sustainable water and sanitation systems, provision of multipurpose cash assistance (MPCA) and improved technical and institutional capacity of local partners.
Nonviolent Peaceforce: Community-based Protection and Peacebuilding
01.11.2022
- 31.10.2024
The project will contribute to overall peace and security of targeted communities by addressing key civilian safety and security concerns, including child protection, intra-inter-communal violence, SGBV, women’s protection and empowerment, youth participation, community participation and general protection and peacebuilding. Interventions will focus on trust building and inclusion, enhancing capacities of existing community-based protection mechanisms including Women protection Teams and Youth Protection Teams, and Peace Committees, and restoring confidence in peaceful relations at community levels.
Regional Protection and Migration Programme
01.05.2022
- 15.11.2025
Latin America faces the second largest forced displacement crisis in the world with 7.1 million people forcibly displaced from Venezuela, Central America, the Caribbean and other continents. 6.2 million more are displaced in their own country. Persons in human mobility need protection against gender-based violence, exploitation and exclusion. In Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, Switzerland addresses causes and consequences of displacement, providing aid, striving for integration and supporting actors to protect the most vulnerable.
Gender Mainstreaming 2022-2025 Phase 7
01.03.2022
- 28.02.2025
In collaboration with selected strategic partners, the SDC will promote gender equality and women’s rights in 3 priority areas that correspond to the SDC’s strategic interests and where it can promote innovative approaches: Peace building and crisis response, data driven advocacy and policy influence, and mobilising quality investments for gender transformative change. This will contribute to accelerate the implementation of the SDG 5 and to reduce its current funding gap.
