Core Contribution to Swiss Personnel Development Cooperation of UNITE 2025-2028

The international environment is characterised by numerous multipIe crises. The consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the escalation in the Middle East, food insecurity, debt buh den and inflation,c limate change and the energy crisis are all having a direct impact on the world's population. They particularly affect the most vulnerable, mostly women and children and result in increasing humanitarian needs.

Accelerated change is accompanied by increased uncedainty: The world is becoming more fragmented, unstable and unpredictable. Whilst the vision to reach the Sustainable Development Goals remains, challenges including the accelerating global food and nutrition crisis, shrinking civic and humanitarians pace, the erosion of rule of law, intensifying armed conf1icts, more frequent climate-related disasters, international migration and internal displacement, exacerbated demographics and an important gender gap hamper progress in reaching them and pose a main challenge for all actors engaged in Switzerland’s International Cooperation.

The UN General Assembly underlines in its Resolution 70/129 of 2015 the important role of national and international volunteers to reach the SDGs of the Agenda 2030. UNITE is the central actor for this form of development cooperation (DC) in Switzerland. The development of the DC labour market, in particular concerning deployments to fragile contexts and concerning certain categories such as education specialists, adds additionalc hallenges to this form of DC. UNITE’s programme is divided into geographical regions. Half of the countries are considered by the OECD to be fragile countries. UNITE member organisations are active in the Great Lakes region, in Southern Africa. in South and South-East Asia, and, with decreasing intensity, in the Andean region, in Brazil, in Central America and the Caribbean.

Strengthening the capacity of partner organisations to fight multidimensional poverty in the Global South with and for local populations and to improve, at a systemic level, the framework conditions for the implementation the SDGs.

Nine co-financed Member Organisations contribute to the overall goal and to specific objectives:

• Associazione per l’aiuto Medico al Centro America (AMCA);
• Comundo;
• DM;
• E-CHANGER;
• Eirene Suisse;
• MediCuba Suisse;
• Mission Evangélique au Tchad;
• Mission am Nil International;
• SAM global.

Major achievements of UNITE umbrella organisation

In five contexts, participative impact assessments with local stakeholders were carried out (Nicaragua, Salvador, Peru, Colombia and Chad). They demonstrated the impact of strengthening partner organisations in the South and led to the implementation of recommendations for improvement at the level of the umbreIla organisation UNITE’s and the member organisations’ International Programmes have demonstrated their resilience in fragile contexts. The umbrella organisation as well as its members have developed their institutional and operational capacities further.

Major achievements of UNITE’s co-financed MOs (2021-2023)

• SDG 2: 56 local organisations were strengthened in their institutional and policy capacities, over 1’100 staff were trained, over 127’000 people engaged in sustainable food production or resilient practices. Over 557'000 individuals improved their access to safe and sufficient food , mainly through agro-ecological initiatives.
• SDG 3: 69 local organisations were strengthened, over 1 ’000 staff were trained in medical techniques as well as in health administration and governance. Nearly 825’000 people gained access to health services, and access to 547'329 medical interventions was provided mainly to disadvantaged groups.
• SDG 4: Over 29’000 people completed quality primary or secondary education in schools supported through soft skills and hardware by UNITE member organisations. 5’600 individuals improved their employability skills, mainly through vocational training supported by UNITE member organisations.
• Activities by UNITE member organisations to promote peace (SDG 16) have increased. Over 6’500 staff was trained, f. ex. in initiatives that fight for access to justice for victims of human rights violations or in organisations defending the rights of indigenous people.

1. Sustainable food-production systems and resilient agricultural practices are strengthened (SDG 2)
2. Healthy living and the promotion of weII-being for all at all ages are strengthened (SDG 3)
3. Inclusive and equitable quality education for all is ensured (SDG 4)
4. Peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development are promoted (SDG 16)
5. Awareness to sustainable development has raised among the public in Switzerland (SDG 4.7)
   (for this outcome no SDC contribution will be used).

The role of Swiss NGOs in the implementation of the Swiss IC Strategy 2025-28 shall be strengthened through:

a. sharpening the narrative on the narrative on the importance of the core contribution,

b. an inclusive policy dialogue, 

c. locally led development, and

d. potential adaptations of programmes and approaches (reforms in the larger sense).