Message on Switzerland’s International Cooperation in 2013–2016

In February 2011, Parliament decided to raise the resources it makes available for public development aid to 0.5 per cent of gross national product (GDP) by 2015, which places Switzerland in mid-field among OECD countries (OECD average in 2010: 0.49%). The framework credit dedicated to international cooperation amounts CHF 11.35 billions for the 2013-16 period, corresponding with this parliamentary target. In 2010, the resources committed to PDA amounted to about 3 per cent of the Swiss Confederation’s expenditure.

International cooperation encompasses humanitarian aid (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC), technical cooperation and financial aid (SDC), economic and trade policy measures in the framework of development cooperation (State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO), and cooperation with Eastern Europe (SDC and SECO). For the first time ever, the Federal Council has submitted to Parliament the corresponding framework credit lines within a single document.

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