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Published on 12 July 2024

Economy and Education

Education promotes personal and economic development. The SDC supports cooperation with the private sector and thus contributes to sustainable growth and prosperity.

A group of women are sitting in light green chairs listening to a woman who is standing. In the foreground garments, lettuce and a bag of stones are laid out on a table.

23 October 2024

Tanzanian women’s small businesses are lifting them out of poverty

Despite its growing economy many Tanzanians remain in extreme poverty. Women and the youth are particularly vulnerable. The social insurance programme TASAF aims to bring people – particularly women – together for their economic empowerment. In Dar es Salaam two groups of women have bundled their energy and created sustainable small businesses. As a result, they have escaped extreme poverty and are able to stand on their own two feet.

Worker kneeling next to electric bus.

19 August 2024

Breathing Hope

The objective of CALAC+ is to reduce harmful air pollutants in Latin American capitals through the deployment of soot-free engines in urban public transport

A woman wearing blue overalls and an orange hard hat moves a pile of bricks onto a trolley.

15 August 2024

The modern, eco-friendly brick

PROECCO supports sustainable urban development in the Great Lakes region. The project centres on a technology for manufacturing modern bricks.

Two women in red and yellow veils stand in front of their fruit stall. Shelves full of fruit and vegetables surround them.

10 July 2024

Promoting dietary diversity to achieve the ‹zero hunger› goal

Achieving SDG 2 has fallen behind schedule. This was the conclusion reached at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in New York.

Cocoa beans

5 July 2024

The rebirth of Honduran cocoa

Thanks to Swiss support, the cocoa sector in Honduras has developed considerably over the past decade and the income of the producers has improved.

Father and daughter laugh into the camera

4 July 2024

60 years of successful cooperation

By the end of 2024, the SDC will progressively phase out bilateral development cooperation in Latin America and the Caribbean. A look back.

Group picture of the Lithuanian delegation with the organisers of the exchange visit.

25 June 2024

The backbone of democracy: Civic engagement in Switzerland and in Lithuania

The second Swiss contribution promotes civic engagement in selected EU-countries like Lithuania.

A hand holds a life-saving white pill between index finger and thumb.

22 May 2024

Making the production of medicines against deadly diseases possible. The SDC supports.

For decades, an antidote to the deadly sleeping sickness lay dormant in the Sanofi archives. Until it was rediscovered with the support of the SDC.

 A series of photographs illustrates the different levels – science, local communities, and international organisations – required to protect mountain regions.

22 May 2024

Strengthening the resilience of mountain regions to climate change

Discover how the SDC aims to enhance the resilience of mountain regions against climate change by providing scientific data.

A woman in an orange sari harvesting fresh, green vegetables in an otherwise dry area. Solar panels can be seen in the background.

22 May 2024

International cooperation: combating global poverty and crises

With the accountability report on international cooperation, the Federal Council takes stock and gives an account to parliament.

A group of women work at a table in Tanzania. Papers are laid out on it.

25 April 2024

Development cooperation and research: a promising model

The r4d Programme, run by the SDC and the SNSF, ended this month. Odile Robert from the SDC offers insights in this interview.

A Nicaraguan farmer in front of her water reservoir.

19 April 2024

Nicaragua

In Nicaragua, the SDC has improved living conditions, particularly through its work in the water and sanitation sector.

A Honduran policeman studies a brochure.

19 April 2024

Honduras

The SDC's cooperation with Honduras in the field of governance has been internationally recognised.

Bolivian farmer holds potatoes in her hands.

19 April 2024

Bolivia

In Bolivia, the SDC's approach to poverty alleviation has been multi-faceted, innovative and sustainable.

A Cuban LGBT activist stands on the street.

19 April 2024

Cuba

In Cuba, the SDC has successfully addressed previously taboo issues such as decentralised governance, gender equality and racism.

A man wearing a leather jacket standing in a green and lush jungle.

11 April 2024

Harvesting Peace: producing chocolate with former FARC combatants

An Article about the Peace Dividend Initiative and it’s chocolate project in Colombia.

Three girls study on the computer.

14 February 2024

«Education empowers people to shape their own lives»

A series of interviews with actors active in the field of education in the run-up to the IC Forum Switzerland 2023, focusing on the theme 'Education4Future'.

Representatives of the Swiss Embassy and the Nepalese government at the inauguration of the Marin Khola Bridge on 9 November in Bagmati Province.

13 December 2023

How a bridge changes people's lives

A suspension bridge in Nepal is changing life in the neighbourhood. Those affected tell their stories.

Portrait of Faris Hadad-Zervos, Country Director for Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, The World Bank

12 December 2023

Bridging Communities: Swiss Support for Trail Bridges in Nepal

The World Bank also supported the expansion of the trail bridge network in Nepal. Faris Hadad-Zervos, Country Director for Nepal, takes stock.

Ang Tsering Sherpa painting a bridge element with paint and brush.

9 November 2023

«The collaboration with local people was excellent»

Engineer Hans Aschmann led the first Swiss-backed construction of a suspension bridge in Nepal in 1960–61. The interview.

Women working on the construction of the Ghurswaghat bridge in Kanchanpur.

9 November 2023

Building bridges for development

Swiss development cooperation has been helping Nepal build trail bridges since 1960.

Two women in a field are looking at a smartphone.

12 October 2023

Engaging the Private Sector for Sustainable Development

A dynamic private sector is a key driver for reducing global poverty. In developing countries, the private sector generates nine out of ten jobs.

A person holding hazelnuts.

11 September 2023

How Switzerland helps Georgian farmers increase exports of organic hazelnuts

The SDC has launched a partnership with the Swiss firm Pakka AG to enable Georgian farmers to increase productivity from organic hazelnut production.

Young data science entrepreneurs from the Gaza Strip on the EPFL Campus.

10 July 2023

Gazan IT Talents Join Swiss Start-Ups and Research Labs

Five young data science talents from the Gaza Strip gain valuable experience in Switzerland.

15 June 2023

International cooperation under the sign of the war against Ukraine

Faces, stories, facts and figures: The SDC and SECO interactive annual report reviews the year 2022.

SDC Director General Patricia Danzi visiting an IT training centre in Nepal. The participants in the discussion sit in a circle. Among them are two students.

9 February 2023

«We don't want to talk about young people – we want to talk with them»

In this interview, SDC Director General Patricia Danzi discusses the IC Forum 2023 and the role that education plays in sustainable development.

Children are sitting between school desks. The teacher helps them with their schoolwork.

8 February 2023

«Investing in education is one of the most important things we can do as a society»

A series of interviews with actors active in the field of education in the run-up to the IC Forum 2023. Interview with Donika Dimovska, Jacobs Foundation.

A group of young people are sitting around a table. Together they are doing schoolwork.

7 February 2023

«The financial sector can play an important role on the path to sustainable funding for education»

A series of interviews with actors active in the field of education in the run-up to the IC Forum 2023. Interview with the economist Anja Hochberg.

Children begging and selling shoes in Afghanistan's capital Kabul. 84% of 258 million children and adolescents worldwide who are out of school live in protracted crisis settings.

25 November 2022

Right to education continues to be illusory for many

Millions of children worldwide are missing school because they live in an emergency situation that sometimes lasts for years on end.

Two pilot projects have already been implemented in Colombia and Ecuador: a water contractor explains to interested people how the water filter works.

30 September 2022

«We want to bring sustainable clean drinking water to poorer countries»

Openversum developed a water filter to improve access to clean drinking water for which it has been awarded a prize by the SDC and SECO.

Aerial view of the South East Asian delegations standing near a dam.

16 September 2022

«The challenges facing Switzerland are also our daily reality»

Interview with Phonepaseuth Phouliphanh, secretary general of the Lao National Mekong Committee, during a visit to Switzerland to learn from Swiss water management practices.

The two Asian delegations posing in front of a dam in Martigny.

9 September 2022

Sharing know-how between the water towers of Switzerland and Mekong

From 6 to 9 September, Switzerland shared its experience in sustainable transboundary water management with delegations from South East Asia.

Mwawuganga is sitting on the stage. In front of her are some scenic props.

18 August 2022

Stories from the South and East on the Zurich stage

Insight into the SDC's cultural partnership with the Zürcher Theater Spektakel. Interview with Kenyan artist Wanjikũ Mwawuganga and the organisers.

Men and women walking on a river island.

28 July 2022

Switzerland and Bangladesh: 50 years of working towards increased prosperity

Switzerland has been supporting Bangladesh with its economic and social development since the country's founding in 1972.

A field of red flowers with snow-capped mountains in the background.

8 June 2022

Switzerland and Central Asian states: 30 years of cooperation

The Dushanbe Water Decade Conference: Switzerland is celebrating 30 years of cooperation with the Central Asian states.

Disaster risk reduction in Switzerland includes measures taken before, during and after a disaster. Mumbai, India.

24 May 2022

Assessing risks, risk preparedness and saving lives

Switzerland is advocating effective measures at the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Bali, 23–28.05.2022.

Cambodian street vendors in Phnom Penh: over two billion people worldwide work in the informal sector.

20 May 2022

Better jobs for a better world

Decent work worldwide is considered a key factor for reducing poverty within international development policy. Cooperation with the private sector is an important plank but there are major challenges – and the pandemic has only added to them.

Syrian refugee girls sit in a classroom in Lebanon and stretch their hands.

26 April 2022

Applying lessons from the Swiss school system to development cooperation

On 26 April 2022, experts met to discuss how the strengths of Switzerland's school system can be used to greater effect in international cooperation work.

A woman in the foreground is walking with mosquito nets in her hands. Behind her are children.

25 April 2022

Fighting malaria: Switzerland's unique expertise

Fighting malaria: SDC is engaged at the multilateral level and cooperates with actors in various sectors. The example of the Swiss Malaria Group.

Visions du Réel festival participants meet in Nyon.

7 April 2022

World on big screen in Nyon

Thanks to its cultural partnership with the Visions du Réel festival (7-17 April in Nyon), the SDC supports many artists from the Global South and East.

A young woman teaches children from a boat on a river in the Philippines.

25 January 2022

«The question of who provides education needs to be addressed»

The SDC will be debating the role of the private sector in education at the Swiss launch of the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report 2021/22.

Dozens of coconut shells strewn on the ground.

13 January 2022

Swiss research tackles global challenges

The SDC and the SNSF are launching a new 'Solution-oriented Research for Development Programme' (SOR4D).

Description View from a window of the port and part of the city of Beirut following the tragic explosion on 4 August 2020.

19 August 2021

Beirut, a year on…

To mark World Humanitarian Day and the first anniversary of the Beirut explosion, the FDFA profiles a Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit expert who was involved in the reconstruction of the Lebanese capital.

A man takes a portrait photo with his mobile phone of a woman, who is standing in front of an orange wall.

13 August 2021

openIMIS: the open source software that facilitates access to healthcare

openIMIS is an open source program that connects patient, provider and payer data to improve access to healthcare. How the SDC supported this project.

Young people working in groups.

3 August 2021

Open Doors: culture driving sustainable development

Focus on Open Doors – the SDC's cultural partnership with the Locarno Film Festival. Supporting films and directors from Southeast Asia and Mongolia.

Tajik medical personnel are being trained. On the table are mannequins and medical instruments.

30 July 2021

Switzerland and Tajikistan: two decades of continuous learning

An overview of the Swiss-Tajikistan partnership in the health sector. Testimony of two Swiss doctors active in the cooperation programmes.

The construction and equipment of school infrastructures and the distribution of school kits are among the actions supported by the GPE in Benin.

29 July 2021

Education: the key to sustainable development

Since 2008, Switzerland has supported the Global Partnership for Education. Learn more about Switzerland's related work in Afghanistan and Benin.

How can business and human rights be combined? The FDFA and SECO are committed to finding solutions not only for multinational companies but also for SMEs.

21 June 2021

Integrating human rights in business is a matter of global concern

Ten years ago, a framework to limit the impact of economic activity on human rights was established under the auspices of the UN.

Population density is taking its toll on the environment in the world's largest refugee camp, Kutupalong-Balukhali in Bangladesh.

21 June 2021

Greening the blue in humanitarian aid

Switzerland and the UNHCR have launched a centre of expertise dedicated to the greening of humanitarian action, the Geneva Technical Hub.

Mobile suitcases enable elderly people to access EGAP's e-services.

28 May 2021

Switzerland supports Ukraine in its digital transition

The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), supports a public services digital transformation project in Ukraine. Patricia Danzi, the SDC Director General, signs an agreement in Kyiv to extend the project.

Coming and going: many locals buy and sell products, especially clothes, at the flea market behind the railway station in the capital Chișinău.

25 May 2021

Moldova's health system buckling due to emigration

For years, Moldova has suffered from a rapidly shrinking population and the paradoxical situation that many young people are emigrating to the West because of political instability, a lack of employment opportunities and low wages, while at the same time the country faces a shortage of skilled labour. The health sector is in a particularly precarious predicament.

The ACT-A initiative aims to develop vaccines, medicines and tests and strengthen healthcare systems worldwide.

12 May 2021

«Taking part in this global effort is in Switzerland's direct interest»

Interview with Christian Frutiger, Head of Global Cooperation at the SDC, on Switzerland's contribution to ACT-A.

Two children look out of the sliding window of a booth – one with a mask, one without.

7 May 2021

India and Covid-19: «It feels good to be able to help in an uncomplicated way!»

Director Patricia Danzi reveals how the SDC is currently helping to tackle Covid-19 and how the fall of the Berlin Wall impacted on international cooperation.

Close-up of speckled red beans.

25 April 2021

The fight against malaria: lessons learned in Tanzania to benefit the world at large

Switzerland is committed to ridding the world of malaria by 2030. We take a closer look at the SDC's cooperation programmes in Tanzania.

Dr Michelle Nay standing in a bean field in Colombia.

20 April 2021

Magic beans to mark an anniversary

Michelle Nay of Switzerland has conducted extensive work in support of agricultural research for development.

On the lawn in front of the United Nations' main building in Geneva, the words #HEALTH FOR ALL are written in large letters.

7 April 2021

Equitable access to diagnostics, treatments and vaccines: three pillars of a global response

Equitable access to diagnostic, treatment and vaccines: an SDC priority in response to the pandemic. Learn more about it on World Health Day.

Portrait of Ruth Huber, Vice-Director of SDC and Head of Department Cooperation with Eastern Europe.

25 March 2021

«Sustainable change requires a systemic effort»

Ruth Huber discusses the SDC's nomination for the Catalyst 2030 Award and Switzerland's pioneering role in cooperation with social enterprises.

Christian Frutiger, Head of the SDC's Global Cooperation Department

4 March 2021

"It's about developing solutions with local people, not for them"

Christian Frutiger, Head of the SDC's Global Cooperation Department, explains why engineers are so important for sustainable development.

Close-up of speckled red beans.

10 February 2021

World Pulses Day: on the trail of Yakina the bean

The SDC is working with PABRA to fight malnutrition, improve food security, stimulate the private sector and empower women.

In the picture we see SDC Director General Patricia Danzi sitting at a table and looking into the camera. In the background we see her office with a map of the world on the wall.

2 February 2021

«Sustainable development would not be possible without business»

SDC Director General Patricia Danzi talks about the role of the private sector in international cooperation, about ending poverty and about human dignity.

 Three girls walk along a gravel path at the Azraq refugee camp in the Jordanian desert.

25 January 2021

Cooperation to bolster children's education in emergencies

The Geneva Global Hub for Education in Emergencies, launched on 25 January 2021, has the potential to create long-term prospects for children and youth affected by humanitarian crises.

A white tent, an ambulance and other vehicles belonging to the civil protection authorities and humanitarian organisations. People working to provide assistance.

22 January 2021

Croatia: Switzerland responds to appeal for emergency shelters

At the request of the Croatian authorities, Swiss Humanitarian Aid provides emergency shelter for earthquake survivors.

Contact

Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)
Eichenweg 5
3003 Bern