International cooperation and multilateral organisation

The Programme Climate and Clean Air in Latin American Cities (CALAC+) pursues a vision of healthier cities that reduce their emissions of short-lived climate pollutants such as black carbon, atmospheric gases and greenhouse gases, by promoting a shift towards soot-free and low-carbon urban buses and off-road machinery.

Every day, a great number of Swiss women and men work on the SDC's development cooperation and humanitarian aid projects. In the SDC podcast, they tell us about their projects and provide insight into the lives of local people.

Climate extremes are a key driver of food insecurity. More frequent and intense floods, droughts and storms account for up to 90 per cent of hazards worldwide. At the same time, the climate crisis is intersecting with and exacerbating other drivers of hunger, including conflict and economic downturns. Traditional humanitarian response systems need to evolve from crisis response to forward-looking risk management, and the SDC-co-funded World Food Programme's Anticipatory Action (AA) is one way to achieve this.

Conflict and suffering – economic growth and emergence. It is through these, seemingly opposed, narratives that the African continent is often discussed today. How does the SDC perceive these narratives and how does it respond to them? SDC cooperation offices in Benin, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Zimbabwe have given their inputs on the opportunities and challenges arising from these narratives.

Honduras now exports six times more cocoa than it did a decade ago, and cocoa farmers are optimistic about the industry's future. The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), as well as other international organisations, has supported this change through its PROCACAHO programme, a public-private initiative tackling key issues in the cocoa value chain.

Switzerland has played a significant role in shaping the development cooperation landscape in Latin America and the Caribbean over the past six decades. In 2025, Switzerland will embark on a new chapter of collaboration with Latin America and the Caribbean.