Critical questions concerning Switzerland's international cooperation

Although poverty has not disappeared, significant progress has been made in reducing it. According to the World Bank, the proportion of people living on less than USD 1.25 per day declined from 43% to 21% between 1990 and 2015. 

Several Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have been achieved. Some 90% of children in developing countries are now receiving basic education. Major successes have also been achieved in the fight against malaria and tuberculosis. The probability of a child dying before the age of five years has practically halved. 

Thanks to its ongoing efforts on the ground, Switzerland has helped to improve living conditions in fragile partner countries and regions. Positive results have been achieved in addressing the causes of instability and conflict in fragile contexts. 

Switzerland now brings markedly more influence to bear on the international regulatory framework to tackle global issues like climate change, food security, water, migration and health. Switzerland contributed, for example, to the creation of the Green Climate Fund and was also able to influence the new strategic framework for sustainable development post-2015. 

Nonetheless, it is also a fact that over 800 million people are still going hungry every day worldwide. Over 60 million people have been displaced, and 80 million young people are unemployed.

The first priority of the federal government is to address the difficulties faced by the people of Switzerland and to ensure their welfare. In 2016, social security, education and research in Switzerland accounted for 44.8% of federal spending. 

In an increasingly globalised world, it is naive to assume that the challenges Switzerland faces stop at the country's borders. Global problems like climate change, migration and armed conflicts affect not only the rest of the world but also Switzerland. That is why investing in solutions to these global problems is also in the interest of the Swiss people.

Measurability of international cooperation

Corruption is a worldwide phenomenon and an obstacle to development wherever it occurs. It is a well-known fact that corruption in its various manifestations, including fraudulent investments and the diversion of public funds for private gain, has an extremely detrimental effect on efforts to combat poverty.  Switzerland works with its partners to bring about governance reforms aimed at making government more transparent and efficient, and thereby indirectly but sustainably reducing corruption levels. In order to counter corruption, Switzerland closely monitors the use of its own funds and supports projects aimed at combating corruption in its partner countries.

In priority regions, Switzerland works together with governmental and non-governmental actors that function as external control mechanisms. At the multilateral level, Switzerland supports anti-corruption programmes and actively addresses this issue in its own programmes and in the activities of multilateral institutions.

The presence of Swiss personnel on the ground is also an effective means of combating corruption. Although this requires a considerable investment in personnel resources, it is the best guarantee that Swiss funds do not flow into ill-conceived and poorly executed projects or the wrong pockets. In countries where there is lack of trust in the government, Switzerland lends its support to civil society, including NGOs, instead.

Switzerland’s activities in fragile contexts

The victims of crises, disasters and conflicts are at the heart of humanitarian aid. Humanitarian aid is an expression of Swiss solidarity with people in need and focuses on emergency relief, the sustainable reconstruction of affected areas, and disaster risk reduction. Addressing the causes of poverty and offering people better prospects for the future requires a long-term engagement that goes beyond humanitarian aid.

Development cooperation is not only an expression of solidarity with the disadvantaged, but is also in Switzerland's interest. Political, economic and environmental developments worldwide have a major impact on the quality of life in Switzerland. As a net beneficiary of globalisation and as a prosperous, technologically interconnected and highly developed country, Switzerland also has a responsibility to invest in sustainable development worldwide.

Responsibilities of international cooperation