The SDC helps to defend the rights of women and girls in conflict situations and introduces measures to prevent gender-based violence. It also promotes women's participation in peace, transformation, and state-building processes.
Gender and women's rights in conflict situations and fragile contexts
SDC focus
The SDC works to strengthen the rights of women and girls in fragile contexts and to integrate a gender dimension into its strategies and projects in line with the National Action Plan 1325 (NAP 1325). With this plan, Switzerland meets the obligations of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, adopted in 2000. Resolution 1325 is the first UN Security Council resolution to refer to the impact of armed conflict on women and girls and, at the same time, to underline the fundamental importance of women’s participation in the success of peace processes.
The SDC has set the following two priority objectives in implementing resolution 1325:
1. To strengthen its commitment in preventing and protecting against gender-based violence with particular importance given to post-conflict contexts, humanitarian crises, and involving men and boys in its work on gender issues.
2. To strengthen women's participation and integrate gender-related aspects in local peace, transformation, and state-building processes.
Context
Women and men have different roles, needs, and vulnerabilities in conflict and post-conflict situations. Women, e.g., are particularly affected by gender-based violence and often rejected by their community after having been violated. Another important subject is the taboo in regard to male victims of sexual violence committed by other men. Thus the SDC seeks to ensure that men are not only seen as perpetrators but also as victims.
Furthermore, SDC aims to integrate women better into processes of national and local governance as well as peacebuilding, as they have an undeniably positive impact. Moreover, SDC want to insure to incorporate men further in its prevention activities promoting gender equality. The aim is to persuade men support this cause as their own, as it is not only in the interest of women but the entire society.
Links
Documents
Current projects
Selection
Capacity building for Serbian municipalities
01.01.2018
- 31.12.2021
Switzerland is supporting the Serbian government’s public administration reform, which aims to make it more effective and accessible to both citizens and the private sector. SwissPRO project is being run in 99 municipalities (two-thirds of Serbia) to improve good governance, social inclusion and gender equality.
| Country/region | Topic | Period | Budget |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Serbia |
Governance Human rights Gender
Decentralisation
Human rights (incl. Women's rights)
Women’s equality organisations and institutions
|
01.01.2018 - 31.12.2021 |
CHF 7'990'000 |
A more inclusive job market for women in the South Caucasus
01.11.2017
- 31.07.2021
In the three countries of the South Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia), many women face job market discrimination. In the absence of policy to create equal opportunities and jobs for women in the formal economy, women work unprotected in the informal sector. The Women’s Economic Empowerment in the South Caucasus project seeks to promote women's economic empowerment to facilitate their equal access to employment and entrepreneurial opportunities.
| Country/region | Topic | Period | Budget |
|---|---|---|---|
|
South Caucasus |
Gender
Women’s equality organisations and institutions
|
01.11.2017 - 31.07.2021 |
CHF 3'763'327 |
Gender-based Violence Prevention and Response Project (GBV Project)
01.01.2024
- 31.12.2027
Gender-based violence is prevalent in Nepal because of patriarchal values, lack of rights awareness or support services and poor implementation of laws. In the first phase, the project will directly reach 50,000 households in three districts with GBV prevention activities involving women, girls, men and boys and will provide improved medical, psychosocial and legal services for a minimum of 1’000 GBV survivors. Subsequently, the coverage will be increased.
Participation des femmes dans le processus de paix, de sécurité et de relèvement au Mali
31.12.2023
- 31.03.2031
La Suisse s’engage au Mali pour une participation plus significative des femmes dans le processus de paix. Par l’intermédiaire de ONU-Femmes, les soutiens directs à des initiatives de la société civile malienne seront complétés par la réalisation du Plan d’Action National pour la mise en œuvre de la Résolution 1325 de l’ONU, concernant la participation de femmes dans les processus de paix et les garanties de sécurité. Le programme contribue ainsi à la stabilisation de la sous-région
Improving economic empowerment and resilience of women dairy producers in Abkhazia and Samegrelo regions
01.10.2020
- 30.09.2024
This contribution aims at improving economic empowerment and resilience of women dairy producers in Abkhazia and adjacent Samegrelo regions. The protracted conflict in Abkhazia impedes socio-economic development, leading to high poverty and vulnerability to external shocks, as COVID-19. Women are particularly vulnerable, as they are also victims of gender-based discrimination and domestic violence. Farmer Field Schools will empower women by enhancing their technical and leadership skills.
PSTIC: Provision of protection and humanitarian assistance to vulnerable migrants in Greater Cairo
21.08.2020
- 20.08.2021
The increase in migrants and refugees residing in Egypt, coupled with shrinking humanitarian funding are leaving many at protection risk. With new challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the protection risks have risen and needs are exacerbated. This project will respond to the immediate protection needs of refugees and migrants by providing a comprehensive package of gender sensitive emergency protection services in Greater Cairo, with a special focus on women and children at risk.
Gender based violence (GBV), Ph.2
01.08.2020
- 31.07.2023
Strengthening the Role of Local Communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina
01.05.2020
- 30.06.2024
The Project will enhance community governance in BiH by empowering local communities (MZs) as modern and effective structures for pro-active citizens’ participation. A new functional and organizational set up of MZs in BiH will be created and standardized countrywide. In turn, women and men will benefit from more people-centred local service delivery, better accountability and transparency of municipalities.
Mercy Corps - Building Resilience in Conflict-Affected Communities (BRAC)
01.02.2020
- 31.01.2022
South Kordofan is one of the areas in Sudan were the armed conflict is temporarily halted, but not yet solved, and many communities are still suffering from its consequences. These communities are hosting significant numbers of IDPs and refugees from war torn South Sudan, who share the very limited available resources. The project aims at increasing the resilience of female and male members of vulnerable households to economic, social and climate related shocks through improved access to gender responsive basic services and increased agricultural production.
Grassroots women building resilience and peace in Central America.
01.10.2019
- 31.12.2022
The project enables two thousand grassroots women and their families to implement effective climate adaptation practices and strengthen their voice and leadership to influence related public plans and policies. The exchange of good local practices will be fostered among women in the region, thus increasing their resilience to climate change and variability.
UN-Gender Rwanda
01.10.2019
- 30.09.2023
In line with SDC’s engagement on fighting sexual and gender-based violence and women’s empowerment in the Great Lakes region, the UN-Gender Program will contribute to the efforts of the Government of Rwanda and the UN Agencies in Rwanda to transform commitments to gender equality and women’s empowerment into concrete actions, in particular through awareness raising and capacity building for women and strengthening service providers.
IGAD Land Governance Programme
01.09.2019
- 31.08.2023
Land is a source for livelihoods and a valuable economic asset in the IGAD region. Drawing on experiences from other land related partnerships at national, regional and global levels, Switzerland supports the Intergovernmental Authority on Development IGAD to translate continental and global land governance frameworks and guidelines into practice in order to improve access to land and tenure security for all, especially for vulnerable groups like pastoralists, women and youth.
