Core contribution to Caritas Switzerland, 2025-2028

In recent years, the international environment has undergone rapid normative and geopolitical shifts, while funding for international cooperation (IC) has increasingly been deprioritised. At the same time, IC is confronted with a growing number of overlapping crises, including wars in Ukraine and Sudan, protracted conflicts in the Middle East, the Sahel, the DRC, Myanmar and Afghanistan, as well as rising food insecurity and the accelerating impacts of climate change. These crises disproportionately affect the most vulnerable and result in increasing humanitarian needs. Particular challenges include shrinking civic space, restricted humanitarian access, erosion of the rule of law, forced displacement and persistent gender inequalities.

As a result of these changes and challenges, Swiss NGO receiving core contributions must continuously adapt while diversifying their funding sources and demonstrating their added value for Swiss IC.

Caritas Switzerland (CACH) aims to meet these challenges through programmes that emphasise climate adaptation, income generation and safe and protected international migration. These initiatives will strengthen the rights of those affected by poverty, especially women, children and other marginalised groups, by ensuring their empowerment and participation in a just and equal way. CACH sets a clear geographic focus on Sub-Saharan Africa and on fragile states (70% of the portfolio’s volume).

With its internationapl rogram2 025-28, CACH is making a substantial contribution to Switzerland's IC as outlined in the Swiss IC Strategy 2025-28. The thematic concentration on the three themes (income, migration and climate) mainstreaming the nexus approach gives a clear profile for the overall goal of poverty reduction and Leave No One Behind in all of CACH’s 15 country programmes. 

Outcome 1 : Under the SDC core-contribution-supported programme during 2021-2024 as well as in 2025, CACH directly supported on average per year over 40’000 people to improve their employment situation (income), over 100’000 people to increase their climate resilience and reduce energy poverty, and over 170'000 people to cover their basic needs in humanitarian crisis.

Outcome 2: in 2025. CACH across 11 countries trained 62’000 people in sustainable agriculture, natural resource management, and disaster preparedness, which contributed to over 81’000 people (49% female) benefiting from improved climate resilience, including increased adaptive capacity and access to safe water.

Outcome 3: CACH supported, in 2025 and across 13 countries, over 41’000 migrants, displaced persons, and host community members through tailored information and protection services, including legal advice, GBV protection, and psychasocial support, contributing to roughly 18'000 people (56% female) increasing their self-reliance.

CACH puts a focus on strengthening local civil society partners to become actors in their own right.

CACH further strengthened its multistakeholder approach, linking in each project actors such as local partners, international NGO, private sector, donors, government actors, and academia. Another priority on the institutional level is fostering Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL): CACH uses instruments to design projects in a consistently impact-oriented manner and is continuously optimising its MEAL system.

In view of its shrinking budgets, CACH implemented a decentralisation and regionalisation of its structures and reduced its HO staff, while maintaining with its interventions the same geographical coverage as in the previous phase 2025-26.

1. Income:

People of vulnerable groups improve their (self-)employment situation due to increased efficiency and enhanced market access through the engagement of the private sector and enhanced skills.

2. Climate Change:

People increase their resilience to climate change and variability through strengthened adaptive capacities and sustainable management of natural resources.

3. Migration:

Migrants, displaced persons and host communities increase their self-reliance.

The visibility of the value added by the Swiss NGO to the implementation of the Swiss IC Strategy 2025-28 shall be strengthened and highlighted through:

a) sharpening the narrative for the rationale of the core contribution;

b) an inclusive policy dialogue between SDC and the NGO;

c) implementation of locally-led cooperation;

d) relevant adaptations of programmes and approaches; and

e) evidence-based programming of quality funding.

Phase 22 01.01.2027 - 31.12.2028   (Active)