Core Contribution to Decent Work Alliance 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 NGOs receiving core contributions organisations must continuously adapt white diversifying their funding sources and demonstrating their added value for Swiss IC.

The Alliance operates in a context characterised by multiple, mutually reinforcing crises. Rising inequality, accelerating climate change, increased migration pressures, expanding precarious work, and the weakening of democratic governance and the rule of law interact and amplify each other. Destabilisation in regions such as West Africa, persistent global hunger, and the multiplication of armed conflicts further exacerbate these dynamics. Civil society actors face not only shrinking financial resources but also increasing restrictions on their operational space in many partner countries.

The Decent Work Alliance contributed to advancing a just transition by promoting equitable labour markets, strengthening social protection systems, and supporting rights-based approaches grounded in international frameworks.

Outcome 1 : The Decent Work Alliance supported 60 initiatives that led to significant improvements in social protection or working conditions being adopted. 140’000 people benefited from adopted initiatives, successful court or mediation cases, collective labour agreement negotiations, or other protection measures.

Outcome 2: Training, Job Skills, and Labour Market integration: 50’000 people successfully completed a VET course or job training. 2'500 people received a recognised certificate upon successful completion.

Outcome 3: 40'000 people along value chains experienced an increase of 10 % in their income. Through collective bargaining, 20’000 people benefited from an increase.

Outcome 4: 800 community-based organisations / civil society organisations demonstrated an improved level of capacity and autonomy. 70'000 women, girls or marginalised people reported improved or maintained access to services.

Outcome 5: 25’000 disaster/crisis-affected people’s most urgent needs were met with emergency assistance. 400'000 people affected by disaster or crisis recovered access to basic services, shelter and livelihoods. 18’000 people showed reduced vulnerability to destabilising events, disasters or climate change. These results contribute to strengthened resilience and recovery capacities of people in fragile contexts.

Outcome 1 : Decent Work - Workers' Rights: Persons at risk of exploitation, exclusion or other forms of precarious work (including climate-related) have experienced a significant improvement in working conditions and social protection and exercise their rights. 

Outcome 2: Decent Work - Training, Job Skills and Labour Market Integration: Disadvantaged youth and adults have enhanced their job and employability skills and improved their access to the labour market.

Outcome 3: Decent Work - Economic Empowerment: Target groups have improved their economic living conditions.

Outcome 4: Democracy Civil Society and Sensitisation: A culture of democracy, non-violence, rule of law, and human rights is established. Democratic local governance allows inclusive decision-making with citizens and civil society organisations, leading to tangible improvements in power relations, resource distribution, public service accessibility, and addressing climate change impacts. 

Outocome 5: Disaster & Crisis: Households and peopIe affected by disaster and crises meet their basic needs and recover dignified living conditions and strengthen their resilience and adaptive capacities to cope with and/or adapt to the crisis and to pursue durable solutions.

The visibility of the value added by the Swiss NGOs 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 19 01.01.2027 - 31.12.2028   (Active)