Core contribution to Caritas Switzerland, 2025 - 2028

The international environment is characterised by numerous multiplec rises. The consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the escalation in the Middle East, food insecurity, debt burden and inflation, climate change and the energy crisis are all having a direct impact on the world's population. They particularly affect the most vulnerable, mostly women and children and result in increasing humanitarian needs. Accelerated change is accompanied by increased uncertainty: The world is becoming more fragmented, unstable and unpredictabIe. Whilst the vision to reach the Sustainable Development Goals remains, challenges including the accelerating global food and nutrition crisis, shrinking civic and humanitarian space, the erosion of rule of law, intensifying armed conflicts, more frequent climate-related disasters, international migration and internal displacement, exacerbated demographics and an important gender gap hamper progress in reaching them.

Caritas Switzerland 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 persons who face discrimination, by ensuring their empowerment and participation in a just and equal way.

Caritas Switzerland supported 750'000 people in 2021-2022. The turnover increased in the past continuously with only 6.3% support costs in 2022. Since 2020, Caritas Switzerland focused on the following key topics:

Thematic and geographical focus
The thematic concentration on the three themes (income, migration and climate) mainstreaming the nexus approach gives a clearer profile and better set up for the overall goal of poverty reduction and Leave No One Behind. Under the SDC core contribution supported programme during 2021-2022, 100'000 people have been able to improve their employment situation (income), with support from Caritas. Over 200’000 people benefitted from climate sensitive measures, over 60’000 migrants increased their selfsufficiency and nearly 200’000 people were assisted to cover their basic needs in humanitarian crisis.

Multistakeholder Approach
Since 2020, Caritas Switzerland takes a multistakeholder approach, linking in each project different actors such as local partners, international NGOs, private sector, donors, government actors, and academia. In this way, the best expertise with the respective added value is included in its programme in order to achieve the goal of empowering the most marginalised, disadvantaged and vulnerable groups. Swiss expertise is brought in through collaboration with (Swiss) partners from different sectors.

Caritas Switzerland put a focus on strengthening local civil society partners to become actors in their own right; the targets set in this regard were exceeded (more than six identified good practices were included in the international programme of Caritas Switzerland by 2022).

Another priority on the institutional level was Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL): Caritas Switzerland introduced instruments to design projects in a consistently impact-oriented manner and optimized its MEAL system.

Furthermore, Caritas Switzerland participated actively in exchanges and sharing of experience with SDC on the topic of humanitarian-development nexus.

1. 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. People increase their resilience to climate change and variability through strengthened adapive capacities and sustainable management of natural resources.
3. Migrants, displaced persons and host communities increases their self-reliance.

The role of Swiss NGOs in the implementation of the Swiss IC Strategy 2025-2028 shall be strengthened through:

a) sharpening the narrative on the importance of the core contribution

b) an inclusive policy dialogue,

c) Locally led development and

d) potential adaptations of programmes and approaches (reforms in the larger sense).