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Swiss official development assistance in 2016

03.04.2017 — Press release EDA
The Swiss Confederation spent 0.39% of its gross national income (GNI) on international cooperation and international aid in 2016, compared with 0.41% in 2015. The reduction is the result of the savings measures adopted by the Swiss parliament. Switzerland's official development assistance (ODA) nonetheless increased from 0.51% of GNI in 2015 to 0.54% in 2016 when the costs associated with a significant number of new asylum-seekers in 2015 are taken into account.



Switzerland and Albania stress potential for closer relations

31.03.2017 — Press release EDA
President Doris Leuthard welcomed Edi Rama, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania for an official working meeting at Lohn manor on Friday, 31 March. This was the first visit by an Albanian prime minister to Switzerland since 1994. The focus was on political and economic relations between the two countries and the situation in the Western Balkans.


Arab-Swiss Water Day in Bern

A young boy in Afghanistan drinking water from a fountain.

27.03.2017 — Article DEZA

As part of the Arab-DAC Dialogue on Development in Bern, Switzerland is organising an additional conference day with key Arab donor institutions on Goal 6 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Water and Sanitation for All. The discussions will focus on promoting durable and innovative approaches to ensure the sustainable management of water, which is a vital resource.


Switzerland plays key role in development policy dialogue with Arab donors

27.03.2017 — Press release EDA
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is hosting this year's dialogue between the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD) Development Assistance Committee and Arab donors, aimed at implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Implementation of the 2030 Agenda requires coordinated action by all donors as well as targeted and effective deployment of limited resources. The countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are among the biggest sources of development finance. The event, being held in Bern on 27–28 March, complements the SDC's wider development policy dialogue with Arab donors, which also takes place in the Gulf region.


Hope for children and young people in humanitarian crises – Switzerland’s contribution

24.03.2017 — Press release EDA
What contribution is Switzerland making to prevent a whole generation from being lost to humanitarian crises? What is it doing to create new prospects for the more than 30 million children and young people worldwide who are currently refugees? These questions were the focus of the Annual Conference of Swiss Humanitarian Aid and the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit (SHA) held at the Kursaal in Bern. During the conference entitled 'Generating hope for children and youth in humanitarian crises', Federal Councillor and Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Didier Burkhalter and the Director-General of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) Manuel Sager spoke about Switzerland's commitment to restoring hope for the future to young people caught up in humanitarian crises.


AQUA – Art to draw attention to the uneven distribution of water

The words Pubblica, Privata are affixed in steel letters to a weir across the river.

22.03.2017 — Article DEZA

Switzerland is supporting the travelling exhibition AQUA, which will open to the public in Geneva on 22 March on the occasion of World Water Day. AQUA is a project by ART for The World, an NGO that links up contemporary art, human rights and sustainable development. At AQUA, thirty contemporary artists from across the world will seek to show through their works that water is a shared responsibility.


Migration along the central Mediterranean route: Switzerland and eight other countries coordinate activities (fr)

20.03.2017 — Press release DEZA

Les pays directement concernés par la route migratoire reliant l’Afrique à l’Europe par la Méditerranée centrale veulent mieux coordonner leurs activités. La conseillère fédérale Simonetta Sommaruga a échangé dimanche 19 et lundi 20 mars à Rome avec ses homologues de huit pays européens et nord-africains sur des approches communes pour relever les défis liés à cette route migratoire. La priorité est de sauver des vies et de lutter contre le trafic d’êtres humains. La Suisse a insisté sur la nécessité de mieux protéger les migrants, en particulier ceux qui sont bloqués en Afrique du Nord.    


Visite officielle du président sénégalais Macky Sall en Suisse

20.03.2017 — Press release EDA
Le lundi 20 mars 2017, le président du Sénégal, Macky Sall, a effectué la première visite officielle en Suisse depuis 2001 d’un chef d’État sénégalais. La présidente de la Confédération, Doris Leuthard, a reçu le Président Sall avec les honneurs militaires à la résidence du Lohn, à Kehrsatz (BE). Les relations économiques entre les deux pays, les échanges dans le domaine de la formation, la coopération en matière d’économie et des droits de l’homme ainsi que la collaboration à l’échelon international ont été au centre des entretiens officiels.


Humanitarian principles on the school curriculum

A woman standing in front of a class and speaking to pupils as photos are projected onto the wall

15.03.2017 — Article DEZA

Project Humanity, which was initiated by the SDC, familiarises students with the four humanitarian principles. They get an idea of how humanitarian aid works and how they can integrate it in their day-to-day lives. We visited a class at the Wiedikon cantonal school in Zurich.


UN session on women’s economic empowerment: Switzerland campaigns for equal pay

13.03.2017 — Press release EDA
The 61st session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) will kick off on 13 March 2017 in New York. Women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work is the focus of this year’s session. Equal pay will be one of the focal points of Switzerland's efforts during the session. Representing the country is a delegation led by FDFA Secretary General Benno Bättig and Director of the Federal Office for Gender Equality Sylvie Durrer. Together with other partners, Switzerland is launching the Global Equal Pay Coalition, which seeks to eliminate wage inequality by 2030.


Women respond to the effects of climate change and natural disasters

A young women carries a bale of fresh grass on her back.

06.03.2017 — Article DEZA

Women generally suffer more than men do from the effects of climate change and natural disasters. This observation leads the SDC to develop a targeted strategy of supporting projects in which women play an important role in their own social and economic emancipation.

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