A report entitled 'A Matter of Survival' is on the table.
Launch of the final report of the Global High-Level Panel on Water and Peace in Geneva. © Presence Switzerland FDFA

The SDC is working to ensure that the ‘water goal’ in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is implemented rapidly and that water is afforded greater prominence at the international level. Switzerland's actions are based on the firm belief and its own experience that the sustainable management of water resources is essential to promote social, economic and environmental development and to maintain global peace.

SDC Focus

International efforts have already given rise to major improvements, for example in relation to drinking water and sanitation services. However, the results are still insufficient. At present, 844 million people still lack access to clean water. Furthermore, one-third of the world's population is still living without adequate sanitation facilities.

The SDC is committed to strengthening the implementation of the ‘water goal’ enshrined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Alongside a group of countries, the SDC is supporting global political dialogue to ensure that international obligations are met and specific activities undertaken that will help achieve this goal. With its many years of experience in water management, Switzerland is making a considerable contribution to identifying comprehensive transboundary solutions. Moreover, the SDC is strengthening the voice of young people in policy dialogue both regionally and globally, for they are the potential water specialists of the future.

Water management is a particularly complex issue and one which the international community is addressing: Switzerland possesses broad expertise in this field. As stretches of two major European rivers, the Rhône and the Rhine, flow through the country, and a number of lakes extend across its borders, Switzerland has long experience in transboundary water management and can assist in developing solutions for other parts of the world.

Background

2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: a stand-alone ‘water goal’

Under the auspices of the SDC, Switzerland worked successfully together with a coalition of other countries to have water included as a stand-alone objective in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Goal 6 covers the protection and restoration of water-related ecosystems as well as access to drinking water, sanitation facilities and hygiene. A further objective is to promote cross-border cooperation between states in order to ensure comprehensive water resources management that involves all users at all levels.

Water and human development

If a reliable supply of drinking water and access to adequate sanitation services are guaranteed, the population is more likely to remain in good health, thus reducing medical costs, while healthier children mean lower school absenteeism rates. Water points located close to human settlements help save precious time – time otherwise devoted to fetching water, a task often assigned to women and children.

Water is also essential to ensuring the livelihoods of people in rural areas, producing food and energy, and driving growth in industry and the services sector.

Furthermore, shortages of water can give rise to tension or even conflicts. 153 states share rivers, groundwater reserves or lakes with one or more neighbouring countries. Rivalries over water therefore have direct repercussions for peace and security. By contrast, commonly agreed, peaceful management fosters peace and stability.

Documents

Current projects

Object 49 – 60 of 104

Global Alliance for Health and Pollution

01.06.2018 - 31.12.2028

Through political, technical and financial support, SDC together with other Swiss partners aims at actively co-shaping the agenda of the still young Global Alliance on Health and Pollution. The alliance brings together different stakeholders to produce evidence for awareness raising and to curb toxic pollution of air, water and soil in low- and middle-income countries in order to reduce its harmful effects on public health.


UNICEF - RRM

01.05.2018 - 28.02.2019

La DDC par son appui financier au mécanisme de réponse rapide (RRM) dirigé par UNICEF participe à un financement rapide qui aide la communauté humanitaire à répondre aux activités d'urgencepermettant d'améliorer les conditions de vie des personnes vulnérables aiguës affectées par un choc humanitaire et la préservation de leur sécurité et dignité. Le RRM maintien une capacité de veille humanitaire, d'évaluation et de réponse rapide aux besoins urgents identifiés en biens non alimentaires et en eau et assainissement. 


Programme de Renforcement de la Gestion Locale de l’Eau Potable et l’Assainissement - REGLEAU

01.04.2018 - 31.12.2029

Aujourd’hui, seuls 58% des Haïtiens ont accès à l’eau potable et moins de 30% d’entre eux bénéficient de services de base d’assainissement. En cause, le manque de gouvernance et de capacité d’autofinancement du secteur. La DCC entend renforcer les capacités de gestion des municipalités et de la Direction Nationale d’Eau Potable et d’Assainissement (DINEPA) grâce à une meilleure maîtrise d’ouvrage au niveau des Collectivités Territoriales.


Sustainable water management for food security and nutrition in agriculture and food systems

01.04.2018 - 31.03.2027

Agriculture accounts globally for 70% freshwater use. Inefficient water use, water pollution, climate change and increasing global water demand puts agriculture under pressure, as well for smallholders. SDC can build on successful experiences in this domain and will support projects in Africa in ecologically sustainable water management in smallholder agriculture and food systems, improve smallholders’ economic and social situation and increase the resilience of their livelihoods.


RUNRES: The rural-urban nexus: Establishing a nutrient loop to improve city region food systems.

01.04.2018 - 30.04.2023

Implemented by the Institute for sustainable Agroecosystems of ETHZ, RUNRES will seek to improve the resilience and sustainability of food systems in four different rural-urban regions across Africa. It will encourage nutrient & waste recycling by installing and redirecting the byproducts of innovative, ecological, hygienically safe sanitation solutions. The organic matter may then serve as an input for smallholder producers to generate a circular flow of nutrients in agriculture, reinvigorating thus regional food systems.


Blue Lifelines – Safeguarding Wetlands in the Sahel

01.04.2018 - 30.06.2023

The relevance of wetlands for food security and nutrition is underestimated worldwide and in the Sahel in particular. Experiences from the project sites in Mali and Ethiopia and from previous efforts have the potential to change Sahelian and global approaches and to be scaled-up through attracting investments by international financing institutions. The project is implemented by Wetlands International, Caritas Switzerland and a Swiss technology company hydrosolutions Ltd.


Promoting Water Stewardship 2030

01.03.2018 - 31.12.2020

Water stewardship fosters responsible private engagement in water. This programme aims at shaping the collaboration with the private sector for the benefit of society and natural resources. This SDC contribution will promote and institutionalize multi-stakeholder water dialogue by supporting several public-private partnership initiatives. It will facilitate exchange of knowledge leading to changes in practices and behaviours across sectors and stakeholders.


Research for action: Water, Behaviour Change and Environmental Sanitation: Sustainable Solutions to Research, Knowledge and Professionalization (WABES)

01.02.2018 - 31.07.2022

To answer the global challenge of improving access to safe water and adequate sanitation, essential for poverty reduction, health, economic development and a life in dignity, it is necessary to work at two levels: developing and using appropriate technology and techniques, but also working on the institutional frameworks and human capacities. To this aim, SDC has decided to partner with a Swiss Research Institute, long-term collaborator well recognised internationally.


Rural Water Supply Network

01.02.2018 - 31.12.2030

Universal and equitable access to safe water is especially in rural areas still far from being accomplished and the rural water supply sector is highly fragmented. The Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN) is the only global professional network for rural water supply professionals and researchers across 150 countries. It works to raise standards of knowledge and evidence, technical and professional competence, practice and policy in rural water supply to ultimately contribute to sustainable rural water services for all.


Young People as Agents of Change in the Water Sector

01.01.2018 - 31.10.2021

Young people and their innovative ideas play an important role in addressing some of the largest water challenges. SDC supports the Young Water Fellowship Programme that builds the capacities of young water entrepreneurs, provides technical as well as financial support to implement their ideas and engages with stakeholders and decision-makers to exchange knowledge and create an enabling environment for young people willing to be engaged in the water sector.


Core Contribution for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 2018 - 2020

01.01.2018 - 31.12.2021

SDC has been granting core contributions to IUCN since 1997. The new Core Contribution for the period 2018 – 2020 aims to highlight IUCN’s comparative advantage and development relevance. With this core contribution SDC contributes to the implementation of the IUCN Programme 2017-2020 and in particular to the integration of healthy and restored ecosystems into SDGs water (SDG 6), climate change (SDG13), environment (14/15) and food security (SDG2).


Young People as Agents of Change in the Water Sector – Consolidation of SDC/GPW’s Pioneering Role

01.01.2018 - 31.12.2027

The project will facilitate the empowerment of young people in the water sector, which is essential to achieve the water-related SDG goals. The intervention will strengthen the current GPW/SDC portfolio, directly supports initiatives and projects, consolidate SDC’s institutional approach, and finally contribute to mainstream a young people approach into strategies and policies at all levels.

Object 49 – 60 of 104