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 85 – 96 of 104

Maximum cooperation needed to manage glacier melt in Central Asia

Two men working with specialist equipment on a glacier.

01.05.2017 - 31.07.2022

How to meet the needs of Central Asia’s 68 million inhabitants for water while respecting the glaciers overlooking Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan? The SDC’s project is building on voluntary regional cooperation and rigorous scientific monitoring of the changes taking place in the glaciers.

Country/region Topic Period Budget
Central Asia
Water

Water diplomacy and security
Water sector policy
Water resources conservation

01.05.2017 - 31.07.2022


CHF 1'200'000



Health Promotion Cabo Delgado

01.04.2017 - 31.12.2021

Switzerland contributed to health promotion in Cabo Delgado Province in Northern Mozambique by supporting the retention of health promotion workers, strengthening community involvement and the public finance management. Phase 2 of the project builds up on this and newly address Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in order to improve access and quality in the provision of health and WASH services targeting the 23 rural health posts in  three districts of the Province that are serving a total population of 570’000 people.


Soutien au Panel Global de Haut Niveau pour l’Eau et la Paix

01.04.2017 - 30.09.2020

Le Panel Global de Haut Niveau pour l’Eau et la Paix, initiative fer de lance initié par la Suisse ainsi que 14 pays co-parrains, a été lancée avec succès le 15 novembre 2016 dans le cadre du projet Blue Peace Global. L’objectif de cette phase est d’assurer la bonne continuation des travaux du Panel, soutenu par le GWH (7F-08448.02) et le Strategic Foresight Group, ainsi que d’assure par la suite la promotion de leurs recommandations au plus haut niveau politique.


Priority themes WASH and Protection 2017

15.03.2017 - 31.12.2019

In the frame of the dispatch 2017-2020, 4 priority themes have been defined for the SDC/HA domain, namely DRR, SGBV, WASH and Protection, the two latter ones being hosted by the Africa H division. This CP will fund several activities implemented for the whole SDC/HA domain in order to increase the impact and coherence of priority themes such as defined in the operational concepts adopted by the HA domain in 2016.


Access to drinking water: a challenge in Tajikistan

Three children around a fountain.

01.03.2017 - 31.12.2021

In Tajikistan, the poorest country in Central Asia, half of the 8.5 million inhabitants do not have access to drinking water. In mountainous and rural regions, the figure reaches 80%. This situation poses a serious risk to public health. The SDC's project on 'Safe drinking water and sanitation management in Tajikistan' (SWSMT) focuses on access to drinking water and sanitation in the east of the country.

Country/region Topic Period Budget
Tajikistan
Governance
Health
Water
Decentralisation
Infectious desease
Water supply
Health systems strengthening
Water sanitation
Public sector policy
Medical services

01.03.2017 - 31.12.2021


CHF 5'300'000



Programme d’Hydraulique Rurale – Appui Au Secteur Eau et Assainissement (PHRASEA) Phase 2

01.01.2017 - 31.12.2021

Moins de 50% des nigériens ont accès à l’eau potable et seuls 7% disposent de conditions d'assainissement de base. La croissance démographique galopante, la dispersion de la population sur le territoire et la précarité des finances publiques sont des contraintes empêchant l'accès des populations à ces services de base. Le PHRASEA vient en appui aux efforts du gouvernement, en misant sur la maitrise d’ouvrage des communes.


Central Asia : Water Accountability in Transboundary Chu and Talas River Basins

15.12.2016 - 31.12.2021

Effective water resources management requires data management capacities for proper decision-making at different scales. In this context, a modern, Multi-Level Distributed Water Information Systems is a management instrument that provides stakeholders’ gateways for judicious and sustainable water resources management. The project is aiming at introducing such a modern management information system in transboundary Chu and Talas river basins to improve water accountability and transparency.


UN-Water: Strengthening the Global Water Architecture for the effective achievement of the 2030 Agenda

01.12.2016 - 31.12.2020

The role of UN-Water is to coordinate the UN system’s action on all water related issues, including sanitation. Therefore, UN-Water is key to bring a more effective, integrated and coordinated approach to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda with regards to water and sanitation. SDC’s support as core contribution is crucial to ensure that the political ambition of the 2030 Agenda for water has an efficient institutional setting.


Scaling-up SuizAgua Peru and Chile

01.10.2016 - 31.08.2021

Corporate Water Footprint (WF) frameworks in Chile and Peru animate private companies to use and manage water in a sustainable manner. Civil society is made aware of sustainable water cultures by behavioural change campaigns and by being part of watershed collective actions with the private sector. Cooperation among SuizAgua Colombia, Peru and Chile and with other partners ensures further outreach of the project in Latin America with the help of an active community of practice sharing gained knowledge.


UN-Water: Strengthening the Global Water Architecture for the effective achievement of the 2030 Agenda

01.08.2016 - 31.12.2030

UN-Water has now firmly established itself as a major actor in water and in coordinating UN agencies to speak as one voice for water. SDC’s support to UN-Water’s core budget is crucial to ensure that the political ambition of the 2030 Agenda for water and its related targets has an efficient institutional setting allowing an integrated monitoring and an efficient follow-up and review and strong coordination between UN agencies. UN-Water will be key to bring a more effective, integrated and coordinated approach to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda with regards to water and sanitation and to review progress.


Inclusive territorial economic development in the Muskitia region, department of Gracias a Dios

cocoa drying

01.03.2016 - 31.08.2021

The economic development programme is carried out in the Honduran Muskitia, a fragile indigenous territory with great productive potential. The program empowers the territorial stakeholders in the cocoa and fishing value chains and the basic grains production chain located in the mid and lower watershed of the Patuca river. It promotes public-private alliances that respect indigenous rights in accordance to the convention 169 of the international labor organization. These public-private alliances generate 3000 new jobs and increase the income of 1500 indigenous families by 10-30%.


Swiss Bluetec Bridge: Swiss start-ups benefit disadvantaged populations

11.02.2016 - 31.05.2024

In addition to the sustainable management of resources and good governance, water-related challenges open up a wide field for technological innovation, particularly in the application of nanotechnologies for water treatment, especially ones which are energy-efficient. The challenge for Swiss Bluetec Bridge is to put these cutting-edge 'Swiss' technologies at the service of the poor and ensure that they are sustainably managed. To do this the project must seek to bridge the gap between public support for start-ups and private investment.

Object 85 – 96 of 104