The Board of the Green Climate Fund.
As member of the Green Climate Fund, Switzerland works to ensure that the needs of those most affected by climate change are given consideration. © UNFCCC

Global warming disrupts economic development and threatens to destroy the progress that has been made in reducing poverty. That is why Switzerland incorporates climate protection and the global impact of climate change in its international development policy, and provides expertise, technical solutions and financial resources for climate protection as part of its development projects and via international funding mechanisms.

The SDC's focus

People in developing countries are particularly affected by climate change because their livelihoods depend directly on natural resources. Such countries often lack the financial and technical capacities that are required for climate change adaptation. Climate change impairs both economic and social development globally and compromises what has already been achieved.

Synergies with poverty reduction

Switzerland is active in climate change mitigation and adaptation internationally and aims for its funding for developing countries to be deployed effectively. It takes into account the challenges its partner countries face and anchors its own measures in a long-term strategy to reduce poverty worldwide. To this end, the SDC creates synergies between climate protection and improving food security or governance, for example, to ensure that Switzerland's official development assistance is used in an optimal way.

International financing mechanisms

Switzerland is represented in the steering committees of the most important climate and environment funds, where the SDC advocates in particular for giving adequate attention to the needs of the poorest countries. To do this, the SDC relies on its long-standing experience in its partner countries. It makes sure that policies, procedures and the funding earmarked for climate protection are used to help the weakest people, communities and regions over the long term.

As part of this goal, the SDC was actively involved in creating the Green Climate Fund (GCF). The GCF is aimed at financing eco-friendly measures in developing countries in order to increase sustainable development. Today it is a central component of the international financing for climate protection. Through its representation in the GCF's steering committee, the SDC works actively to ensure greater multilateral cooperation and to promote innovative approaches.

The SDC, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) make contributions to international financing mechanisms for climate change mitigation and adaptation. In the 2015–17 period, Switzerland made its first contribution of USD 100 million to the GCF.

Context

Switzerland works to ensure that the existing approaches to combating climate change are deployed where they can have the largest impact. It aims to ensure that the needs of the people most affected by climate change are taken into account in particular, and that the adaptation measures that are needed receive sufficient funding. The SDC undertakes this work as part of its mandate under the Federal Act on International Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid. The international cooperation dispatches set out the priorities for each period. For Switzerland's international cooperation strategy 2021-2024, climate change – a growing challenge for development policy – is a key focus.

Increasing awareness at the international level

Because measures to adapt to climate change and a transition to sustainable development are needed, industrial countries – including Switzerland – are making commitments at the international level. Sustainable Development Goal 13 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development underlines the importance of combating climate change and its effects. Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the international community has committed itself to mobilising public and private funds for this. Switzerland has a high degree of credibility in this area because of its careful and sustainable approach to its environment (e.g. recycling, building standards, private sector collaborations) and its highly industrialised economy at the same time. This allows Switzerland to position itself proactively in international discussions and find an audience for its concerns.

Current projects

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Soutien au Dispositif National de Sécurité Alimentaire -PRESA-

01.05.2017 - 30.06.2022

Malgré l’excédent céréalier enregistré depuis plus de 20 ans, le Mali fait face à des crises alimentaires récurrentes qui touchent près du quart de la population. La Suisse soutient le Dispositif National de Sécurité Alimentaire par la combinaison des instruments de l’aide humanitaire et de développement en vue de gérer les crises alimentaires et renforcer la résilience des populations vulnérables. Cet appui contribuera à la stabilité du pays et de la sous-région et a le potentiel de réduire la migration forcée.



ASEAN-Swiss Partnership on Social Forestry & Climate Change (ASFCC) - Phase III

01.03.2017 - 31.08.2021

SDC’s intervention supports the implementation of the ambitious 2030 ASEAN framework strategy to address climate change and food security for the Southeast Asian region. It puts a special focus on the participation of local people and communities to safeguard, manage and benefit from forest goods and services – thereby making an important contribution to address poverty alleviation and climate change at local, national and regional levels.


Sustainable Livelihood and Disaster Mitigation (SLDM)

01.02.2017 - 31.12.2021

The intervention works on the nexus of DRR, food security and agroforestry and successor programme of the Sloping Land Management programme (SLM). Building on SLM, food security remains central, but DRR is the principle concern of the domain of intervention. Combining food security and DRR increases the scope to work holistically towards sustaining the resources on which livelihoods depend. The emphasis on sustainable food production addresses the humanitarian needs of communities. Coupling this with a focus on community action serves to enlarge the scope for groups and individuals to act more autonomously.



Solidar Suisse (Kredit Süd)

01.01.2017 - 31.12.2018

Solidar Suisse oriente son programme de développement sur les besoins et les droits des personnes vulnérables et défavorisées dans les pays les plus pauvres et dans les pays émergents et en transition où les inégalités sont profondes. Solidar Suisse développe des programmes qui renforcent les mouvements sociaux et promeuvent l’intégration active de la société civile dans les processus politiques. Le « travail décent » est devenu l’élément phare de Solidar Suisse qui a développé une véritable expertise dans cette thématique.


Gendermainstreaming in SDC to support the implementation of the gender goals in the Agenda 2030 and the new message 2017-2020

01.01.2017 - 30.06.2022

Mit dem strategischen Ziel 7 in der Botschaft 2017-2020 bekräftigt die DEZA die Gleichstellung der Geschlechter als Schlüssel für Armutsreduktion und leistet einen Beitrag zur Umsetzung der Genderziele der Agenda 2030. Thematische Prioritäten sind die Geschlechtergleichstellung in fragilen Kontexten sowie die Stärkung der ökonomischen und politischen Partizipation von Frauen. Wichtigste Massnahmen sind ein strategischer Politikdialog, Investition in Wissens-management und Gender Expertise sowie Capacity Building und Qualitätssicherung für verstärkte Wirkungsorientierung.  


Pakistan: ADB, National Disaster Risk Management Fund (NDRMF)

01.12.2016 - 30.11.2019

Pakistan faces significant disaster risk and lacks institutional capacity and finance to tackle it. The National Disaster Risk Management Fund will enhance resilience of vulnerable communities, especially in KP and FATA, to natural hazards and will strengthen institutional capacity of authorities to disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness. This will reduce socio-economic vulnerability of the people to natural hazards and ultimately poverty.


Climate and Clean Air in Latin American Cities Plus Programme (CALAC+)

25.11.2016 - 31.07.2021

CALAC+ supports clean air strategies in Latin American metropolises fostering normative and technological changes towards application of soot-free engines in public urban transport systems and off-road machinery. The reduction of air pollutants that are both an important impediment to sustainable development and a key contributor to climate change will be achieved by means of, targeted capacity building, sharing experiences and curbing private sector engagement in clean air issues.

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