Conflict, violence and human rights violations: these are among the main challenges to combating poverty and fragility in the wider sense. The fragility of a state is characterised by the government’s inability to ensure the security of the population and provide basic public services, alongside its failure to establish mutually constructive relations with the country’s citizens.
More than 40 countries around the globe, home to some 1.5 billion people, are affected by fragile situations or exposed to violence or conflict. By 2030, more than 80% of the world’s poorest could be living in fragile contexts unless more concerted action is taken now.
Fragility poses a major threat to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Addressing fragility will require greater acceptance of all its nuances by tailoring differentiated approaches to specific contexts and working across the full spectrum of issues, some of which are inherently difficult and sensitive.
Switzerland is stepping up its efforts to prevent and manage the consequences of crises, disasters and fragility. It intends to allocate 50% of its bilateral aid to conflict-affected or fragile contexts.
Fragile states and regions are characterised by weak institutions, high rates of poverty, violence, corruption and general arbitrariness. Fragility manifests itself in both development and transition contexts as well as humanitarian crises.
In preventing violent conflict, the aim is to stop previous conflicts from flaring up again and new conflicts from forming. The task is not simply to prevent crises but also to address the root causes.
As part of its recognition of the importance of reliable statistics for transparency and accountability, SDC is supporting through a core contribution the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) to produce timely reliable statistic of good quality. Such data are necessary to enable the Palestinian Authority (PA), the civil society, legislative council, private sector and academics and also international actors in particular the UN agencies, to plan and monitor development processes, and to follow up implementation of the national strategies and National development Plan.
The program of IAMANEH Switzerland addresses women and children in Western Africa and the Western Balkans in order to secure their access to quality primary health services, to grant safe motherhood and birth, to offer protection and safety from violence and health damaging practices and to allow informed choice with regard to family planning and prevention. Advocacy work contributes to the improvement of frame conditions for health and the securing of a sustainable health and social protection system in these regions.
Solidar Switzerland’s cooperation engagement contributes to poverty reduction and respect of human rights. It supports political and economical processes to improve equitable access to resources, labour and power in a globalised world. Special focus is to enhance the decent work agenda and to foster democratic structures. At the same time Solidar undertakes awareness raising and advocacy activities in Switzerland, in order to sensitise the Swiss public on development policy issues.
Die Realisierung der Rechte des Kindes auf Zugang zu relevanter, ganzheitlicher und qualitativ guter Bildung und die Förderung von interkulturellen Kompetenzen sind Voraussetzung für eine gerechte, friedliche und nachhaltige Entwicklung. Dies sind die übergeordneten Ziele der internationalen Programme der Stiftung Kinderdorf Pestalozzi. Bildung ist ein Recht und zugleich ein Mittel, um alle anderen Menschenrechte zu verwirklichen.
Based on its Ten-year Strategy, the Bank will strengthen its engagement in fragile and conflict affected countries/situations which is also a priority in Switzerland’s development bill 2013-16. This partnership will assist the Bank in building the necessary capacities and instruments to translate fragility concepts and approaches into more effective operations on the ground. Other outcomes will be a new diagnostic tool “Country Resilience and Fragility Assessment (CRFA)” and strengthened capacities in the Bank and in 30 African countries.
Afghanistan suffers more civilian casualties than Iraq, Colombia or Cambodia, recording an average of 39 casualties every month as a result of mines and Explosive Remnants of War. Almost three quarters of all accidents continue to affect children. The goal for mine/ERW risk education is to put in place a comprehen-sive and sustainable system to educate and raise awareness throughout people and communities nationwide regarding the residual mines/ERW threats, including sufficient information to recognize and report these items to the appropriate authorities.
Since the beginning of the crisis, Turkish authorities, with the support of the international community, have been providing comprehensive assistance to Syrians living in the camps. Assistance to those outside has been less comprehensive and more ad hoc. While the government has extended temporary protection to all Syrians in Turkey, allowing them in principle to access public services, the overall number of refugees has stretched national structures and capacities to the utmost. The government has to limit itself to focus on immediate material humanitarian needs, and is largely unable, on its own, to address issues of continuing services, including psycho-social support and integration as the refugee crisis becomes protracted. Beginning October 2014 IOM has therefore embarked on a partnership with a local NGO, the Syria Social Gathering (SSG), to facilitate Syrian refugee's access to services in Mersin province, contributing to their self-reliance and integration in Turkey. The framework for this partnership is SSG's multi-service centre that provides education, vocational training, psychosocial, legal and primary health services to Syrian refugees. IOM's partnership with SSG will strengthen the sustainability of SSG's multi-service centre in Mersin. At present, there are no other local or international organizations providing assistance to the Syrians living in Mersin. So the sustainability of SSG's activities in Mersin is paramount for Syrians in this province to have access to basic services and protection.
The five decades running armed conflict in Colombia continues to cause humanitarian needs such as internal displacement, landmine contamination, access constraints, use and recruitment of children and youth, gender based violence, and gaps in the provision of protection to vulnerable groups, especially indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities. In addition, in rural and urban areas of the departments of Valle del Cauca and Córdoba, the access to safe water and sanitation services is limited, and communities face a deterioration of agricultural livelihoods, which increase the vulnerability of the population.
Since 2008 more than seven million people have been displaced due to conflict and natural disasters in Pakistan. This has put a significant strain on relevant government agencies and hosting communities. By developing a long term recovery strategy, this programme will improve the living conditions of the affected population by building the capability of the relevant government agencies and hosting communities and providing livelihood opportunities to the affected population.
Humanitarian and livelihoods needs have increased twelve fold since the beginning of the crisis in Syria with 12.2 million people now in need of humanitarian assistance; all affected in their livelihoods and are experiencing deteriorating living conditions. The proposed project for the Restoration of Livelihoods of Syrian Affected population aims at strengthening the resilience of the crisis affected communities and people by ensuring (i) the restoration of livelihoods to stimulate local recovery and (ii) the rehabilitation of basic services and infrastructure while mainstreaming resilience-based planning into all activities ensuring a conflict sensitive programming focused on targeting the most vulnerable groups and the hard to reach areas.
An action under the office's Global Credit is a one-off contribution to a development or humanitarian endeavour, with a duration of maximum 1,5 years, i.e. no following phase. It is a flexible, efficient and transparent tool to support the implementation and further development of its Cooperation Strategy, as well as further enhancing the quality of the resulting interventions. It permits seizing opportunities to improve the visibility of the Swiss presence and the Swiss Profile in South Sudan. It also provides the means for implementing SDC's Policy on promoting culture.