Economic and fiscal development - At the service of governance

For the SDC, local economic development is not just an economic matter but a cooperative approach which provides an excellent tool for bringing together different interest groups to agree on local cooperation that can help create jobs and income, in addition to improving governance.

SDC focus

Moreover, local economic development can also strengthen governance at national level. In countries like Kosovo or Burkina Faso, the SDC conducts local economic development activities which have been implemented simultaneously in several towns. This has enabled municipalities (or rather territories, because each town has close links with its peri-urban and rural hinterland) to exchange information and experience that are specific to them. This has led to better cooperation among local authorities and thus added weight to the local dimension in dialogue with central government.

Background

Local economic development brings together various stakeholders from civil society, as well as the public and private sectors. Its goal is to promote cooperation so as to develop a given area. Cooperation is a key factor in governance. Local economic development (LED) triggers a political process in which the protagonists have to negotiate the priorities bearing in mind the limited human and financial resources at their disposal.

Forces that drive the economy

Economic considerations drive the private sector. Cooperation on creating public goods, such as improved framework conditions for investment, calls for a private-public collaboration that is built into concrete projects ("We'll build the road, and you'll build the factory. You tell us what's not right about the investment climate, and we'll put it right."). In this way, combined LED efforts create new business prospects. The public sector needs the private sector for local economic development.

In virtually every country, it is the private sector that creates most jobs and generates income, and jobs and income are a priority for the public sector's customers and voters. Poverty reduction and – perhaps more important for a civil servant – re-election of the mayor and his staff depend on the generation of income.

Governance as a process

Civil society, like local associations, should also be part of planning and implementing development projects in which the economic dimension is obviously not the only issue at stake. The State and local government do not cover all the ground. So the three stakeholder groups – the public and private sectors and civil society – negotiate and cooperate on the basis of concrete information derived from evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the local economy, as well as the opportunities and risks involved. This dynamic exchange between partners improves governance at local level.

Current projects

Object 337 – 348 of 971

Legal Identity for All (LIA) - Reaching Target 16.9 of the 2030 Agenda

10.12.2018 - 31.12.2021

Over a billion people do not have a legal identity. Legal identity is a prerequisite for full citizenship rights, formal employment, access to government services etc. People with no legal identity risk being left behind and stuck in poverty. The project will address the coordination gap between ongoing efforts of the UN and the WB and take advantage of new technologies to accelerate reaching target 16.9. of the 2030 Agenda “legal identity for all”.   


Ethiopia, IOM - Durable Solutions

10.12.2018 - 09.06.2021

Ethiopia has about 2.1 million internally displaced people (IDPs) mainly due to conflict, drought and flood. Addressing the needs of IDPs has been limited to meeting their short-term humanitarian needs. Given the prolonged economic, social, and gender impacts of displacement on individuals, there is a critical need for longer-term solutions. Switzerland will contribute through IOM to address the long-term needs of the displaced and host communities in their search for self-sufficiency.


Agriculture Census 2020

01.12.2018 - 31.12.2022

Switzerland will support the realization of the Agriculture Census in 2020 through contributing to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS). Updated and accurate data on agriculture holdings is an enabling tool for public and private investment as well as to plan and monitor relevant developments in the agriculture sector, in accordance with the National Policy Agenda (2017-2022). This project will offer opportunities to engage Swiss expertise in the domain of statistics and agriculture.


Global Knowledge Partnership on Migration and Development (KNOMAD)

01.12.2018 - 31.08.2024

Migration is one of the 21st century’s defining features that significantly impacts economic and social development. It is thus crucial to ensure that the positive effects of migration on development are maximized, while the negative ones minimized. This is only possible if reliable evidence on migration and its interrelations with development is available. KNOMAD generates ground-breaking research and policy recommendations in the field of M&D. Switzerland has taken a lead in building-up KNOMAD as a pioneering knowledge initiative.


GAIN Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition – “Making markets work to improve the consumption of nutritious and healthy food”

01.12.2018 - 31.12.2021

Poor diets - too little food, too much food, or the wrong combinations of foods - are the number-one risk factor for ill health. What people eat depends on what is available on the market as well as accessible, affordable and desirable to consume. SDC supports the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, a Swiss-based foundation, in facilitating the voluntary engagement of businesses in low and middle income countries to improve the consumption of nutritious and healthy foods, particularly among the vulnerable and poor.


Strengthen accountability for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health

01.12.2018 - 31.12.2021

The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH) ensures that efforts of the many stakeholders involved in maternal, newborn, child health as well as sexual and reproductive health and rights, are well coordinated at global and national level. SDC supports PMNCH’s accountability work so as to contribute to more effective and efficient use of resources in this priority public health area, including of the funding provided by Switzerland.


Regional Development and Protection Program (RDPP)

01.12.2018 - 31.12.2021

The conflict in Syria has forced hundreds of thousands of Syrians to seek refuge in neighboring countries, confronting the concerned governments, host communities, and the refugees themselves with tremendous challenges. Switzerland, first by the Secretariat for Migration and now by SDC, supports Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq to address these challenges and mitigate the impact of forced displacement on host communities through a combination of protection with livelihood approaches. SDC is well positioned to further the labor market integration of refugees and other vulnerable migrants due to its long-standing experience on labor migration issues in the region.


Egyptian Red Crescent: Providing primary health care services to migrants and Egyptians in Greater Cairo

01.12.2018 - 31.12.2021

Access to public primary health care for migrants and Egyptians is a serious challenge. By the means of two “Mobile Clinics”, the project will answer to immediate medical needs of migrants and Egyptians in Greater Cairo. Advocacy on protection and health issues among decision makers will contribute to filling the gaps in service delivery. Thanks to its experience and ongoing engagement in health and protection in Egypt, Switzerland is well placed to provide early recovery and self-resilience interventions.


Enhancing security coordination and local contextual understanding to increase humanitarian access

01.12.2018 - 30.11.2020

This project aims at enhancing security coordination and local contextual understanding to increase humanitarian access to insecure locations both inside and outside of Protection of Civilian (PoC) sites. Through enhanced understanding of the context, operational threats can be better mitigated by NGOs, facilitating scale-up of programme and service delivery to the affected population in South Sudan’s Upper Nile and Unity States.


Ethiopia, UNICEF, Emergency WASH Response for the Reduction of Hunger in Borena Zone, Oromia Region

01.12.2018 - 30.11.2020

The Borena Zone (Oromia Region) hosts one third of Oromia's conflict Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) between Oromo and Somali groups. Water is a priority for conflict IDP sites and local populations. UNICEF, as the lead agency for the WASH sector in development and humanitarian settings, proposes targeted interventions to respond to immediate life-saving needs by improving access to clean and safe drinking water, and support the recovery phase for both IDPs and host communities.


SHIKHON: Horizontal Learning Programme in Bangladesh

01.12.2018 - 30.11.2022

The elected local government institutions (LGIs) in Bangladesh have a mandate to provide public services to the people, but they lack both capacities and budget. The quality and outreach of their services can be improved at relatively low cost through facilitation of peer learning which benefits millions of people. Recognizing the effectiveness of the peer learning approach across LGIs, the Government of Bangladesh committed to institutionalize this approach in its main training institute for LGI officials, with support from SDC.


Support to Climate Change Management (GestionCC )-Phase 2

01.12.2018 - 30.09.2021

All countries are faced with the challenge of translating the landmark Paris Agreement on Climate Change at the national level. Switzerland and Peru have both innovated in setting up the governance structures needed to tackle climate change. This project aims to improve Peru’s ability to successfully implement its commitments under the Paris Agreement[1] and to share its experience in Latin America and globally in order to raise ambition in climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Object 337 – 348 of 971