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 733 – 744 of 971

Support to Village Councils in the West Bank with a focus on Area C

01.11.2016 - 31.12.2021

SDC will support local government units to improve the delivery of basic services in marginalized rural areas of the West Bank with a focus on Area C. This intervention is consistent with the State-building agenda which forms the basis for SDC development programme in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), the promotion of human rights/international humanitarian law and the alleviation of poverty. It is aligned to the Palestinian Authority’s policy framework for Area C. Its operating modalities are harmonized with like-minded donors in the local governance sector.


Ecuador, Technical Support in Earthquake Resistant Reconstruction

18.10.2016 - 31.12.2018

An earthquake of the magnitude of 7.8 (Richter scale) hit Northern Ecuador, on 16 April 2016. Damages were widespread, collapsing structures within hundreds of km’s from the epicenter. Following SDC/HA’s emergency and early recovery interventions, SHA will provide the Ecuadorian government with technical support in capacity building on earthquake resistant construction, capitalizing SDC’s experiences from Pakistan and Haiti.


Renforcement de la gouvernance locale de l’eau et de l’assainissement (REGLEAU)

01.10.2016 - 30.11.2022

Le programme REGLEAU vise l’amélioration des conditions de vie des populations grâce à l’augmentation de la disponibilité et l’amélioration de la qualité des services d’eau potable et d’assainissement. L’expérience et l’expertise reconnue de la Suisse en matière de gouvernance locale de l’eau permettront d’accompagner les acteurs du secteur de l’eau dans six communes du département du Sud-Est pour permettre une gouvernance locale de ces services, tout en contribuant à l’amélioration des conditions-cadres au niveau régional et national. 


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.


Poverty Reduction Fund (PRF III), Phase 4

01.10.2016 - 30.06.2022

Since 2002, the Poverty Reduction Fund is a main programme in Lao PDR that effectively and efficiently delivers resources and public services, such as water supply, dispensaries, schools and village roads to the poorest villages in remote areas. PRF contributes to reduce rural poverty through enabling poor communities to assess their own needs and priorities through participatory mechanism and to determine how best to use resources to maximize their social and economic development.


Support to the DPCG (Development Partners’ Coordination Group) Secretariat in Rwanda

15.09.2016 - 15.09.2019

Switzerland and the UK, in an effort to facilitate a broad and fruitful development policy dialogue in Rwanda, will dedicate financial resources towards a UNDP support to the line ministry in charge of aid coordination. It entails, on the one hand, carrying out analytical research leading to evidence-based policy decision, and, on the other hand, the efficient management of the Development Partners’ Coordination Group (DPCG) Secretariat.


International and Swiss evidence-based policy dialogue on trade and investment frameworks for sustainable development

15.09.2016 - 31.12.2022

The proposed programme will focus on advancing policy dialogues on international economic governance, and particularly on international investment flows and frameworks. Against the backdrop of the 2030 Agenda, new thinking and approaches shall fuel the argument on international investments, which are bound to contribute more directly to sustainable development cooperation and outcomes. To this purpose, targeted evidence and methodological knowledge will be generated, and used purposefully to propose options and alternatives for frameworks in global fora as well as in Switzerland.


Vocational Skills Development in Macedonia

01.09.2016 - 28.02.2022

Macedonia has one of the highest unemployment rates in Europe (25%), especially among youth (48%). One of the key factors for youth unemployment is that the education and training system does not provide skills needed by the economy. The Vocational Skills Development project aims to address youth unemployment through supporting market relevant skills development by strengthening the engagement of the private sector (e.g. through systematised internships), thus increasing the employability of vocational training graduates.


UN Women Geneva Liaison Office

01.09.2016 - 30.04.2022

This contribution aims at helping UN Women establish a Liaison Office in Geneva through the funding of the first two years of the post of Head of Office. The Liaison Office will expand and deepen UN Women’s strategic engagement with Geneva-based stakeholders to strengthen gender integration in their operational activities. It will also influence intergovernmental processes for the full realisation of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls and their human rights by 2030.


Renforcement d’IDEA phase Unique (RIDEAU)

01.08.2016 - 31.12.2018

Le programme d’IDEA en Haïti vise le renforcement des institutions (p. ex. Parlement) et des acteurs politiques (p. ex. partis), piliers institutionnels de  l’état de droit. Ce faisant IDEA contribue à bâtir une gouvernance nationale respectueuse de la participation citoyenne et paritaire entre les femmes et les hommes. La DDC apporte une contribution générale à IDEA avec un suivi particulier sur la participation politiques des femmes et sur les pratiques de reddition des comptes. 


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.


SDG Implementation Support Office in Geneva

01.08.2016 - 31.12.2020

This contribution aims to strengthen the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development through the establishment of a Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Implementation Support Office at the United Nations Office in Geneva. This office that will enable leveraging of the technical know-how and expertise in International Geneva, by better connecting the Geneva actors locally, with United Nations Headquarters and other duty stations of the UN system.

Object 733 – 744 of 971