The Strategy has been designed with a view to capitalise on acuired sector and country expertise and related networks as well as to profit from past investments made. It has an element of continuity but at the same time also of re-orientation towards new challenges and opportunities. The domains has been selected with a view to continue, adjust and expand activities where local and national partnership are well established and donor and government coordination is producing good results. This refers to Rule of Law and Democracy, Economy and Employment as well as Basic Infrastructure. Health has been defined as new domain, replacing the previous broader Social Domain, in order to better focus Swiss support.

Whole of Government Approach:
In order to optimise aid effectiveness, the Cooperation Strategy therfore adheres to a whole of government approach by coordinating and combinig Swiss contributions.

Aid effectiveness, aid modalities and instruments Alignment:
All Swiss activities are to be aligned to government strategies and their implementation plans, wherever such strategies and plans exist.

Complementarity:
Swiss activities need to be in line with their overall direction and focus on those areas where demand exists and Switzerland has a clear added value to offer toward EU strategies and instruments.

Harmonisation:
Donor harmonisation is to be continuied and further strengthened.

Partnership:
Past successes to increasingly work with local partners are to be continued and further expanded. Selection of partners and applications of instruments is linked to their potential to induce change and provide sustainable solutions. In addition, SDC supports projects of selected Swiss NGOs through a programme contribution. 

Knowledge Management:
Is an instrument to enhance the quality and effectiveness of the programme and local knowledge is build up to attain sustainbility of efforts.

Levels of intervention
Implementing programmes at the municipality level will remain importan. They are to be supplemented by increased emhasis on vertical integration. This refers in particular to supporting central state agencies in designing and implementing national strategies and by participating in the related policy dialogues.

Risk and mitigation strategies
As generaln principle, a programatic subsidiarity assessment should lead to a case-by-case decision on which level to focus best. A sound appreciation of potentials as well as risks involved, relevance of the issue at hand, possibilities for alliances or alternatives should lead to a qualitative "cost/benefit" assessment of available options.

Gender:
Considering Gender aspects in all projects and programmes.