The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is Switzerland’s international cooperation agency within the Swiss Foreign Ministry. Together with other federal offices, SDC is responsible for overall coordination of development activities and cooperation with Eastern Europe,
as well as humanitarian aid.
SDC employs a staff of around 550 people to carry out its activities in Switzerland and abroad, with an annual budget of CHF 1.3 billion (2004). The agency undertakes direct actions, supports the programmes of multilateral organisations, and helps to finance programmes run by Swiss and international aid organisations in the following areas:
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Bilateral and multilateral development cooperation
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Humanitarian aid, including the Swiss Humanitarian Relief Unit (SHA)
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Cooperation with Eastern Europe
 The aim of development cooperation is to alleviate poverty by helping people in partner countries to help themselves. Development activities focus on promoting economic and governmental autonomy, improving production conditions, helping to solve environmental problems, and providing better access to education, basic health care and culture for the most disadvantaged groups in society. Bilateral development cooperation concentrates on 17 priority countries and 7 special programmes in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Approximately 750 projects are currently in operation. At the multilateral level, SDC collaborates in particular with UN organisations, the World Bank, and regional development banks.
 The aim of humanitarian aid is to save lives and alleviate suffering. The Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit (SHA), with its own personnel, provides direct relief in the wake of natural disasters and during emergencies arising from violent conflicts. Support is given, also financially, to partner organisations engaged in humanitarian activities. Humanitarian aid is provided wherever the need for it is greatest, with prevention, emergency aid, survival assistance, reconstruction and advocacy being the core areas of intervention. While humanitarian aid can be offered globally, its emphasis in 2005 is on 8 regions. In 2004, 335 SHA experts were sent on humanitarian aid missions.
 Cooperation with Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) supports partner countries in the transition to pluralistic democracy and a market economy. The main concerns are the training and advanced training of specialists, the establishment of grass roots democratic institutions as well as sustainable management of natural resources and reforms in the health and social sectors. The focus is on the countries of South-East Europe which take up 70% of resources and the CIS which take up 30%, mainly for South Caucasus and Central Asia. There are currently more than 200 projects and two special programmes under way in 14 partner countries. Projects in Eastern Europe are implemented in close cooperation with the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (seco).
Further information is available at www.sdc.admin.ch |
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