Government Donors

Switzerland

The trend of Swiss contributions to UNESCO significantly changed in 2003 registering a very high increase in the amount of voluntary contribution (US$ 2.2 million in 2007) in comparison to the past.

Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation which is a part of the Swiss Foreign Ministry is responsible for the main part of Switzerland’s development cooperation, with the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs handling direct economic assistance.

Switzerland is involved in long-term partnerships with selected priority countries to fight widespread poverty. For this purpose it places a high value on economic reforms, human rights and good governance. Switzerland also contributes towards the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals through multilateral development co-operation.In 2005 the total Swiss Official Development aid over passed the objective of 0.41% of GNI by 2010.

Switzerland contributes significant amounts to debt relief for the poorest countries and pursues a progressive debt relief policy within the scope of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative. It has also been providing considerable support in developing a package of international environmental treaties, and within the national context it observes the principles of sustainability.

Cooperation with UNESCO

• Switzerland recognizes the importance for development of information and communications technologies at an early stage and is actively promoting their distribution and use in developing countries.
  
• Since 2001, Switzerland is one of UNESCO’s major donors for UNESCO’s Community Multimedia Centres Programme: following the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) held in Geneva in December 2003, the Swiss Government has renewed its support to the development of pilot Centres, and further strengthen the Programme through the scale up the African component for in three countries.
• Switzerland has also campaigned for the integration of sport as a contribution towards the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals, and co-initiated the launch of the International Year of Sport and Physical Education in 2002.
• Switzerland also provides funds for a number of cultural projects undertaken by UNESCO. Funds-in-trust contributions have been made for cultural heritage in Afghanistan and Iraq.
• In the field of Education, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the State Secretariat for Education and Research support consistently the International Bureau of Education (IBE) and International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP)

Geographical Focus

In general, Switzerland concentrates its development aid on countries mainly in sub-Saharan Africa, South and Central Asia and South-Eastern Europe. Some 27% of Swiss Official Development Assistance is channeled through multilateral organizations, with the United Nations system receiving almost one third of this share.

Related Links

Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
State Secretariat for Education and Research (SER)
Community Multimedia Centres