Switzerland cuts foreign aid to Albania, Bangladesh and Zambia
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Switzerland cuts foreign aid to Albania, Bangladesh and Zambia
The Swiss government is ending its development aid programmes for Albania, Bangladesh and Zambia.
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This decision comes after the parliament allocated less funding for foreign aid in December than the government had requested.
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Parliament has cut CHF110 million ($121 million) from the 2025 international cooperation budget and CHF321 million from the financial plan for 2026 to 2028. This move impacts bilateral, economic and thematic cooperation, as well as multilateral organisations, according to a statement.
The Federal Council, Switzerland’s executive body, was notified of the cuts to international cooperation on Wednesday. As a result, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) will end its bilateral development programmes with Albania, Bangladesh and Zambia by the end of 2028.
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From 2025 to 2028, there will also be broad cuts to country and thematic programmes and organisations. However, humanitarian aid, peacebuilding and aid to Ukraine will remain unaffected.
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Translated from German with DeepL/sp
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