Swiss contribute CHF52.7 million to UN development programme
A pastoralist searches for water in Baligubadle, Somaliland, the autonomous region of Somalia, last December. Somali pastoralists are particularly vulnerable to climate-induced phenomena like drought and flooding.
Keystone / Mark Naftalin / UNDP
The government will support the UN Development Programme (UNDP) with CHF52.7 million ($57.8 million) next year.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch/ts
The number of people living in extreme poverty has increased for the first time since 1998 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the government said in a statementExternal link on Wednesday.
According to UN estimates, $10.3 billion is needed to meet the humanitarian needs and longer-term social, economic and political impact of Covid-19 in the poorest countries. The World Bank estimates that the pandemic could cause up to 115 million people to fall back into extreme poverty.
The CHF52.7 million from Switzerland is an important contribution to overcoming this crisis, the government said. Switzerland is also helping to achieve the goals for sustainable development in Agenda 2030.
Swiss interests
“The UNDP supports developing countries in reducing poverty and overcoming structural obstacles to achieving sustainable development, for example by promoting conflict prevention and strengthening democratic governance and crisis management capacities,” the government said.
“The UNDP’s objectives are consistent with Switzerland’s interests, working as it does to reduce inequality and poverty, and to mitigate the effects of conflicts and other threats that have an impact far beyond the developing countries.”
The UNDP has been Switzerland’s strategic partner since 1974 and is one of the priority multilateral organisations for international cooperation in Switzerland.
In addition to the general contribution to UNDP, Switzerland directly supports 167 projects around the world. In the period from 2018 to 2020, Switzerland supported the UNDP with a core contribution of CHF156.4 million.
More
More
Swiss fund Palestinian refugee agency but with reservations
This content was published on
The Swiss government has decided to continue its support for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees but only for a two-year period.
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Prevention and tech could help save billions on Swiss healthcare costs, says Deloitte
This content was published on
By focusing on prevention and technology, it would be possible to reduce Switzerland's healthcare bill by CHF30 billion a year by 2040, according to Deloitte Switzerland.
Environment director warns of increasing climate-related risks in Switzerland
This content was published on
The director of the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) has warned of increasing climate-related risks in Switzerland in an interview with SonntagsBlick on Sunday.
Gotthard traffic queue hits 11km at start of holiday season
This content was published on
The start of the summer holidays saw a long traffic jam in front of the Gotthard tunnel on Saturday. Traffic jams between Erstfeld and Göschenen in canton Uri were up to 11 kilometres long early in the morning.
This content was published on
The water temperature of the Rhine River could rise by up to 4.2° degrees Celsius by the end of the century due to the warming planet, scientists warn.
This content was published on
The Federal Council wants to explore the possibilities of joining the European Union’s €800-billion rearmament programme without compromising Swiss neutrality.
Defence Minister Pfister stresses importance of Swiss mission in Balkans
This content was published on
During a visit to the Balkans region last week, Swiss Defence Minister Martin Pfister met Swisscoy peacekeeping troops in Kosovo.
Premiere for Swiss Air Force on French National Day
This content was published on
On July 14, the Swiss Air Force will take part in the traditional air parade in Paris to mark the French bank holidays with an F/A-18 fighter jet. This is a first for Switzerland.
Swiss launch competition for memorial to Nazi victims
This content was published on
The victims of Nazi Germany are to be commemorated on the Casinoterrasse in Bern. A competition will be held to determine what the site will look like.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss cut financial contributions to UN agencies
This content was published on
The Swiss government has reduced by CH30 million ($30.2 million) its financial contribution to UN agencies over the next three years.
This content was published on
A “new deal” for Somalia: that’s what the international community proposed at two conferences, one in London in 2012 and the other in Brussels last autumn. The idea is that a process of reconciliation and reconstruction should take place over the course of three years, ending with general elections in 2016. The European Union believes…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.