15.12.2021 – In mid-December, 47 countries – including Switzerland – raised 93 billion dollars for the 20th replenishment of the IDA, the World Bank's fund for the poorest countries. The 20th replenishment was brought forward by a year to help IDA countries mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and lay the foundations for a green, resilient and inclusive recovery.
14.12.2021 - SECO has launched a new cooperation programme with Peru. In the period 2021-24, it will put up to USD 80 million towards creating conducive conditions for Peru's continued development. It promotes resilient subnational growth hubs and fosters a competitive, innovative and sustainable private sector. SECO's new programme is a continuation of the decades-long partnership between Switzerland and Peru.
01.12.2021 – SECO and partners launched the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Impact Finance Initiative. The initiative aims to raise 100 million francs in funding by 2030 from public and philanthropic actors. These funds will be used to unlock up to 1 billion francs in additional private capital towards the SDGs in developing countries. Media release
04.11.2021 - SECO and the SDC have launched the new Swiss Cooperation Programme 2021–2024 with Egypt. Egypt is a priority country in SECO's economic cooperation and development. The programme supports Egypt in shaping a greener economy, from which the entire population benefits.
22.10.2021 – Environmentally friendly infrastructure services are essential to counter the impact of climate change. That is why hydropower plants should also be assessed and certified based on their sustainability performance. A sustainability standard has recently been introduced to help achieve this. SECO supports partner countries in their efforts to develop the capacity to promote hydropower sustainability and co-finances such assessments.
28.09.2021 - SECO regularly has its projects and results evaluated. Independent evaluations allow SECO to learn from past activities and use this feedback to improve future activities. The latest independent evaluation found that SECO’s support for better Public Financial Management in its partner countries has performed very strongly against the stated objectives.
09.09.2021 – The Swiss Investment Fund for Emerging Markets (SIFEM), the development finance institution of the Swiss Confederation, has marked its 10-year anniversary. Founded by SECO SIFEM provides commercially viable SMEs and fast-growing companies with expertise as well as long-term commercial financing in the form of equity and debt. Together with its co-investors, SIFEM has supported and created around 870,000 jobs to date.
22.10.2021 – Environmentally friendly infrastructure services are essential to counter the impact of climate change. That is why hydropower plants should also be assessed and certified based on their sustainability performance. A sustainability standard has recently been introduced to help achieve this. SECO supports partner countries in their efforts to develop the capacity to promote hydropower sustainability and co-finances such assessments.
28.09.2021 - SECO regularly has its projects and results evaluated. Independent evaluations allow SECO to learn from past activities and use this feedback to improve future activities. The latest independent evaluation found that SECO’s support for better Public Financial Management in its partner countries has performed very strongly against the stated objectives.
09.09.2021 – The Swiss Investment Fund for Emerging Markets (SIFEM), the development finance institution of the Swiss Confederation, has marked its 10-year anniversary. Founded by SECO SIFEM provides commercially viable SMEs and fast-growing companies with expertise as well as long-term commercial financing in the form of equity and debt. Together with its co-investors, SIFEM has supported and created around 870,000 jobs to date.
06.09.2021 – SECO and the Swiss Better Gold Association have launched the third phase of the Swiss Better Gold Initiative. This public-private partnership promotes responsibly extracted gold from artisanal and small-scale mines. The new phase will scale up the initiative’s positive impacts on the ground and start a process to hand-over responsibility from the public sector to the private partner.
24.08.2021 - SECO is evaluating how it provides information on economic cooperation and development. What do you think about our current work in this area? What would you like to see from us in the future? We would be grateful if you could take a few minutes to answer 11 brief questions.
06.08.2021 –SECO has recently reaffirmed its commitment to providing a further CHF 70 million for the Cooperation Programme 2021–24 in Vietnam. "We wish to help Vietnam in its efforts towards sustainable development". That is what noted Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Ignazio Cassis following his meeting with the Vietnamese ministers. Press release
07.07.2021 – During her visit to Accra, Federal Councillor Simonetta Sommaruga presented SECO’s cooperation programme for Ghana, which is a SECO priority country for economic development cooperation. SECO promotes attractive economic framework conditions for sustainable growth and unlocks more and better jobs and income opportunities.
08.06.2021 - President of the Swiss Confederation Guy Parmelin visits a project that has received an award for most sustainable education programme in Slovenia.
01.06.2021 - How did Switzerland’s international cooperation react to COVID-19, work towards the climate-friendly growth of developing and emerging countries, and promote equality of the sexes? The newly published 2020 Annual Report on the international cooperation of SECO and SDC provides the answers.
12.05.2021 – The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have shaken up the finance industry. Sustainability is now an important consideration for many investors. The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) is also committed to mobilising private capital to help meet the UN SDGs. Die Volkswirtschaft sheds some light on the subject in their series of articles.
10.05.2021 - A good job is the most effective means to fight poverty and inequality. Those who have a job in their country and earn a decent income have prospects for the future and less pressure to migrate. SECO supports responsible and competitive entrepreneurship in its partner countries. A new position paper shows where it approaches the issue and how its projects and programmes work.
25.02.2021 – In 2020, Swiss ODA amounted to 3,343 billion Swiss francs, 263 million francs more than in 2019. As a share of gross national income, Swiss ODA totalled 0.48 percent. In international comparison of the 29 member states of the Development Assistance Committee of the OECD, Switzerland ranked 9th in 2020.
Spring meeting of the IMF and the World Bank Group
04.09.2021 – A the spring meeting, the measures introduced by the World Bank Group to tackle the COVID-19 crisis and promote a green, resilient and inclusive economic recovery will be discussed. Switzerland supports this comprehensive approach. It is important to work with partners and adhere to strict environmental, social and governance standards.
07.04.2021 – A new Position Paper highlights SECO’s role in driving impacts in global value chains through sustainability standards. Against pressing global challenges linked to climate change, biodiversity loss and poverty, the paper elucidates new trends, analyzes the increasing interlinkages between government regulations and voluntary market-based standards and points at future priorities of SECO’s cooperation.
03.03.2021 - SECO creates favourable framework conditions for international trade. These increase the chances of developing countries on overseas markets. On 25 March 2021, a virtual event hosted by the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the World Trade Organisation and the European Free Trade Association, in partnership with the International Trade Centre , will show ways in which companies can use digital tools to provide access to promising markets.
04.02.2021 - SECO is committed to ensuring the production of palm oil in Indonesia in a manner that is both environmentally friendly and socially responsible. Together with the UNDP, SECO fosters dialogue among all relevant stakeholders. This has resulted in an action plan for sustainable palm oil. With the Sustainable Trade Initiative, SECO is also working to achieve greater sustainability in palm oil supply chains.
01.01.2021 - Switzerland’s new strategy for international cooperation came into force at the beginning of January 2021. SECO will focus on promoting reliable framework conditions and private-sector initiatives in its partner countries. With Swiss expertise and innovative approaches, it aims to facilitate economic growth and sustainable prosperity.
01.01.2021 - SECO has renewed its website. Discover for instance the new multimedia stories. These show how SECO is committed to reducing poverty and addressing global challenges.
