Dear Mr President Parmelin
Dear Mr Cassis
We, the undersigned – current and former elected representatives, academics, businesspeople and members of the public – are alarmed by the proposed change in strategy regarding international cooperation. We are deeply concerned about the planned cuts to long-term development cooperation and the reallocation of funds to short-term humanitarian aid. Whilst we believe it is important to strengthen Switzerland’s humanitarian tradition, this must not be at the expense of tried-and-tested and effective development co-operation.
As part of the International Cooperation Strategy 2029–2032, you intend to scale back bilateral and multilateral development cooperation and shift the focus to emergency aid. Even in light of the vast humanitarian need worldwide and Switzerland’s responsibility to make its contribution in this area, this reorientation of international cooperation is short-sighted. It risks diverting attention away from the structural causes of poverty, insecurity and crises, rather than tackling them in a sustainable manner. This is because bilateral and multilateral development cooperation takes a long-term approach; it can tackle poverty and hardship at their root and create opportunities on the ground. At the same time, it also creates added value for Switzerland: long-term poverty reduction and the establishment of democratic structures make our world a safer place, create opportunities locally and help to combat extremism.
We therefore call on you to
- to strengthen humanitarian aid – but not at the expense of bilateral and multilateral development cooperation.
- to focus international cooperation on tackling the root causes of poverty and hunger worldwide.
- to recognise international cooperation as an integral part of a comprehensive security policy and to fund it accordingly.
All these objectives contribute to a more liveable and peaceful world, which is also in Switzerland’s interests.
Yours faithfully
Current and former elected representatives, academics, entrepreneurs, civil society