We see it as our duty to use your donations to achieve the greatest possible impact for the benefit of people in the Global South. We are convinced that sustainable development requires both concrete help on the ground in the South, and a greater awareness of our shared responsibility here in the North. Thanks to your donations, we aim to achieve the greatest possible impact for the benefit of the most disadvantaged populations.
We see it as our duty to ensure that your donations have the greatest possible impact for the benefit of people in the Global South. We are convinced that sustainable development requires two things: firstly, specific help on the ground and, secondly, increased awareness of our shared responsibility here in the north. These two core elements of development work are reflected in our programme.
About 80% of our resources go directly into these projects, and around 20% into fundraising and administration. The main focus of our work is aid projects in the south and this accounts for 73 % of the SWISSAID programme. The remaining resources are invested in raising awareness and work on development policy (10 %). Specifically, the development policy work comprises our membership fee to Alliance Sud, supporting projects like the Responsible Business Initiative and, currently, for example, the work of the Climate Alliance.
Local authorities, cantons, town and city councils, foundations and, above all, thousands of donors throughout Switzerland supported us generously in 2025, contributing the lion’s share of our financial resources. A big thank-you to you all! We consider this support to be proof of people’s trust in the work that we do and a mandate from them to implement the projects even more effectively and efficiently. Handling financial resources carefully is very important to SWISSAID. We continually support our partner organisations in developing countries in steps to improve the quality of their administrative processes. This leads to improved financial supervision of the projects and increased transparency.
SWISSAID invests continuously in these processes. While the individual steps might seem modest, this progress will make a difference in the long run.
The clear division of duties between the Bern branch office and SWISSAID field offices in the Southern Hemisphere prevents duplication of work. Continual monitoring, according to business management principles, is undertaken to check that projects are conducted efficiently and fundraising measures are worthwhile. Yet professional management and project monitoring, controls and quality assurance, fundraising itself and transparent accounting represent an important investment in the future both for the foundation and for our partners in the South.
Corruption hinders the fight against poverty and the promotion of sustainable development. It exacerbates inequality and the gap between social classes. SWISSAID works in countries with a high CPI (Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) from Transparency International) – this means that the population surveyed believes that corrupt practices are very widespread in the country. It is SWISSAID’s explicit goal to fight corruption. One effective means is to strengthen civil society: an issue to which SWISSAID is highly committed in all areas of its work. A strong, critical and well-informed civil society advocates transparency and accountability on the part of the government.
In its development projects, the SWISSAID Foundation is committed to improving the conditions for the development of children and young people in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. SWISSAID actively works to ensure that minors can exercise their rights. This policy applies to all activities of the foundation and its partner organizations.
As a foundation for development work and through its publicity work and fundraising, SWISSAID has an influence on public perception of the Global South. Together with other supporting organisations of Alliance Sud, we are committed to our shared manifesto and to responsible communication. The manifesto serves as a guide for all our employees. At its heart are our sector’s internal guidelines on responsible communication in international cooperation, which impose an obligation on us in relation to the general public.
