The value add by SDC in urbanising contexts

A

B

A

B

This report explores the future value-add of Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation’s activities in urbanising contexts, offers recommendations to expand Switzerland’s urban development capacity and identifies SDC’s potential future priorities in an increasingly urbanised world. The report was prepared by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology of Lausanne (EPFL) with support from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

The Study

Through its international cooperation, Switzerland contributes to reducing poverty and promoting sustainable development in low and middle-income countries through three pillars (1) Humanitarian Aid, (2) Development Cooperation and (3) the Promotion of Peace and Human Security. While urbanisation as such is not a thematic priority, the International Cooperation Strategy 21-24 refers to rapid urbanisation as a persistent contextual challenge, which threatens to undo some of the gains achieved in reducing poverty.

This study aims to identify the specific added value of SDC in concrete project implementation in rapidly urbanising contexts as well as in regional and global policy dialogue. The study has been developed considering a whole-of-government approach in order to achieve the greatest possible impact and quality of Swiss engagement in urbanising contexts.

 

Main Objectives

The objectives of the study are the following:

  • Conduct an international review of the current and future impact of urbanisation in the four priority regions of the current Swiss Strategy on International cooperation
  • Identify current in-house experience and engagement in urbanising contexts
  • Provide an overview of the strategies and approaches of the main bilateral and multilateral stakeholders with regards to the contextual challenge of increasing urbanization.
  • Establish the Swiss and SDC added value in urbanizing contexts in each of the priority regions
  • Provide an overview of the most important policy actors and platforms and establish the current Swiss and SDC added value in regional and global dialogue on urbanisation.