Error message

Notice: Undefined offset: 1 in drupal_settings_initialize() (line 802 of /backup/agenda/public_html/includes/bootstrap.inc).

Self Report 2019

The self-report on WHS Commitments below is organized according to the 24 transformations of the Agenda for Humanity. It is based on commitments pledged at the time of report submission. Click on the 'Expand' symbol to expand each section and read the reporting inputs by transformation.

Expand All

  • 1B
    Act early

    Individual Commitments (4)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility

    • Switzerland actively supports the reform of the Security Council to enhance the accountability, transparency and coherence and supports substantive exchanges in the relevant Groups of Friends on the Protection of Civilians and Mediation, as well as in the Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict.


    • Policy
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts

    • Switzerland is committed to strengthen and support efforts to mainstream human rights issues throughout the entire UN system, in particular as an early warning instrument within those institutions whose work focuses on the UN peace and security pillar, inter alia by supporting the Human Rights Up Front Initiative and by encouraging regular and more systematic exchanges between the human rights bodies based in Geneva (Human Rights Council and the OHCHR and the Security Council).


    • Policy
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

    • Switzerland is committed to support the multilateral initiative "Global Action Against Mass Atrocity Crimes" (GAAMAC), which focuses on putting in place the necessary national measures for the prevention of (mass) atrocities through working with national governments and stakeholders and sharing good practices and lessons learnt.


    • Policy
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts

    • Switzerland is committed to the continued co-chairmanship of the Group of Friends on the Protection of Civilians.


    • Partnership
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

    Core Commitments (2)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to act early upon potential conflict situations based on early warning findings and shared conflict analysis, in accordance with international law.
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts
    • Commit to make successful conflict prevention visible by capturing, consolidating and sharing good practices and lessons learnt.
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts
    1. A. Highlight concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2018 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures as well as any good practices and examples of innovation.

    Switzerland continues to coordinate a cross-regional group of 25 small and mid-sized countries working to improve the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency of the UN Security Council (ACT group).

    The 5th Glion Human Rights Dialogue (Glion V) took place in May 2018 and focused on the place of human rights in a reformed UN. The conflict prevention/human rights caucus, co-led by Switzerland and Germany, provided a platform for discussions regarding the role of human rights in conflict prevention and sustaining peace e.g. through the organization of a side event during the High Level Meeting on Sustaining Peace in April 2018 and provided a space for a follow-up discussion about Glion V in New York. Moreover, Switzerland together with Colombia, Norway and Sierra Leone, introduced a resolution on “The contribution of the Human Rights Council to the prevention of human rights violations” during the 38th session of the Human Rights Council.

    Switzerland continues to chair the Global Action Against Mass Atrocity Crimes (GAAMAC) Steering Group, composed of five States and several civil society organisations. GAAMAC currently focuses on outreach and preparing the next global meeting, scheduled for 2020 in Europe. Several initiatives that have emerged from GAAMAC have been realized, such as a manual on national atrocity prevention mechanisms by GAAMAC's African Working Group.

    Switzerland continues to chair the Group of Friends of Protection of Civilians (PoC) and co-ordinates the joint statement of the group for the open debate of the UN Security Council on PoC, with a focus on the protection of the medical mission and the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2286. Other meetings have been organised to discuss counter-terrorism and humanitarian action.

    2. B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    Challenges in PoC are well-known e.g. protection of medical mission, counter-terrorism and humanitarian action.

     

    3. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    As chair of the Group of Friends  of PoC, in January 2019, a joint letter to the UN Security Council signed by Group of Friends members that provides recommendations for strengthening the PoC agenda on the occasion of the 20th Anniversary of PoC, celebrated in 2019.

    Discussion on atrocity prevention is stimulated in Geneva through a series of events hosted by GAAMAC Steering Group members.

    Keywords

    IHL compliance and accountability, Protection

  • 1C
    Remain engaged and invest in stability

    Individual Commitments (7)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility

    • As Co-Chair of the International Network on Conflict and Fragility (INCAF), Switzerland commits to adhere to and promote the 2016 €œStockholm Declaration on Addressing Fragility and Building Peace in a Changing World€.


    • Policy
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • Switzerland is committed to address the root causes of violence, conflict, and fragility and to strengthen and expand partnerships for effective peacebuilding, statebuilding and conflict prevention.


    • Partnership
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts

    • Switzerland is committed to further strengthen its and others'™ capacities in regard to peacebuilding such as facilitation, confidence building and mediation on policy as well as on the operational level.


    • Operational
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts

    • Switzerland is committed to increase the effectiveness of peacebuilding endeavors by offering specific training courses for mediators and their teams, as well as for conflict parties engaged in dialogue and peace negotiations.


    • Training
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts

    • Switzerland is committed to strengthen the UN peacebuilding architecture based on a recent review. Switzerland also supports the recommendations to strengthen conflict prevention made by the High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations (A/70/95-“S/2015/446) and the subsequent implementation report by the UN Secretary General (A/70/357-€“S/2015/682).


    • Policy
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts Invest in Humanity

    • Switzerland is committed to support the UN'€™s efforts in sustaining peace and preventing countries from lapsing or relapsing into conflict by extending and increasing its financial support to the Joint Programme on Building National Capacities for Conflict Prevention of the UN Department of Political Affairs (DPA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).


    • Financial
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts Invest in Humanity

    • Switzerland is committed to use the New Deal principles and the Peacebuilding and Statebuilding Goals (PSGs) to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in fragile and conflict-affected contexts, especially in protracted humanitarian crises.


    • Operational
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts

    Core Commitments (3)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to improve prevention and peaceful resolution capacities at the national, regional and international level improving the ability to work on multiple crises simultaneously.
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts
    • Commit to sustain political leadership and engagement through all stages of a crisis to prevent the emergence or relapse into conflict.
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts
    • Commit to address root causes of conflict and work to reduce fragility by investing in the development of inclusive, peaceful societies.
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts
    1. A. Highlight concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2018 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures as well as any good practices and examples of innovation.

    As an International Network on Conflict and Fragility (INCAF) member, Switzerland advocated for the "Stockholm Declaration" and the strengthening of New Deal principles (Focus and Trust), and Sustainable Development Goal 16+ in fragile contexts.

    (bilateral): Switzerland contributed to the Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies.

    (multilateral) The replenishment of the World Bank's fund for the poorest countries - International Development Association (IDA) 18 - has resulted in a significant increase of funds for fragile and conflict affected contexts. Almost USD 20 billion will go to these contexts from 2017 to 2020. Implementation began in July 2017.

    Switzerland is involved in a number of negotiation and mediation processes through its dedicated expert support.

    Switzerland has continued its work within the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (C-34) to link discussions with current debates on peacekeeping and peacebuilding (where appropriate). Moreover, Switzerland has launched an internal process to sharpen its prevention narrative, based on the report by the UN Secretary-General on implementing the concept of "sustaining peace" and in particular the preparation for the High-level Meeting on Sustaining Peace in April 2018. Simultaneously, Switzerland continues to finance the Peacebuilding Fund. The overall financial contribution 2018 was CHF 3 million (CHF 2 million un-earmarked and CHF 1 million earmarked for the Humanitarian-Development-Peacebuilding Partnership Facility).

    3. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    The Masters of Advanced Studies in Peace Mediation, started as scheduled and will deliver the first batch of trained mediators by mid-2019. The next batch is to start training in autumn 2019. Switzerland continues to offer the Peace Mediation Course. Participants to these courses are future mediators, as well as parties to peace processes worldwide.

     

    In April 2019, Switzerland participated in the first "Strategic Financing Dialogue Meeting of the PBF".

  • 1D
    Develop solutions with and for people

    Individual Commitments (5)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility

    • Switzerland is committed to the continued support of the Burundi configuration of the UN Peacebuilding Commission as a platform for long-term peace-building efforts in Burundi.


    • Operational
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts

    • Participation of women in the political, social and economic sphere is a priority of Switzerland's foreign policy. Switzerland specifically commits to promoting greater and meaningful participation of women at all levels and stages of peace processes, humanitarian action and post-conflict reconstruction, and will advocate for and strengthen women'€™s leadership in disaster risk management, in particular in cooperation with multilateral partner organizations.


    • Advocacy
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts Leave No One Behind Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • Switzerland is committed to promote inclusive conflict transformation processes, in particular through dialogue with political actors with religious reference.


    • Operational
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts

    • Switzerland is committed to strengthen the participation of women in peace processes and the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325.


    • Operational
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts Leave No One Behind

    • Switzerland is committed to the universal implementation of Agenda 2030, including its Sustainable Development Goal 16 on peaceful and inclusive societies.


    • Policy
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    1. A. Highlight concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2018 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures as well as any good practices and examples of innovation.

    Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) strategy on gender equality and women's rights prioritizes women's economic and political participation, including in peace processes. Measurement: introduction of standard indicators on participation/sex and age disaggregated data (SADD) by Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC); monitoring of implementation of FDFA strategy SDC launched the first edition of the yearly Gender Status Report to showcase specific projects and corresponding Aggregated Reference Indicators (ARIs).

    Facilitated by Switzerland, the Humanitarian Charities Forum was officially launched in Lebanon in August 2017. The Forum has 8 member organisations from among Muslim humanitarian charities of different denominations (Sunni and Shia), and its mission is to provide aid to Syrian refugees beyond confessional boundaries.

    In Thailand's Southern provinces, Switzerland is supporting a dialogue process involving Buddhist monks to address their grievances vis-à-vis the Muslim population. This process supports relevant Buddhist actors to engage in non-violent conflict transforming.

    Women's participation in and influence on conflict resolution and peace processes is a priority in its 4th National Action Plan 1325. Switzerland, for example, supports the Civil Society Support Room (CSSR) in the inter-Syrian dialogue, a platform which brings concerns of civil society organizations, especially those affecting women and young people, into official UN peace talks.

    Switzerland seeks to ensure equal opportunities in education and training and gender-sensitive transfer of knowledge for mediators.

    Switzerland maintained its support to the Burundi configuration via support to the Chair in the framework of its visits to Burundi and joint analysis and information sharing.

    2. B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    Challenges: moving beyond numeric inclusion towards meaningful participation/empowerment.

    Keywords

    Displacement, Gender, People-centred approach, Religious engagement

  • 2A
    Respect and protect civilians and civilian objects in the conduct of hostilities

    Individual Commitments (3)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility

    • Switzerland commits to support dialogue with all parties to armed conflict to enhance their knowledge and respect for IHL.


    • Operational
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

    • Switzerland commits to support mine action as an enabler for peace and security, humanitarian action and development, on the basis of its national mine action strategy.


    • Financial
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

    • Switzerland is committed to the continued co-chairmanship of the Group of Friends on the Protection of Civilians.


    • Partnership
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

    Core Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to promote and enhance the protection of civilians and civilian objects, especially in the conduct of hostilities, for instance by working to prevent civilian harm resulting from the use of wide-area explosive weapons in populated areas, and by sparing civilian infrastructure from military use in the conduct of military operations.
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    1. A. Highlight concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2018 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures as well as any good practices and examples of innovation.

    Switzerland discussed issues of concern in regard to international humanitarian law (IHL) especially with parties to armed conflict and conducted demarches, where appropriate. Switzerland supported organisations such as the International Committe of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Geneva Call.

    In 2018, in the framework of its 2016-2019 Mine Action Strategy, Switzerland dedicated some CHF 18.4 million to efforts to clear mines, raise awareness, strengthen local capacities, and facilitate the implementation of existing conventions at the international level. The main instruments are the following: support projects in affected states as part of Switzerland's peace and development work; deploy mine action experts to UN mine action programmes; political work in the relevant multilateral fora, such as Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC), Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) and the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW).

    Switzerland continues to chair the Group of Friends of PoC and co-ordinates the joint statement of the group for the open debate of the UN Security Council on PoC, with a focus on the protection of the medical mission and the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2286. Other meetings have been organised to discuss counter terrorism and humanitarian action.

    3. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    Switzerland is committed to further strengthen the Group of Friends of PoC.

    Keywords

    IHL compliance and accountability, Protection

  • 2B
    Ensure full access to and protection of the humanitarian and medical missions

    Individual Commitments (2)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility

    • Switzerland commits to clearly distinguish humanitarian action from the political agenda, including by preventing the use of Swiss humanitarian aid for political purposes. Furthermore, it commits to consistently respect and promote respect for humanitarian principles, and in line with its obligation under international humanitarian law, to ensure conducive environments for humanitarian actors and facilitate humanitarian action that is based exclusively on needs and conducted without discrimination. Switzerland further commits to providing more core funding and reducing earmarking thereby enabling humanitarian actors to develop the financial independence necessary for principled humanitarian action. It commits to developing public education programs to disseminate humanitarian principles, informed by social and cultural traditions.


    • Operational
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

    • Switzerland commits to engage in endeavours to ensure safety and security for humanitarian actors and the protection of the medical mission, including by fostering a principled approach, by enhancing the dialogue with all parties to armed conflict and by developing relevant standards and policies.


    • Operational
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

    Core Commitments (2)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to ensure all populations in need receive rapid and unimpeded humanitarian assistance.
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    • Commit to promote and enhance efforts to respect and protect medical personnel, transports and facilities, as well as humanitarian relief personnel and assets against attacks, threats or other violent acts.
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    1. A. Highlight concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2018 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures as well as any good practices and examples of innovation.

    Switzerland supports organisations such as the ICRC and Geneva Call.

    Switzerland raises issues pertaining to the security of humanitarian actors and the protection of the medical mission in bilateral and multilateral fora. Switzerland supports actively the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2286.

    Switzerland continued to support the Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation in Geneva.  The Centre's objective is to facilitate and promote the exchange and analysis of experiences and practices in humanitarian negotiations to enable humanitarian aid and protection to reach people in need rapidly and without hindrance. The ICRC hosts the Centre with the joint support of the five strategic partners: nternational Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the World Food Program (WFP), Médecins sans Frontières (MSF- Switzerland) and the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD).

    Keywords

    IHL compliance and accountability, Protection

  • 2C
    Speak out on violations

    Individual Commitments (2)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility

    • Switzerland commits to raise awareness of the potential of the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission and of its services, including good offices and confidence-building, and to encourage the resort to the Commission as well as the recognition of its competence in accordance with article 90 of the first Additional Protocol of the Geneva Conventions of 1949.


    • Policy
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

    • Switzerland is committed to strengthen and support efforts to mainstream human rights issues throughout the entire UN system, in particular as an early warning instrument within those institutions whose work focuses on the UN peace and security pillar, inter alia by supporting the Human Rights Up Front Initiative and by encouraging regular and more systematic exchanges between the human rights bodies based in Geneva (Human Rights Council and the OHCHR and the Security Council).


    • Policy
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

    Core Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to speak out and systematically condemn serious violations of international humanitarian law and serious violations and abuses of international human rights law and to take concrete steps to ensure accountability of perpetrators when these acts amount to crimes under international law.
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    1. A. Highlight concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2018 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures as well as any good practices and examples of innovation.

    Switzerland provided substantial administrative support to the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission Commission as its Secretariat. Both in bilateral contacts and multilateral fora, Switzerland encourages States to recognize the competence of the Commission and make use of its potential.

    The 5th Glion Human Rights Dialogue took place in May 2018 and focused on the place of human rights in a reformed UN. By organizing a side event providing good examples on human rights' protection and conflict prevention during the High Level Meeting on Sustaining Peace (24-25 April 2018), Switzerland contributed to implement the June 13 Appeal.

    Keywords

    IHL compliance and accountability, Protection

  • 2D
    Take concrete steps to improve compliance and accountability

    Individual Commitments (6)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility

    • Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is to become a new priority topic for the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Department from 2017 onwards. In relation to this new priority theme and the Call to Action roadmap, the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Department commits to develop and implement an internal operational concept for SGBV prevention and response, which outlines the following priorities, actions and resources: 1) capacity of personnel of the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Department on SGBV prevention and response is strengthened; 2) sufficient resources for the implementation of the commitments are made available and internal tracking of GBV funding is enhanced; 3) implementation of Call to Action commitments by key partners (UN etc.) is systematically monitored and GBV in emergencies is a regular topic in policy dialogue with these partners and; 4) international policy and advocacy opportunities for the promotion of the Call to Action are being used.


    • Policy
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

    • Switzerland commits to advocate for the respect of international humanitarian law, human rights law and refugee law as well as the rule of law when countering terrorism. International humanitarian law carves out important protections for principled humanitarian actors, including offering services to all parties to armed conflict. Counter-terrorism measures may recast such activities as unlawful support for terrorism or designated terrorist groups. Therefore, Switzerland commits to engagements to ensure that principled humanitarian action is not affected by counter terrorism measures and that potential dilemmas between norms are addressed including by way of the necessary exemptions for humanitarian action.


    • Advocacy
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

    • Switzerland commits to promote the Code of Conduct regarding Security Council action against genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes.


    • Policy
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

    • Switzerland commits to promote the universalization of the Rome Statute, to cooperate with and support the International Criminal Court and other mechanisms to ensure accountability and justice for victims at the national, regional and international levels, including by non-judicial measures.


    • Policy
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

    • Switzerland commits to promoting compliance by States and non-State actors with international law, including international humanitarian law, human rights law as well as international refugee law in relation to gender-specific violations and gender equality norms.


    • Operational
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity Leave No One Behind

    • Switzerland further commits to tackling SGBV from a short- to long-term perspective through its humanitarian and development programmes.


    • Operational
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

    Core Commitments (4)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to promote and enhance respect for international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and refugee law, where applicable.
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    • Commit to speak out and systematically condemn serious violations of international humanitarian law and serious violations and abuses of international human rights law and to take concrete steps to ensure accountability of perpetrators when these acts amount to crimes under international law.
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    • Implement a coordinated global approach to prevent and respond to gender-based violence in crisis contexts, including through the Call to Action on Protection from Gender-based Violence in Emergencies.
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    • Fully comply with humanitarian policies, frameworks and legally binding documents related to gender equality, women's empowerment, and women's rights.
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity Leave No One Behind
    1. A. Highlight concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2018 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures as well as any good practices and examples of innovation.

    Other

    Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is a priority theme of Swiss Humanitarian Aid, with a 100 per cent SGBV advisor position. A small number of deployments from the roster were made (Area of Responsibility GBV, International Federation of the Red Cross).  Switzerland co-chaired the States and Donors Working Group of the Call to Action. Measurement: the number of women and girl survivors of SGBV who benefitted from Swiss funded psychosocial, medical and/or legal support increased from 80,000 (2016) to 118,000 (2018).

    Switzerland recalls the importance of respecting human rights, international humanitarian law and refugee law in the fight against terrorism. Switzerland continued to highlight the importance of a balanced implementation of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (especially pillars I prevention and IV human rights).

    The "Code of Conduct regarding Security Council action against genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes" was developed by the  Accountability, Coherence and Transparency (ACT) Group. 119 countries have expressed their support.

    Switzerland encouraged States to ratify the Rome Statute in bilateral and multilateral fora and supported NGOs promoting universalization. It supported the International Impartial and Independent Mechanism for Syria, based in Geneva.

    Switzerland supports the NGO Geneva Call. 23 armed non-State actors have signed the gender deed of commitment and 21 armed non-State actors are in discussion on gender issues with Geneva Call. Through its support of the Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice, Switzerland supports gender justice, specifically in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

    2. B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    Making the Call to Action known at field level; increasing the level of funding for SGBV (with a perspective longer than 2 years); mainstreaming SGBV prevention in other sectors; adequate response for male survivors.

    Keywords

    Gender, IHL compliance and accountability, Protection

  • 2E
    Uphold the rules: a global campaign to affirm the norms that safeguard humanity

    Joint Commitments (2)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility

    • Switzerland commits to facilitate, jointly with the ICRC, an intergovernmental process as set out in resolution 2 of the 32nd International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in 2015, "€œto find agreement on features and functions of a potential forum of States and ways to enhance the implementation of IHL using the potential of the International Conference [of the Red Cross and Red Crescent] and IHL regional forums".


    • Partnership
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

    Partners: ICRC

    • Switzerland commits to strengthen cooperation among National Committees for the Implementation of International Humanitarian Law, notably by supporting the ICRC in the organization of a Universal Meeting of National Committees for International Humanitarian Law in Geneva in November/December 2016.


    • Partnership
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

    Partners: ICRC

    Individual Commitments (3)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility

    • Switzerland commits to support endeavours that aim at rendering the UN humanitarian system fit for purpose, including by strengthening engagements for the protection of civilians. Switzerland also commits to support endeavours that strengthen other humanitarian actors such as the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, as well as regional and local actors.


    • Operational
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity Invest in Humanity

    • Switzerland commits to support the special procedures of the Human Rights Council, in particular those relevant to forced displacement and migration (i.e. Special Rapporteur on the human rights of IDPs, Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, and Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons and other), with a view to strengthen a human rights based approach to forced displacement and migration.


    • Operational
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity Leave No One Behind

    • With regard to WHS core commitment 2 under the Uphold the Norm roundtable, it is the understanding of Switzerland that the references to "working to prevent civilian harm resulting from the use of wide-area explosive weapons in populated areas" and "€œsparing civilian infrastructure from military use"€ do not restate or modify existing obligations and do not create new ones beyond those enshrined in existing and applicable norms of international humanitarian law.


    • Policy
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

    Core Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to promote and enhance respect for international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and refugee law, where applicable.
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    1. A. Highlight concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2018 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures as well as any good practices and examples of innovation.

    Switzerland, jointly with the ICRC, organized the Fourth (May 2018) and Fifth (December 2018) Formal Meeting of States in the intergovernmental process on strengthening respect for international humanitarian law (IHL). These meetings allowed for the discussion of concrete State proposals on ways to enhance the implementation of IHL.

    The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and the Swiss Interdepartmental Committee for IHL supported the ICRC in the organization of the Universal Meeting of National Committees and Similar Bodies on International Humanitarian Law by providing financial support to cover parts of the meeting costs and to sponsor the participation of six delegations.

    Switzerland continued engaging in building up the capacities of National Societies.

    Switzerland supports the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants both financially and with human resources (a JPO).

    Switzerland supported the Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons both politically and financially.

    Switzerland supported the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons financially (with two secondments) and politically (as "friend of the mandate").

    2. B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    The National Society Investment Alliance (NSIA) initiated by Switzerland and jointly managed by the ICRC and IFRC has been set up.  Negotiations  between ICRC and IFRC on technical level regarding the application process and the criteria for assessment were time consuming.

    3. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    The intergovernmental process on strengthening respect for IHL will be concluded with a report to the International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent.

    Five National Societies will receive support in the first half of 2019 as part of the National Society Investment Alliance (NSIA).

    Beside the financial contribution to its field operations, ICRC will receive a core contribution of CHF 80 million and the IFRC Headquarters will be supported with CHF 3 million.

    Keywords

    IHL compliance and accountability, Migrants

  • 3A
    Reduce and address displacement

    Individual Commitments (10)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility

    • Switzerland acknowledges the crucial role played by local and national authorities as well as host communities, and commits to support them whenever possible and feasible with targeted measures.


    • Advocacy
    • Leave No One Behind

    • Switzerland commits to address the protection needs of people displaced across borders in the context of disasters and climate change, in particular through the promotion and implementation of the Protection Agenda of the Nansen Initiative at the different levels, and its active engagement within the new Platform on Disaster Displacement.


    • Operational
    • Leave No One Behind

    • Switzerland commits to promote international human rights law and international humanitarian law as well as other internationally recognized protection standards, such as the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, which seek to ensure protection and assistance of those forcibly displaced internally. Switzerland further commits to promote regional protection frameworks such as the Kampala Convention and encourages and supports the elaboration of such frameworks in other regions of the world.


    • Advocacy
    • Leave No One Behind

    • Switzerland commits to promote the universal ratification, as well as the full and effective implementation of the 1951 Refugee Convention and its Protocol of 1967, and in particular the right to seek asylum as well as the principles of non-refoulement and responsibility-sharing, at the bilateral and multilateral level within the relevant fora.


    • Policy
    • Leave No One Behind

    • Switzerland commits to support sustainable solutions, in particular for protracted displacement situations catering to refugees, IDPs, returnees as well as host communities through: 1) joint analysis and programming frameworks, 2) an earlier engagement of development actors, 3) the integration of target populations in long-term development plans, in order to increase the protection, resilience and self-reliance of forcibly displaced persons.


    • Operational
    • Leave No One Behind Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • Switzerland commits to support the special procedures of the Human Rights Council, in particular those relevant to forced displacement and migration (i.e. Special Rapporteur on the human rights of IDPs, Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, and Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons and other), with a view to strengthen a human rights based approach to forced displacement and migration.


    • Operational
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity Leave No One Behind

    • Switzerland is committed to work towards more equitably sharing of responsibilities for refugees and to create, particularly for vulnerable people, additional legal pathways for admission. Switzerland is further committed to support first hosting countries in their capacities to provide refugee protection.


    • Policy
    • Leave No One Behind

    • Switzerland supports the call by the Secretary-General to adopt a Global Compact on responsibility-sharing which should build on the principles of protecting displaced persons, ensuring their self-reliance and assistance to host communities, as well as preventing situations of forced displacement in the first place.


    • Advocacy
    • Leave No One Behind

    • Switzerland supports the need to address forced displacement based on an integrated, multi-stakeholder approach, by engaging more systematically and coherently with all relevant actors, including the civil society, academia and the private sector. In a similar vein, Switzerland also commits to promote enhanced coordination and cooperation across the UN system, through system-wide objectives, followed up with system-wide funding. It will for instance promote the alignment of UNDAFs and the humanitarian strategic response plans at country level in order to improve coherence and efficiency.


    • Operational
    • Leave No One Behind

    • Switzerland will also engage in addressing the root causes of forced displacement, including through the framework of the 2030 Agenda, as well as for instance through long-term engagement of development actors, particularly in fragile contexts, contributing therewith to state-building and peace building efforts.


    • Policy
    • Leave No One Behind
    1. A. Highlight concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2018 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures as well as any good practices and examples of innovation.

    Other

    In 2018, honouring its resettlement commitments, Switzerland has welcomed 996 victims of the Syrian conflict and 78 refugees from Libya.

    Switzerland has reaffirmed the legal and policy frameworks on internal displacement and their implementation in different fora, notably in the framework of the 20th anniversary of the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement. It supported an ICRC study on urban displacement. Switzerland supported the Durable Solutions Initiative in Somalia and supported the roll-out of the OCHA study on the impacts of protracted internal displacement.

    Switzerland has recalled the importance of the ratification and implementation of the 1951 Refugee Convention in various fora, including during the discussions on the Global Compacts. Switzerland supported a UNHCR-study aiming at establishing to what extent the 1951 Convention is relevant in situations where conflict interacts with climate change/disasters. 

    Switzerland supported the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants, the Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons politically and the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of IDPs through secondments, as well as through financial and political support.

    Switzerland continued to engage in the topic of disaster displacement as a member of the steering group of the Platform on Disaster Displacement, in the relevant fora, and through concrete projects.

    2. B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    Real and perceived lack of institutional capacity among local and national responders.

    Lack of ratification of the 1951 Convention on Refugees in certain regions.

    3. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    Switzerland has taken in November 2018 the decision to stay engaged within the UNHCR resettlement program and has announced an additional contingent of 800 refugees – mainly victims of the Syrian conflict for 2019.

    Keywords

    Displacement, Migrants

  • 3D
    Empower and protect women and girls

    Individual Commitments (9)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility

    • Participation of women in the political, social and economic sphere is a priority of Switzerland's foreign policy. Switzerland specifically commits to promoting greater and meaningful participation of women at all levels and stages of peace processes, humanitarian action and post-conflict reconstruction, and will advocate for and strengthen women'€™s leadership in disaster risk management, in particular in cooperation with multilateral partner organizations.


    • Advocacy
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts Leave No One Behind Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • Sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights are a priority of Switzerland's foreign policy. Switzerland promotes sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights for all, including full reproductive choices for women, men and adolescents. Switzerland commits to promoting sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights through its bilateral and multilateral engagement (Commission on the Status of Women, Human Rights Council, including the Universal Periodic Review) as well as its development and humanitarian interventions, including by supporting key partners with core contributions (UNFPA, UNAIDS, IPPF, WHO Human Reproduction Programme).


    • Advocacy
    • Leave No One Behind

    • Switzerland commits to advocate for and strengthening women'€™s leadership in disaster risk management either through direct actions and funding or in cooperation with multilateral partner organisations.


    • Operational
    • Leave No One Behind Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • Switzerland commits to promoting compliance by States and non-State actors with international law, including international humanitarian law, human rights law as well as international refugee law in relation to gender-specific violations and gender equality norms.


    • Operational
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity Leave No One Behind

    • Switzerland commits to supporting the roll-out of the new IASC age and gender marker, continues to track the gender-responsiveness of its own humanitarian action and increases its efforts in presenting gender-results including sex disaggregated data in all its humanitarian work.


    • Policy
    • Leave No One Behind

    • Switzerland commits to upholding its obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and its Optional Protocol and to support the implementation of General Recommendation 30 of the CEDAW Committee on Women in Conflict and Post-Conflict Situations.


    • Policy
    • Leave No One Behind

    • Switzerland is committed to strengthen the participation of women in peace processes and the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325.


    • Operational
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts Leave No One Behind

    • Switzerland, based on the Agenda 2030 for sustainable development, commits to promoting gender equality as a strategic objective in its new strategy for international cooperation 2017-2020. This will apply to all operations and engagement in humanitarian aid, both for operational and policy work, and throughout all stages of an emergency.


    • Advocacy
    • Leave No One Behind

    • Switzerland commits to ensure that 50% of leadership positions in the Swiss Cooperation Offices in humanitarian contexts are held by women by 2020. 


    • Operational
    • Leave No One Behind

    Core Commitments (4)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Empower Women and Girls as change agents and leaders, including by increasing support for local women's groups to participate meaningfully in humanitarian action.
    • Leave No One Behind
    • Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the Outcome documents of their review conferences for all women and adolescent girls in crisis settings.
    • Leave No One Behind
    • Ensure that humanitarian programming is gender responsive.
    • Leave No One Behind
    • Fully comply with humanitarian policies, frameworks and legally binding documents related to gender equality, women's empowerment, and women's rights.
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity Leave No One Behind
    1. A. Highlight concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2018 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures as well as any good practices and examples of innovation.

    Other

    Switzerland continued its financial support to key partners working and in discussion in the respective governance bodies e.g. UN Population Fund, International Planned Parenthood Federation, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the World Health Organization and the UN Human Reproductive Programme.

    Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) strategy on gender equality and women's rights prioritizes women's economic and political participation, including in peace-processes. Gender was included in strategic documents and the gender markers (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Development Assistance Committee and internal) were applied. New binding reference indicators have been developed, including in relation to gender, SGBV and sex-disaggregated data, compiled once a year.

    Switzerland supports the NGO Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP) to raise awareness of the parallels and the complementarity between Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Security Council Resolutions on Women, Peace and Security. Switzerland supported GNWP trainings on the use of CEDAW General Recommendation 30 in Nepal, Palestine, Ukraine.

    In 2018, 68 per cent of financial commitments concerned interventions with gender equality components. The evaluation on promoting gender equality 2007-2016 showed that 40 per cent of the  Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation’s  (SDC) interventions have contributed to women living a life free from violence.

    Switzerland supports Geneva Call in its work to prevent gender-specific violations and promote gender equality norms. Currently 23 armed non-State actors have signed the gender deed of commitment and 21 armed non-State actors are in discussion on gender issues with Geneva Call.

    2. B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    Challenging global environment concerning sexual and reproductive health and rights

    Quality of data/gaps in data.

    Moving beyond numeric inclusion towards meaningful participation/empowerment (under-representation of women in middle and top management of SDC).

    3. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    For SDC, gender will continue to be a priority transversal theme. In 2018 the Thematic Gender Checklist Climate Change and DRR has been reviewed (finalised in 2019)

     

    Keywords

    Gender, IHL compliance and accountability

  • 4A
    Reinforce, do not replace, national and local systems

    Individual Commitments (7)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility

    • Switzerland commits - at all stages of humanitarian and development interventions - to seeking and heeding the voices of affected communities and grass-roots organizations.


    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • Switzerland commits to build community resilience in countries where protracted humanitarian crisis are linked to drought and environmental degradation.


    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • Switzerland commits to increase the use of cash as a powerful programming modality to be considered systematically alongside other tools, e.g. vouchers, in-kind, accordingly with affected population's needs and preference.


    • Policy
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • Switzerland commits to invest in capacity-building of local government, as well as other local actors, including civil society.


    • Capacity
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity

    • Switzerland commits to scaling up cash programming in humanitarian crises, and designing these programs so that they can eventually become national social protection systems.


    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • Switzerland commits to support coordination models/solutions for the delivery of cash-based transfers within the existing humanitarian architecture and to promote greater national leadership wherever possible, based on context specificities, best practices and lessons learned from the country and regional levels.


    • Policy
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • Switzerland commits to supporting its main partners to use cash in emergency, alongside national capacity, existing systems and social protection programs in place.


    • Policy
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    Core Commitments (3)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to a new way of working that meets people's immediate humanitarian needs, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years through the achievement of collective outcomes. To achieve this, commit to the following: a) Anticipate, Do Not Wait: to invest in risk analysis and to incentivize early action in order to minimize the impact and frequency of known risks and hazards on people. b) Reinforce, Do Not Replace: to support and invest in local, national and regional leadership, capacity strengthening and response systems, avoiding duplicative international mechanisms wherever possible. c) Preserve and retain emergency capacity: to deliver predictable and flexible urgent and life-saving assistance and protection in accordance with humanitarian principles. d) Transcend Humanitarian-Development Divides: work together, toward collective outcomes that ensure humanitarian needs are met, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years and based on the comparative advantage of a diverse range of actors. The primacy of humanitarian principles will continue to underpin humanitarian action.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • Commit to increase substantially and diversify global support and share of resources for humanitarian assistance aimed to address the differentiated needs of populations affected by humanitarian crises in fragile situations and complex emergencies, including increasing cash-based programming in situations where relevant.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity
    • Commit to empower national and local humanitarian action by increasing the share of financing accessible to local and national humanitarian actors and supporting the enhancement of their national delivery systems, capacities and preparedness planning.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity
    1. A. Highlight concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2018 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures as well as any good practices and examples of innovation.

    Other

    The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) supported community resilience though livelihood and natural resource management projects in the Sahel e.g. Chad, and the Horn of Africa e.g. Ethiopia, Somali Region and South Sudan.

    Switzerland has advocated for scaling-up of qualitative humanitarian cash and voucher assistance. Switzerland, as a Good Humanitarian Donorship (GHD) member, supported the adoption of a GHD 24th Principle linked to the use of cash transfers. Switzerland endorsed the "Common Donor Approach for humanitarian cash programming", which expects to see humanitarian cash programming use, link to or align with national mechanisms such as social protection systems, where possible and appropriate. Switzerland deployed Swiss experts in Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) and Social Protection, to build local capacity including shock-responsive social protection systems. Switzerland supported the Cash Learning Partnership (CaLP), financially, by being a member of the Board and as part of the Technical Advisory Group. Switzerland is co-leading the Grand Bargain work stream on localization and strong linkages are built with the Grand Bargain cash work stream.

    Switzerland continued to invest in capacity building projects and initiatives in the course of 2018. As a rule, 50 per cent of Swiss Humanitarian Aid funding to local actors is devoted to capacity development and strengthening. As an example Switzerland supported Bolivia and Tajikistan in environmental and disaster risk management.

    B. Please select if your report relates to any initiatives launched at World Humanitarian summit
    • Grand Bargain
    Keywords

    Cash, Community resilience, Disaster Risk Reduction, Local action

  • 4B
    Anticipate, do not wait, for crises

    Individual Commitments (13)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility

    • In its economic development cooperation, Switzerland commits to support partner countries to reduce the financial vulnerability of the state to natural disasters by improving their financial response capacity in the aftermath of natural disasters, while protecting their long term fiscal balance.


    • Financial
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity

    • Participation of women in the political, social and economic sphere is a priority of Switzerland's foreign policy. Switzerland specifically commits to promoting greater and meaningful participation of women at all levels and stages of peace processes, humanitarian action and post-conflict reconstruction, and will advocate for and strengthen women'€™s leadership in disaster risk management, in particular in cooperation with multilateral partner organizations.


    • Advocacy
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts Leave No One Behind Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • Switzerland commits to a proper and coherent use and effective coordination of foreign military assets in humanitarian action based on the Oslo Guidelines and common humanitarian civil-military standards for deploying, employing, receiving, integrating and coordinating foreign military assets in natural disasters.


    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • Switzerland commits to accelerate the reduction of disaster and climate-related risks by dedicating human and financial resources to support implementing the Sendai Framework for DRR and other international efforts to reduce disaster and climate risks. 


    • Financial
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity

    • Switzerland commits to accelerate the reduction of disaster and climate-related risks by planning to allocate over the next four years 1/6 of its international humanitarian aid budget to disaster risk reduction and resilience building.


    • Financial
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity

    • Switzerland commits to advocate for and strengthening women'€™s leadership in disaster risk management either through direct actions and funding or in cooperation with multilateral partner organisations.


    • Operational
    • Leave No One Behind Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • Switzerland commits to build community resilience in countries where protracted humanitarian crisis are linked to drought and environmental degradation.


    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • Switzerland commits to strengthen disaster preparedness and response through partnership and cooperation amongst practitioners, and to use the Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Week (HNPW) as a platform for collaboration to develop solutions to the recurring challenges faced by responders.


    • Partnership
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • Switzerland commits to support and invest in the institutional capacities of Red Cross / Red Crescent National Societies, including preparedness, response and coordination capacities, especially in fragile context and where communities are vulnerable to conflicts, disasters, recurrent outbreaks and the effects of climate change.


    • Financial
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity

    • Switzerland commits to support national and local partners in developing effective disaster risk reduction management abilities and capacities, especially in the field of urban search and rescue.


    • Capacity
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • Switzerland promotes - as 2016-2017 Co-Chair of the World Bank's Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) - initiatives and programmes, which aim at increasing people's access to early warning mechanisms and weather data such as the Climate Risk Early Warning System (CREWS), the GFDRR-WB/WMO Hydromet Programme and the Small Islands States Resilience Initiative (SISRI).


    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • Switzerland supports the development of new analytical and financial mechanisms that help the international community to act preventively before a disaster or a pandemic outbreak strikes.


    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • Switzerland supports the generation of climate change-relevant knowledge and data, to enhance capacity development of partners and institutions and to support the sharing and application of sound climate change knowledge and data decision-making and as a contribution to relevant climate services.


    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    Core Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to a new way of working that meets people's immediate humanitarian needs, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years through the achievement of collective outcomes. To achieve this, commit to the following: a) Anticipate, Do Not Wait: to invest in risk analysis and to incentivize early action in order to minimize the impact and frequency of known risks and hazards on people. b) Reinforce, Do Not Replace: to support and invest in local, national and regional leadership, capacity strengthening and response systems, avoiding duplicative international mechanisms wherever possible. c) Preserve and retain emergency capacity: to deliver predictable and flexible urgent and life-saving assistance and protection in accordance with humanitarian principles. d) Transcend Humanitarian-Development Divides: work together, toward collective outcomes that ensure humanitarian needs are met, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years and based on the comparative advantage of a diverse range of actors. The primacy of humanitarian principles will continue to underpin humanitarian action.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    1. A. Highlight concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2018 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures as well as any good practices and examples of innovation.

    Other

    Switzerland continued to support risk transfer mechanisms, including the African Risk Capacity and the South Eastern Europe (SEE) Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility. Switzerland continued its partnership with the World Bank on the Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance program to support countries in building their financial resilience to natural disasters (including Indonesia).

    SDC supported the re-establishment of a "Civil-Military-Coordination-Service" (CMCS) within OCHA Geneva and seconded civil-military coordinators in OCHA field offices e.g. Bamako.

    Twelve functional-technical experts (FTEs) on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) were deployed in 2018. Switzerland supported Hazard and Risk Strategies in partner countries e.g. Bosnia Herzegovina, Caucasus, Haiti. The spending for DRR activities in 2018 amounted to 11 per cent (CHF 48 million) of the total humanitarian aid budget. SDC supported DRR projects in Bolivia, Haiti, Myanmar, Nicaragua and other countries; it continued the Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) trilateral cooperation (China-Mongolia-Switzerland). SDC supported national governments through Climate, Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction Integration Guidance (CEDRIG) trainings e.g. Tajikistan.

    Switzerland supports to the World Bank’s Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) through a core contribution as well as the provision of an expert. Switzerland strongly supported the setting up of the Climate Resilience Early Warning System Initiative (CREWS).

    SDC has continued to support community resilience though livelihood and natural resource management projects in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa.

    2. B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    Challenges: moving beyond numeric inclusion of women towards meaningful participation/empowerment.

    3. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    Switzerland will host the 6th session of the Global Platform for DRR in May 2019.

    Switzerland is exploring the possible interest in innovative financial mechanisms using ecosystem insurances as a way to prevent and mitigate disasters through preservation and restoration measures.

    Finalisation of the Thematic Gender Checklist Climate Change and DRR.

    Keywords

    Climate Change, Community resilience, Disaster Risk Reduction, Urban

  • 4C
    Deliver collective outcomes: transcend humanitarian-development divides

    Individual Commitments (11)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility

    • As Co-Chair of the International Network on Conflict and Fragility (INCAF), Switzerland commits to adhere to and promote the 2016 €œStockholm Declaration on Addressing Fragility and Building Peace in a Changing World€.


    • Policy
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • Switzerland commits to further coherence between humanitarian, development, and civilian peacebuilding actors, notably through joint context analysis, joint strategic planning, as well as close operational cooperation.


    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • Switzerland commits to further shift its development cooperation to fragile and conflict-affected contexts in order to strengthen governance and peacebuilding, hence decreasing vulnerability and increasing resilience.


    • Policy
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity

    • Switzerland commits to operationalise, to adhere to and to advocate for the Guidelines on the Use of Military and Civil Defence Assets to Support United Nations Humanitarian Activities in Complex Emergencies (MCDA Guidelines) as well as related policies and co-ordination mechanisms. This includes in particular the endorsement of common standards, which should govern the use of foreign military assets in humanitarian action.


    • Policy
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • Switzerland commits to provide smarter, more effective and more targeted development support in fragile and conflict affected contexts, including in humanitarian crisis.


    • Policy
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • Switzerland commits to rigorously applying and strengthening "Conflict-Sensitive Programme Management" in its bilateral and multilateral cooperation.


    • Policy
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • Switzerland commits to strengthen its "€œWhole of Government"€ approach between different parts of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs responsible for humanitarian aid, development cooperation, and civilian peacebuilding, as well as to increase the number of Joint Swiss Cooperation Strategies.


    • Policy
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity

    • Switzerland commits to support a reform of the UN development system, which would include the introduction of some system-wide objectives, followed by system-wide funding, in order to help orient the incentive structure towards results.


    • Policy
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • Switzerland commits to support sustainable solutions, in particular for protracted displacement situations catering to refugees, IDPs, returnees as well as host communities through: 1) joint analysis and programming frameworks, 2) an earlier engagement of development actors, 3) the integration of target populations in long-term development plans, in order to increase the protection, resilience and self-reliance of forcibly displaced persons.


    • Operational
    • Leave No One Behind Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • Switzerland commits to work more closely with humanitarian and development actors and to promote increased incorporation of conflict-sensitive and longer-term development approaches into humanitarian operations in protracted crisis situations.


    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • Switzerland is committed to the universal implementation of Agenda 2030, including its Sustainable Development Goal 16 on peaceful and inclusive societies.


    • Policy
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    Core Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to a new way of working that meets people's immediate humanitarian needs, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years through the achievement of collective outcomes. To achieve this, commit to the following: a) Anticipate, Do Not Wait: to invest in risk analysis and to incentivize early action in order to minimize the impact and frequency of known risks and hazards on people. b) Reinforce, Do Not Replace: to support and invest in local, national and regional leadership, capacity strengthening and response systems, avoiding duplicative international mechanisms wherever possible. c) Preserve and retain emergency capacity: to deliver predictable and flexible urgent and life-saving assistance and protection in accordance with humanitarian principles. d) Transcend Humanitarian-Development Divides: work together, toward collective outcomes that ensure humanitarian needs are met, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years and based on the comparative advantage of a diverse range of actors. The primacy of humanitarian principles will continue to underpin humanitarian action.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    1. A. Highlight concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2018 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures as well as any good practices and examples of innovation.

    Other

    Switzerland supported the Drafting Committee and the Advisory Committee for the "Recommended Practices for Effective Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination" and the update of the UN Civil Military Coordination (CMCoord) Field Handbook. It sponsored 3 CMCoord courses per year (2 in Switzerland, 1 in Uganda). Two of them are sponsored by the FDFA and 1 by the Swiss Armed Forces. It also regularly deploy CMCoord officers over the Standby-Partnership-Programme (SBPP). Finally, Switzerland continued to defend the standpoint that 1. norms and guidance, 2. training and 3. operational field support remain the 3 components that make the civil-military work coherent and effective, also under the new structure of OCHA's Coordination Division.

    Switzerland uses Conflict Sensitive Programme Management (mandatory) in fragile contexts and supports partners through training and coaching to strengthen conflict sensitive implementation. 

    In 2018 SDC underwent an independent evaluation of the Humanitarian-Development Nexus.

    As an International Network on Conflict and Fragility (INCAF)​ member Switzerland advocated for the "Stockholm Declaration" and the strengthening of New Deal principles (Focus and Trust), and SDG16+ in fragile contexts.

    Based on the findings of a OCHA-study (financed by Switzerland) on the long-term impacts of protracted internal displacement, Switzerland is supporting the roll-out of the study's finding in selected pilot countries.

    2. B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    Identification of pilot countries with political will and ensuring adherence to New Way of Working on all sides including international organisations and donors.                                                        

     

    3. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    Switzerland is strengthening its whole-of-government approach through special efforts to identify the right portfolio mix, working with a long-term view while at the same time allowing also for flexibility.

     

    Keywords

    Displacement, Humanitarian-development nexus

  • 5A
    Invest in local capacities

    Individual Commitments (6)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility

    • Switzerland commits to increase the proportion of humanitarian financial support which is programmed by local and national responders.


    • Financial
    • Invest in Humanity

    • Switzerland commits to increase the proportion of total support to funding tools, including pooled or umbrella funding, which helps to increase and improve assistance delivered by local and national responders. These include, as appropriate, UN country-based pooled funds (CBPFs), the IFRC Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF), as well as NGO-led pooled funds, with the goal of strengthening local and national responders.


    • Financial
    • Invest in Humanity

    • Switzerland commits to invest in capacity-building of local government, as well as other local actors, including civil society.


    • Capacity
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity

    • Switzerland commits to support and invest in the institutional capacities of Red Cross / Red Crescent National Societies, including preparedness, response and coordination capacities, especially in fragile context and where communities are vulnerable to conflicts, disasters, recurrent outbreaks and the effects of climate change.


    • Financial
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity

    • Switzerland commits to support endeavours that aim at rendering the UN humanitarian system fit for purpose, including by strengthening engagements for the protection of civilians. Switzerland also commits to support endeavours that strengthen other humanitarian actors such as the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, as well as regional and local actors.


    • Operational
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity Invest in Humanity

    • Switzerland works towards ensuring that contributions to UN led country-based pooled funds will result in at least 25% of funding for local and national actors by 2020.


    • Financial
    • Invest in Humanity

    Core Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to empower national and local humanitarian action by increasing the share of financing accessible to local and national humanitarian actors and supporting the enhancement of their national delivery systems, capacities and preparedness planning.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity
    1. A. Highlight concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2018 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures as well as any good practices and examples of innovation.

    Other

    Switzerland, as co-convener of Grand Bargain work stream on localization with IFRC, promotes the commitment to channel funding to local and national responders as directly as possible through implementation of a joint work plan. Switzerland augmented the possible financial expenditure for local initiatives and actors in the field, allowing for multi-year funding.

    As a rule, 50 per cent of Swiss Humanitarian Aid funding to local actors is devoted to capacity development and strengthening. As an example Switzerland supported Bolivia and Tajikistan in municipal environmental and disaster risk management.

    Switzerland increased its contribution to CBPFs to USD 20.8 million. Switzerland participated in the Pooled Fund Working Group twice a year and was active in 9 Advisory Boards in-country. It supported the objective of 25 per cent of country-based pooled funds (CBPFs) funding going to national NGos.

    Switzerland continued in engaging in building up the capacities of [Red Cross and Red Crescent] National Societies. The National Society Investment Alliance (NSIA) has been set up. Switzerland contributed CHF 500,000 and continued to advocate for more funding into the mechanism. Beside the financial contribution to its field operations, ICRC receives a yearly core contribution of CHF 80 million. Switzerland and the IFRC Headquarter is supported by CHF 3 million each year.

    2. B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    Risk-sharing (fiduciary, operational risks), perceived or actual lack of institutional capacity among local and national responders.

    Negotiations between ICRC and IFRC on technical level regarding the application process and the criteria for assessment of the NSIA were time consuming, demonstrating the initial investment in time for such an innovative mechanism.

    3. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    It is expected that five National Societies will receive support in the first half of 2019. The NSIA supports National Societies in addressing the complexity of organisational issues to enable them to respond to crisis in a quicker and better way.

    Keywords

    Country-based pooled funds, Local action

  • 5B
    Invest according to risk

    Individual Commitments (4)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility

    • In its economic development cooperation, Switzerland commits to support partner countries to reduce the financial vulnerability of the state to natural disasters by improving their financial response capacity in the aftermath of natural disasters, while protecting their long term fiscal balance.


    • Financial
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity

    • Switzerland commits to accelerate the reduction of disaster and climate-related risks by dedicating human and financial resources to support implementing the Sendai Framework for DRR and other international efforts to reduce disaster and climate risks. 


    • Financial
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity

    • Switzerland commits to accelerate the reduction of disaster and climate-related risks by planning to allocate over the next four years 1/6 of its international humanitarian aid budget to disaster risk reduction and resilience building.


    • Financial
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity

    • Switzerland commits to allocate 1/6 of its international humanitarian aid budget to disaster prevention and preparedness interventions and initiatives between 2017-2020.


    • Financial
    • Invest in Humanity

    Core Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to invest in risk management, preparedness and crisis prevention capacity to build the resilience of vulnerable and affected people.
    • Invest in Humanity
    1. A. Highlight concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2018 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures as well as any good practices and examples of innovation.

    The Swiss commitment is still standing. The spending for disaster risk reduction (DRR) activities in 2018 amounted to 11 per cent (CHF 48 million) of the total humanitarian aid budget. It is still lower than initially intended (16.6 per cent).

    Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) have continued to support various risk transfer mechanisms for national governments. SDC continued to support the African Risk Capacity.

    Through the World Bank and in partnership with Europa Re, SECO has continued to support the South Eastern Europe (SEE) Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility. In 2018, Europa Re has developed several highly innovative municipal and sovereign level parametric insurance covers which offer significant budget relief to Governments in case of either catastrophic earthquake, floods or droughts. SECO has also continued its partnership with the World Bank to implement the Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance (DRFI) Program to support primarily SECO priority countries in building their financial resilience to natural disasters which included Indonesia in 2018.

    Twelve functional technical experts(FTE) on DRR experts were deployed in 2018 (11 FTE in 2017). Switzerland implements programmes and projects in the field of disaster risk reduction, climate change mitigation and adaptation, in vulnerable partner countries as well as through the development cooperation. Switzerland also strengthens risk-proof planning of projects, programmes and strategies.

    3. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    In the next 4-year plan (Bill to the Parliament, 2021-2024), Switzerland is expected to commit to further strengthening its support to climate change and risk-related, prevention-oriented development

    Keywords

    Disaster Risk Reduction

  • 5D
    Finance outcomes, not fragmentation: shift from funding to financing

    Individual Commitments (4)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility

    • Switzerland commits to achieve at least 30% of funding to humanitarian organizations that is unearmarked or softly earmarked by 2020.


    • Financial
    • Invest in Humanity

    • Switzerland commits to prioritize multi-annual plans in protracted crises through the use of flexible multi-year financing instruments.


    • Operational
    • Invest in Humanity

    • Switzerland commits to strengthen its "€œWhole of Government"€ approach between different parts of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs responsible for humanitarian aid, development cooperation, and civilian peacebuilding, as well as to increase the number of Joint Swiss Cooperation Strategies.


    • Policy
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity

    • Switzerland commits to support the testing of new and bold models to go to scale, and identify best practice and risks in each context, from sudden-onsets to protracted crisis.


    • Operational
    • Invest in Humanity

    Core Commitments (3)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to enable coherent financing that avoids fragmentation by supporting collective outcomes over multiple years, supporting those with demonstrated comparative advantage to deliver in context.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity
    • Commit to promote and increase predictable, multi-year, unearmarked, collaborative and flexible humanitarian funding toward greater efficiency, effectiveness, transparency and accountability of humanitarian action for affected people.
    • Invest in Humanity
    • Commit to broaden and adapt the global instruments and approaches to meet urgent needs, reduce risk and vulnerability and increase resilience, without adverse impact on humanitarian principles and overall action (as also proposed in Round Table on "Changing Lives").
    • Invest in Humanity
    1. A. Highlight concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2018 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures as well as any good practices and examples of innovation.

    Switzerland exceeded the Grand Bargain target of 30 per cent of un-earmarked or softly earmarked humanitarian funding. In 2018, 30 per cent of SDC's humanitarian aid funding was un-earmarked, and 7 per cent was softly earmarked. These combined figures reflect an increase, up from 34 per cent in 2016 to 37 per cent in 2018.

    SDC/Humanitarian Aid unit is part of the Steering Committee of the UNHCR/ WFP joint project aimed at identifying and mitigating risks of abuse by private sector service providers in their delivery of cash assistance to vulnerable populations. Lessons learned are compiled from 5 different contexts. A Swiss Humanitarian Aid Expert is currently seconded to the Cash Learning Partnership (CaLP) in Geneva, dedicated to multi-sectoral approach, technical cash coordination and leading CaLP’s research and blog on Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) and risk. 

    Switzerland's "Whole of Government" approach has been strengthened through increased coordination and cooperation. In 2018 SDC underwent an independent evaluation of the Humanitarian-Development Nexus.

    3. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    Continuous increase in Switzerland's multi-year annual planning and funding. From 2016 to 2018, the percentage of Switzerland's multi-year humanitarian funding augmented from 19 per cent to 21 per cent. In 2019, this trend is likely to continue, as further high-level institutional efforts to advance multi-year planning and funding are undertaken.

    Keywords

    Cash, Humanitarian-development nexus, Private sector

  • 5E
    Diversify the resource base and increase cost-efficiency

    Individual Commitments (3)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility

    • Switzerland commits to increase inter-donor collaboration to improve and streamline interactions and lessen the burden on local and national responders.


    • Partnership
    • Invest in Humanity

    • Switzerland commits to keep at least the current level of contributions to the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), considering the Secretary General's call to expand CERF to $1 billion by 2018.


    • Financial
    • Invest in Humanity

    • Switzerland commits to understand and further explore, together with the private sector, innovative financing mechanisms aiming to generate funds for the most vulnerable and unprotected victims of disasters, wars and conflicts.


    • Financial
    • Invest in Humanity

    Core Commitments (2)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to increase substantially and diversify global support and share of resources for humanitarian assistance aimed to address the differentiated needs of populations affected by humanitarian crises in fragile situations and complex emergencies, including increasing cash-based programming in situations where relevant.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity
    • Commit to promote and increase predictable, multi-year, unearmarked, collaborative and flexible humanitarian funding toward greater efficiency, effectiveness, transparency and accountability of humanitarian action for affected people.
    • Invest in Humanity
    1. A. Highlight concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2018 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures as well as any good practices and examples of innovation.

    Switzerland, as co-convener of the Grand Bargain work stream on localization, facilitated discussions and joint activities among the work stream members, including donors. For instance, focused on streamlining measuring of progress related to localization, and provided advice on the reporting of resources flowing to local and national actors. In addition, participated in piloting the Grand Bargain's "8+3" Harmonizing Reporting template in Iraq, aiming to alleviate reporting burden for partners, including local and national responders. 

    The Swiss contribution to the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) in 2018 was USD 6 million. Switzerland wants to keep an efficient, effective and fast CERF for sudden-onset emergencies; performance must remain at its highest, proper investigations into fraud cases are key.   

    Switzerland continues to support innovative investment in humanitarian action. It acts as a main outcome funder of the first Humanitarian Impact Bond in Physical Rehabilitation, implemented by the ICRC. The Programme is in its second year of implementation and shows good progress. Switzerland will focus on the challenge of ICRC's exit strategy when the programme ends.   Switzerland supports and advocates for new financial mechanisms (NFM), like the SURE, an  innovative insurance-style mechanism developed by the ICRC.

    2. B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    National legislation & donor requirements related to counter-terrorism can have adverse effects on humanitarian action, including local and national responders.

    Planning of CERF funding remains volatile, the tension between earmarked and un-earmarked funding remains.

    3. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    The construction of three new rehabilitation centres in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali and Nigeria is on track and tests for operational efficiency improvement are taking place in 8 existing rehabilitation centres (in the framework of the Humanitarian Impact Bond in Physical Rehabilitation).

    Keywords

    Innovation, Local action