Transformative North-South research partnerships

The Research on Global Issues for Development (r4d) programme – a joint funding initiative of the SDC and the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) launched in 2012 – has supported research projects in 50 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. "It was a pioneering initiative as it fostered interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary and development-relevant research in scientific collaborations between the Global North and South," says Mirjam Macchi, SDC policy adviser for research and the 2030 Agenda.

The programme has funded research on social conflict, employment, food security, ecosystems, promoting security and public health. The dissemination of knowledge and the implementation of results in practice are central to the programme.

The HIA4SD project which is implemented under the lead of the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) in collaboration with partner institutions in Africa and Switzerland is among the 57 projects that have received r4d funding. The project primarily focused on conducting research that informs and facilitates a policy dialogue for strengthening the application of impact assessment mechanisms to reduce the negative effects of natural resource extraction on public health in four African countries.

"It is legally binding for the countries to conduct an environmental impact assessment before proceeding with major infrastructure projects such as constructing a mine," says Mirko Winkler of Swiss TPH. "But the health impacts are rarely stringently assessed." The research team of two PhD students from Switzerland and four from Africa analysed the strengths and weaknesses of assessment practices in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mozambique and Tanzania. The team subsequently initiated a dialogue with the political authorities to ensure the Health Impact Assessment (HIA) was integrated in project approval processes.

"Efforts are currently ongoing to incorporate the HIA into legislation and regulations in the four participating African nations," continues Winkler. An evaluation report concludes that by training over 200 young researchers in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary contexts as well as strengthening partnerships and networks among the scientific communities in the Global North and South, HIA4SD and other projects supported by r4d have played a substantive role in capacity building in the areas of research and innovation.