The One Health approach recognises the interdependence of animals, humans and the environment through transdisciplinary cooperation in public health systems.
Researchers at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) work closely with partners at Jigjiga University in the Somali Region. Their common goal is to improve health service delivery for pastoral and agropastoral communities in Ethiopia.
Nowhere in the world is as much research per capita conducted on One Health as in Switzerland. Nor, as a policy brief by the Institute of Global Health notes, exist as many organisations that engage with One Health anywhere else.
As co-director of The Lancet One Health Commission, Ghanian epidemiologist John H. Amuasi is at the forefront of shaping the One Health agenda. He advocates a slow but radical transformation of the economy, global health policy and education.
One Health and pandemic prevention
Chad is among the countries worldwide most vulnerable to climate change. The impacts are all-pervasive. A small group of environmental activists in the Sahelian country is striving to create greater awareness about climate action.
A day in the life of...
Voice of Chad
The key objective of one of the programmes funded by Switzerland is to foster interdisciplinary and transnational research to reduce poverty and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda.
For many years, emigration has been a huge challenge for the Republic of Moldova. Yet the diaspora also has tremendous potential to give impetus to the country’s development.
Gender-specific violence in Myanmar has increased since the COVID-19 crisis and the military coup in 2021. An extensive programme offers a range of services for victims, strengthens civil society resources and sensitises communities to preventive approaches.
Digital technologies have been revolutionising farming for some time. Smartphones make it possible to identify plant diseases and their treatment, measure soil fertility and facilitate the marketing of farm produce. Yet Agriculture 4.0 also poses challenges.
Carte blanche
Filmmaking in Tbilisi has passed through various phases, retaining an astounding individuality and, at a fundamental level, its laconic humour.
The world population has reached eight billion people. Experts agree that food for all can only be ensured in the long term if the system undergoes transformation. This, they say, is the only way to protect the food system from the consequences of wars, pandemics or climate change.
The Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH) has adopted a cross-cutting approach to support a circular economy project to improve food security and living conditions in the urban areas around four African cities.
Millions of people in north-eastern Nigeria suffer from violence perpetrated by Islamic militias. The SDC supports highly vulnerable households in Yobe with small cash amounts to enable them to eat healthy food and build new livelihoods.
"Our current food system does not only produce food, but also violence," says Michael Fakhri, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food. He urgently calls for a new (trade) system.
Global food insecurity
About a million Rohingya have lived in Bangladesh since 2017. The solidarity initially displayed by the Bangladeshis has given way to fatigue. The Rohingya are in danger of being caught in the middle. They are trapped in a country that increasingly has other problems.
A day in the life of...
Voice of Bangladesh
In 2020, the SDC launched a fund to support micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in Nepal that had been hit hard by the pandemic. The fund has helped avert layoffs, created over 400 new jobs and strengthened the local economy.
In Zimbabwe, young people living with HIV are being mentored to support their peers who are similarly infected.
Lebanon is known as the water tower of the Middle East. Yet the people have insufficient and erratic access to this blue gold. The SDC is helping to remedy the situation by repairing water pumping stations and rehabilitating sanitation facilities, especially in schools.
The Swiss Confederation and many Swiss companies have plans to offset their greenhouse gas emissions in partner countries. Development projects can help to achieve this, but following disclosures that emissions certificates sometimes inflate the claimed reductions, there has been growing scepticism about this mechanism.
Carte blanche
Twelve years after the Arab Spring, hope in Tunisia has given way to disenchantment. The nationwide economic crisis has hit young people especially hard. Kickboxing helps them to channel their frustration and anger.
Deadly conflicts have been raging in Africa’s Great Lakes region for decades. Women especially are paying a heavy price: unspeakable atrocities have been committed against them. But they are getting back on their feet, supporting each other and working for peace.
Psychologist Simon Gasibirege established community-based workshops for mental health in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda to alleviate the trauma and rebuild the country's social fabric. In this interview he talks about how the approach has helped to rekindle hope in a population traumatised by decades of conflict. He also explains why women are more resilient.
Over a decade ago, the SDC launched a psycho-social programme in Africa's Great Lakes region to end the cycle of violence and protect women. A holistic approach provides survivors with medical, psycho-social, financial and legal support. Group therapy fosters community healing, and workshops for men challenge and transform gender roles.
Women traders in Burundi, the DR Congo and Rwanda have joined hands to expand cross-border activities. These enhance their financial independence while also increasing trade between the countries and contributing to mutual understanding and peace.
In Rwanda, mediation committees are entrusted with settling local disputes. They derive from reconciliation mechanisms going back hundreds of years and help resolve countless conflicts before these end up in court. A growing number of women on such committees are developing skills that are being widely recognised.
4 countries
Benin in West Africa is called the cradle of Voodoo. The religion is officially practiced by about 12% of the country's 13 million people. For a long time it was considered archaic and backward, but young people today are showing increasing interest in the beliefs of their ancestors.
A day in the life of...
Voice of Benin
Directly affected populations will have a greater say in humanitarian aid at a local level. Switzerland is driving this development in its capacity as co-chair of an international working group.
Position
Libya has been mired in a political crisis for over a decade. The SDC is supporting local lawyers who provide legal aid to people seeking help to safeguard their rights. This enables the most vulnerable communities in the country to be protected against exploitation.
In the Goascorán River basin in Honduras, an SDC programme has improved the livelihoods of smallholder farm families and reduced their vulnerability to climate change. The watershed management model has been so successful that it is now being adopted across the country by the Honduran government.
The World Bank's definition of extreme absolute poverty is ubiquitous in international cooperation and has shaped public perception of global poverty. Last year the international poverty line (IPL) was raised from USD 1.90 to USD 2.15 a day, but the indicator and its value continue to generate debate.
Carte blanche
Former Yugoslavia once had a flourishing rock music scene. A new centre in Sarajevo aims to make this musical legacy accessible to the public for the first time and contribute to the region's revival.
The diversity of species and ecosystems on our planet is declining rapidly. A new global framework containing clear-cut goals and indicators aims to revitalise efforts to protect and restore biodiversity.
The African continent is rich in flora and fauna, and unique ecosystems. It plays a key role in the conservation of global biodiversity. However, Mariam Mayet, Executive Director of the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), warns that indigenous peoples and smallholder farmers are being driven off their land in order to promote nature conservation.
An initiative aims to mainstream ecological agriculture into national production systems in Africa by 2025. This will strengthen farmers and protect biodiversity.
Hunger and malnutrition are widespread in many parts of Africa and Asia. An international collaborative project aims to improve the situation of local people using traditional crops.
Decline in biodiversity
More and more young people in Mongolia are becoming disillusioned with politics. But a minority of engaged young Mongolians, refusing to accept this state of affairs, are treading on the toes of the ruling class.
A day in the life of...
Voice of Mongolia
The SDC, which has been active in Ukraine for several decades, was able to react quickly to the crisis. It helped Humanitarian Aid meet pressing needs and adapted the projects already under way before the war broke out.
Position
Switzerland is strongly committed to implementing the Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems endorsed by the UN Committee on World Food Security in 2014.
In the refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh the disposal of wastewater, faeces and urine is a Herculean task. Monitoring the functioning of wastewater treatment plants is crucial in preventing the spread of disease.
All over the world, religion is seen as a source of conflict. Can religion aid a country's development instead of hampering it? And if so, how?
Carte blanche
In Mozambique, those involved in creative work all too often live in their own bubble. That's why 16NetO was set up – as a cultural venue where creatives could meet up and communicate.