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Rule of law and democracy - Justice and rule of law, two prerequisites for development

Rule of law

Poverty means more than having no income, food and education. Unfortunately, the majority of the poorest is also characterized by fear and helplessness, lack of security and rights, discrimination and arbitrary government. So efforts to promote rule of law, human rights and justice are crucial for sustainable poverty reduction and guaranteeing development.

Gouvernanz_Perou_20185.jpg The rights of the poor
Protecting and promoting the rights of the very poor: Citizens must be able to play a full and active part in the political life of their country. This presupposes the existence of a democratic State that respects human rights and decentralizes its powers. Rule of law and democracy are therefore priority SDC themes.
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Reform of the State
Decentralization and combating power abuse is at the heart of the democratization process.
Democratization
Decentralization
Combating corruption
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Human rights
La promotion et la défense des droits des plus pauvres comprenant la formation, la santé, l'approvisionnement en eau etc. sont des axes majeurs de l’action de la coopération internationale.
Anwaltschaft

Advocacy
Should the SDC provide food aid to a country ruled by a dictatorship? Should the Humanitarian Aid Department build water pipelines while remaining silent about the genocide in the same region? The Advocacy Guidelines of the SDC attempt to offer answers to these and similar questions and show possible ways to proceed.
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Economic and fiscal development
Le développement économique local est un moyen de rassembler différents groupes d’intérêt afin de convenir d'une coopération locale qui peut contribuer à créer de l'emploi et du revenu mais améliore aussi la gouvernance.

Additional Information and Documents

Documents
  • Switzerland’s contribution - The achievements of SDC in 2006–2010
    Results in the areas of Health, Employment, Basic and further education, Agriculture, Rule of law and democracy, Water, Humanitarian Aid, Partnering with NGOs
    Download (PDF, 5805 KB) :  [de]   [en]   [fr]  
    Order
  • Rule of law, justice sector reforms and development cooperation
    SDC concept paper
    Download (PDF, 409 KB) :  [en]   [fr]   [es]  
  • Empowerment Makes a Mark!
    Orientations for the Empowerment of Local Cooperation Actors; A Publication by SDC’s Latin America Division, 2009, 16 pages in Spanish
    Download (PDF, 675 KB) :  [es]  

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