What is SDC doing?

SDC's Human Rights Policy (Towards a Life in Dignity - Realising Rights for the Poor)aims to foster the rights of the world's poorest people, reinforcing the position of women and men as actively involved citizens and, at the same time, supporting governments in partner countries so that they can comply better with, respect and protect human rights. To achieve these aims, SDC uses a human rights-based approach closely aligned on that of the UN.

Practical activities:

Fostering human rights is a key component of SDC's Governance Programme. SDC is supporting projects and programmes designed to promote civil and political rights in various countries such as Peru, Bolivia, Rwanda, Niger, Bangladesh and Vietnam. The focal issues are access to justice, democratization and the opening of the media. And there are other, similar projects in the Balkans, Southern Africa, Central Asia and in the Middle East.
SDC promotes gender equality, the social integration of minorities and the empowerment of marginalized groups in their struggle against discrimination. In countries such as Pakistan or India, SDC is working with partner organizations which focus on promoting and protecting the rights of women and children and on championing equal rights for minorities.
In the context of its AIDS activities, SDC emphasizes that health care too is a human right.
At international level, SDC is committed to ensuring that the human rights-based approach is increasingly applied in poverty reduction and development cooperation as part of the multilateral system. SDC played an active part in designing the guidelines for the right to food.
SDC is cooperating with international organizations on various questions with a specific bearing on human rights: the integration of minorities in poverty reduction strategies, decentralization and human rights issues, aspects of globalization and human rights or social justice.
SDC closely coordinates its activities with Political Affairs Division IV/Human Rights Policy Section to capitalize on synergies and avoid duplication of effort.

Further reading and links to organizations:

UN Development Programme – UNDP: Human rights in UNDP
http://www.undp.org/governance/docs

UN Development Programme – UNDP: Human rights in UNDP: Poverty Reduction and human rights
http://www.undp.org/governance/docs

Office of the High Commissioner for human rights: Human Rights and Poverty reduction
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/PublicationsResources/Pages/Publications.aspx

The international council on human rights policy: local government and human rights: doing good Service
http://www.ichrp.org/

Minority rights group international: PRSPs, Minorities and Indigenous Peoples
http://www.minorityrights.org/643/publications/publications.html

Additional Information and Documents

SDC Human Rights Policy
Towards a Life in Dignity: Realising Rights for People
Download (PDF, 142 KB) : [de] [en] [fr] [it] [es]
Order
Evaluation 2004 - SDC’s Human Rights and Rule of Law Guidance Documents
Influence, Effectiveness and Relevance within SDC
Download (PDF, 799 KB) : [en]
Interview with Nataša Kandic, Serbian human rights activist
On the ocassion of the Traverse event on the 11 december 2007
Download (PDF, 100 KB) : [de] [en] [fr]
Protection of human rights