Proposed Swiss cuts to international aid mean less for the needy

International cooperation organisations have been feeling the pressure since the Swiss government announced cuts in aid to developing countries to free up more money for defence spending. The most vulnerable populations worldwide may have to bear the brunt of this, while the needs on the ground are actually increasing. “We will have to shut down existing projects and cancel some that are at the planning stage,” says Catherine Schümperli Younossian, secretary-general of the Geneva federation for cooperation and development. NGOs working in development and humanitarian aid have been living in uncertainty since the government’s announcement of budgetary reductions in international cooperation. “We’ve been told to expect cuts of 8% to 20% in the 2025 budget,” she explains, citing the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). On November 13, the finance committee of the House of Representatives voted to cut the international cooperation allocation by CHF250 million ($280 ...