SWITZERLAND Towards a Sustainable Future: a Lot

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SWITZERLAND Towards a Sustainable Future: a Lot 4 Switzerland SWITZERLAND Towards a Sustainable Future: A lot of homework for Switzerland still Eva Schmassmann, Juerg Staudenmann Alliance Sud – Swiss Alliance of Development Organizations In December 2015, the Swiss Federal Parliament need to implement its objectives.2 In December, the approved the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Federal Parliament approved it as a "new universal as a "new universal framework in efforts to promote framework in [Switzerland’s] efforts to promote human prosperity and sustainable economic human prosperity and sustainable economic development and protect the environment both at home development and protect the environment both at and around the world".1 However, in October 2015, three home and around the world".3 At the annual weeks after the adoption of the 2030 Agenda, the Conference of the Swiss development cooperation, Government austerity programme reduced the 2017-2019 Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter stated that budget for international cooperation by 540 million Switzerland should not lose time and “take the Swiss francs (CHF), following a reduction of over 115 implementation of the 2030 Agenda immediately in million CHF in 2016. Thus, despite official commitments, hand”.4 Switzerland saves on the back of the poorest and moves At the same time, the Federal Council reduced the ever further away from the agreed target (0.7% of GNI to budget for development cooperation for the coming ODA). Given the apparent lack of political will in years. Starting in October 2015, three weeks after the allocating adequate resources for appropriate measures adoption of the 2030 Agenda, the austerity programme at home and abroad , this report analyses the extent to announced by the Government especially hit the which Switzerland is institutionally and strategically budget for international cooperation. From 2017 to prepared for effective planning and implementation of 2019, it will be reduced by 540 million Swiss francs the2030 Agenda. (CHF), following a reduction of over 115 million CHF in Big words – small budgets 2016. Thus, despite official commitment, Switzerland saves on the back of the poorest and moves ever Switzerland has deeply engaged into the preparatory further away from the agreed official development phase of implementing the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). On the adoption of the Agenda last September by the UN General 2 Press release of the Federal Council, 25.9.2015, Assembly, Swiss president Simonetta Sommaruga https://www.eda.admin.ch/post2015/en/home/aktuell/news.html/post2 015/en/meta/news/post2015/58890\ travelled to New York to stress its importance and the 3 Press release of the Federal Council, 18.12.15, https://www.eda.admin.ch/post2015/en/home/aktuell/news.html/post2 015/en/meta/news/post2015/60066 4 Speech by Didier Burkhalter at the yearly conference of Swiss Development Cooperation 22.01.16, 1 For analysis of SNS 2016-2019 thanks also to Friedrich Wulf, Pro Natura https://www.admin.ch/gov/de/start/dokumentation/medienmitteilunge Switzerland. n.msg-id-60406.html . 362 Spotlights on countries 4 assistance (ODA) target of 0.7 percent of GNI. and c) initiate respective measures in a politically coherent way. Some sort of central secretariat that can Accordingly, the main criticism of civil society with support the seven federal councilors in overseeing the regard to the current state of Swiss implementation 2030 Agenda implementation in their various federal plans for the 2030 Agenda refers to lacking political will offices, and which could carry out a “SDG coherence in allocating adequate resources for appropriate test”, is therefore urgently needed. This function measures at home and abroad – especially against cannot be mandated to a single entity, neither the Switzerland’s engagement and commitments at the Swiss Development Agency (SDC) nor the Federal Office international level during the post-2015 process. This for Spatial Development (ARE), which currently are in raises questions about the extent to which Switzerland is charge. institutionally and strategically prepared for effective planning and implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The most urgent task at present is to promote the 2030 Agenda within the administration itself and at all Institutional challenges levels--and in particular, to anchor it institutionally in In Swiss law, the concept of sustainability is already well all federal agencies and integrate it in all relevant enshrined. Article 2 ("Aim") of the Federal Constitution processes. declares sustainable development as an overarching The Federal Council has mandated a newly formed national objective. Article 54 (Foreign Relations) interdepartmental working group5 to prepare a stipulates poverty alleviation and natural resource "baseline report" with "gap analysis" by the end of conservation as key goals of Swiss foreign policy. Article 2017; and by 2018 to make recommendations to the 73 ("Sustainable Development") calls on the Federal Council on a set of indicators for national Confederation and the cantons to achieve "a balanced monitoring. However, no additional financial or and sustainable relationship between nature and its personnel resources were made available for these capacity to renew itself, and the demands placed on it by tasks. the population". Moreover various federal offices, for which the 2030 Also there is already a legal basis for some kind of "SDG- Agenda is highly relevant, are completely absent in the compatibility test": the Federal Act on the Federal process. Most prominently the State Secretariat for Assembly requires the Federal Council to clarify "the Economic Affairs (Seco), which is the leading agency in consequences for the economy, society, the environment free trade and investment negotiations, as well as the and future generations" in its dispatches on bills (Art State Secretariat for International Financial Matters 141.2.g.). However, this is to be applied only if "it is (SIF), responsible for the coordination and strategic possible to provide a substantial amount of information management of international financial, monetary and thereon". In the past, the Federal Council did not tax matters, need to definitely and actively be involved. therefore initiate such “future generation impact assessments” for most bills. In light of the 2030 Agenda, Incomplete Strategies Parliament and civil society must call for the consistent The 2030 Agenda breaks in many ways with “business application of this provision for all future affairs. as usual”. First, it blurs boundaries between national Unlike most countries, Switzerland does not have a and international politics, moving policy coherence to President’s or Prime Minister’s office that could integrate centre stage by explicitly referring to impacts of and monitor the implementation of 2030 Agenda in a top- down manner. For successful implementation, 5 The following federal offices are part of the working group: Swiss Switzerland therefore has to rely on every ministry to Agency for development and cooperation, Federal Offices for Spatial actively a) acknowledge the Agenda, b) analyse its Development, for the Environment, for Statistics, for Agriculture, for implications and identify relevant interventions needed, Public Health, and the Sectoral Foreign Policies Division. 363 4 Switzerland national policies on other countries. The universal Constitution (Articles 2 and 54), it combines the targets for sustainable development demand the global different instruments of Swiss foreign policy. This responsibility of all members of the international instrument also references the constitutional goals of community. Second, the many cross-references among sustainability and poverty reduction as delegated to the the SDGs and their targets require an effort to overcome Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC); with sectoral silo approaches, which were still viable for the contributions from the other foreign policy Millennium Development Goals. This requires enhanced instruments. The current foreign policy strategy for networking and consultation among different federal the years 2016-2019 already recognizes the 2030 agencies, as well as with and among governmental actors Agenda as an integral part of Swiss foreign policy, at at cantonal and municipal level. least. In the next period, it has the potential to become the instrument covering the cross-border effects of The Federal Council based its approach to the 2030 national policies and measures; that is, addressing Agenda on two existing instruments: the Sustainable policy coherence aspects truly and in an integrated Development Strategy (SDS 2016-2019)6, and the Dispatch manner. on Switzerland’s International Cooperation Strategy (2017-2020). The proclaimed paradigm shift of the 2030 Sustainable Development Strategy 2016-2019: Blind Agenda is thus not addressed; neither is it covered by spot on international responsibility either of these. The SDS 2016-2019 was approved in The current dispatch for the Sustainable Development 1997, in the spirit of the Rio Conference, and its fifth Strategy 2016-2019 is aligned with the legislative cycle edition for 2016-2019 was adopted in January 2016. It of the Federal Council. During the preparatory phase, focuses on national policies and specifies foreign policy when the 2030 Agenda was not yet adopted, the SDS activities only "provided these are relevant for the was not aligned with the SDGs. Instead, it features nine achievement of objectives in Switzerland" (pp. 14/15).
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