Horn of Africa (Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya)

Food security, health, migration, good governance as well as State and peace building including conflict transformation are at the centre of the Cooperation Strategy 2013-2016 for the Horn of Africa. It builds on Switzerland’s past achievements in the region and underscores SDC’s commitment to working in fragile contexts. The strategy combines long-term development cooperation with existing humanitarian programmes and applies a «whole-of-government» approach.

The Horn of Africa is a new focus region for SDC, based on the Federal Message on International Cooperation 2013-2016.Politically Switzerland defines the Horn of Africa in a broader sense: «Greater Horn of Africa», including Sudan, South Sudan and Yemen. In its work, the SDC focuses on the smaller Horn of Africa: Somalia, Ethiopia and North/North-Eastern Kenya, but continues to engage in other areas of the Horn based on humanitarian needs.

Effects of ongoing conflicts
The fragmentation of Somalia, the separation of Sudan and South Sudan and the ongoing border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea have greatly affected the region for a long time. Parts of the population in the Horn of Africa experience political exclusion and economic marginalisation. Chronic and cyclic food insecurity, high climate variability and acute droughts in the (semi-) arid lands exacerbate the situation by creating a protracted humanitarian crisis.

Local conflicts over equitable access and share of natural resources are on the increase. Furthermore, the region accounts for the world’s highest maternal and child mortality rates, and mines and explosive remnants of war limit options for securing livelihoods. The combination of these challenges lead to forced migration and high numbers of internally displaced persons and refugees, most of whom are hosted by neighbouring countries:

Joint Swiss partnership
With a total budget of CHF 140.05m (94.32% from SDC), the Cooperation Strategy Horn of Africa 2013-2016 engages in conflict prone areas focusing on and around Somalia. It combines humanitarian aid and long-term development cooperation goals and projects into a «whole-of-government» approach, by the sharing of joint objectives, the development of synergies with other Swiss government actors, and the creation of a joint Swiss partnership with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

Switzerland’s engagement in the region is guided by the OECD-DAC «Principles for Good International Engagement in Fragile States and Situations», the «New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States», which sets peace building and State building Goals, and the Millennium Development Goals.

In pursuit of peace, stability and growth
With its new Cooperation Strategy 2013-2016 for the Horn of Africa Switzerland pursues the following interests and hypothesis of change:

• People in the region gradually gain confidence in, and benefit from, their State institutions and services.
• Despite temporary setbacks they are increasingly able to share and manage resources peacefully and take advantage of economic opportunities.
• By addressing the long-term drivers of conflicts and poverty, which lie at the core of the fragility in the Horn of Africa, Switzerland supports the processes of conflict transformation and regional integration. The dynamics of the Somali conflict and conflicts concerning power and resource sharing are a particular focus.

Switzerland should achieve these aims using a number of instruments at regional and local/national levels: bilateral and multilateral instruments; core and earmarked contributions to government-owned and multi-donor projects or delegated cooperation agreements; possibly also locally managed development funds and/or direct implementation.