100 Unterschriften erreicht
An: Federal Council
Call to action: basic education must remain part of Swiss development cooperation
Think about the difference education has made in your life. Your voice can give 1.6 million children the same opportunity—children who would otherwise not have access to basic education between 2025 to 2028. Stand with us and support this campaign.
In the context of the cuts to Switzerland's international cooperation budget, the Swiss federal council announced on 29 January 2025 its withdrawal from basic education including education-related partnerships.
This decision does not address the Swiss Parliament’s request during the Winter Session 2024 to prioritize education with adequate resources in Switzerland’s 2025-28 international cooperation strategy. In addition, the justification for budgetary cuts on education put forward by the Federal Council do not reflect the following key facts:
- Long-standing expertise in basic education within Swiss international cooperation: Education has been a priority for Switzerland since thematic priorities were introduced in the 1991-1994 message and can be traced back to the country's earliest development projects.
- Clear added value of the Swiss public school system for international cooperation: The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) had conducted a comprehensive study highlighting the value of Switzerland’s public school system for international cooperation. Key elements include decentralized educational governance (municipal responsibility and locally adapted solutions), high quality and integrative function, multilingualism, permeability, and competency-based learning as preparation for life. Swiss expertise in basic education within international cooperation is internationally recognized.
- Proven impact, highlighted as a key result of the 2021-24 IC strategy: From 2021 to 2024, thanks to Switzerland’s engagement, 1.6 million children and young people gained access to basic education. This major impact was included by SDC as one of the most important results of the previous strategy period under the pillar of human development.
Sign the petition today and ask the Federal Council to prioritize basic education again. Together, we can help make sure that future generations have the opportunity to learn, thrive and contribute to stable, peaceful and prosperous societies.
Warum ist das wichtig?
At a time of limited resources, it is more critical than ever to focus on interventions with the deepest impact and the greatest contribution to sustainable development, stability, prosperity, and peace. Basic education is fundamental to these goals: new economic research shows that education has driven 50% of global economic growth, accounted for 70% of income increases among the world’s poorest populations, and contributed to 40% of the reduction in extreme poverty over the past four decades.
The Swiss government’s decision comes at a particularly critical time: there are over 251 million children and youth out of school (UNESCO, 2024) and 7 out of 10 children unable to read and understand a simple text by the age of 10 (WB and UNESCO UIS, 2022).
The Swiss government’s decision comes at a particularly critical time: there are over 251 million children and youth out of school (UNESCO, 2024) and 7 out of 10 children unable to read and understand a simple text by the age of 10 (WB and UNESCO UIS, 2022).