Creating the prospect of living a life in dignity: Principles guiding the SDC in its commitment to fighting poverty

The present principles of SDC in its fight against poverty are a condensation of the fundamentals found in the Organization’s master plans, strategies, and approaches which, in turn, are the fruit of many years of SDC experience in bilateral and multilateral development cooperation with partner countries in the South and East.

For SDC staff, these principles form the frame of reference for the concrete implementation of SDC activities in a given geographic or international and multilateral context. In our day-to-day work on behalf of the deprived and disadvantaged, we often discover contradictions and encounter limits. It turns out impossible for us to apply all of the principles simultaneously and to the same degree in each and every situation. It is crucial that we be just as aware of these contradictions and constraints as we are of the modest possibilities that we have to exert an influence and effect a change. The present poverty principles are here to help us avoid all-too-hasty, pragmatic compromises. They are designed to prevent us from losing sight of our vision and the objectives of our mission.