Swisscontact is the business-oriented foundation for international development cooperation. Working in 36 countries with over 1,400 team members, we have been fostering economic, social, and environmental development since 1959.

We promote economic, social, and environmental development by helping people integrate into local economic life. We make it possible for them to improve their living conditions through their own initiatives.

Swisscontact acts as a catalyst in project implementation by fostering a sustainable environment for entrepreneurship and facilitating access to information, skills, and markets. Swisscontact provides practical, market-oriented, and locally adapted solution to economic development challenges.

Employment and income open up pathways out of poverty and create real opportunities for the future. A key condition for this is sustainable economic growth led by an innovative private sector. At the heart of private sector development lie professional training and development, labour market integration, strengthening local SMEs, access to financial services, and efficient use of resources.

The inclusive markets approach advocated by Swisscontact influences market systems by ensuring that disadvantaged populations gain access to improved goods and services, business opportunities, and jobs. This approach explores the limits and opportunities inherent in existing market systems to determine which interventions would be necessary to open up new possibilities for people.