To integrate the “Leaving no one behind” principle in all its co-operation activities, Switzerland has issued dedicated guidance, adapted its results management and implemented training. Programmes now reflect leaving no one behind in their design and will disaggregate standardised results indicators for gender and another relevant group to leaving no one behind. This level of disaggregation is ambitious and data remains an important challenge.
The commitment to leaving no one behind: Guidance, training and integration
Abstract
Challenge
Sustainable and equitable development is not possible if certain groups of society live in a context of exclusion and low well-being. As part of the 2030 Agenda, all countries pledged that “no one will be left behind”. Switzerland’s constitution states that “the strength of a people is measured by the well-being of its weakest members”. For development co-operation, the question arises of how to translate the pledge of leaving no one behind into practical action. Key questions relate to concepts of poverty and inequality, who to target, which priorities to set and how to make decisions in contexts of limited information.
Approach
To reflect the principle of leaving no one behind in its development co-operation, Switzerland has issued dedicated guidance setting out its ambition and approach. Key elements of this approach include:
A political commitment to focus on people living in poverty, tackle exclusion, reflect people left behind in all new co-operation programmes and produce relevant data.
Anchoring in all activities: integrating leaving no one behind in policy dialogue with partner countries, partnerships with all stakeholders and co-operation programmes, to support the empowerment and participation of those left behind.
Short and accessible guidance: providing general pointers for entry points of leaving no one behind in analysis, priority setting, design, engagement with partners and monitoring and evaluation.
Sensitising and training staff and partners: the guidance was informed by consultations with staff in partner countries and headquarters. A module on leaving no one behind is part of regular project management training. Thematic working aids support implementation in practice. An in-depth online training course on leaving no one behind, developed by German development co-operation in co-operation with Switzerland, is accessible to staff and partners.
Figure 1. Drivers of exclusion and poverty
Source: Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Leave No One Behind, https://www.shareweb.ch/site/Poverty-Wellbeing/leave-no-one-behind/Pages/LNOB.aspx.
Results
Leaving no one behind has become increasingly integrated into Swiss development co-operation:
Programme design and results management: newly elaborated co-operation programmes reflect leaving no one behind in their analysis and approach. They select standardised results indicators from a menu, requiring disaggregation of data according to gender and another group relevant to leaving no one behind in the specific context.
Leaving no one behind has become part of policy dialogue.
Partner organisations are well informed about Switzerland’s approach to leaving no one behind and integrate the commitment into their work.
Over time, disaggregated monitoring should allow reporting on results of actions to leave no one behind.
Lessons learnt
Data for analysis and monitoring remains an important challenge. At a country level, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation recommends allocating resources to increase the availability of disaggregated data. It has also co-financed a study with the German development agency GIZ on poverty indicators, as these are vital to the leave no one behind principle.
It is important to be both ambitious and patient in achieving results. Switzerland recognises the level of disaggregation in results monitoring is ambitious and aspirational and that there are challenges ahead. Investing in capacity building and learning are critical for the implementation of leaving no one behind in practice.
Qualitative assessments are excellent tools to inform future programming. These can capture the knowledge and views of beneficiaries, help understand the complex and less visible realities of excluded persons, and track transformative change. Switzerland therefore promotes participatory assessments.
Further information
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Leave No One Behind, https://www.shareweb.ch/site/Poverty-Wellbeing/leave-no-one-behind/Pages/LNOB.aspx.
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), SDC Guidance: Leave No One Behind, https://www.eda.admin.ch/dam/agenda2030/en/documents/sdc-guidance-leave-no-one-behind_EN.pdf.
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Leave No One Behind - Thematic Working Aids (English and French), https://www.shareweb.ch/site/Poverty-Wellbeing/leave-no-one-behind/Pages/Thematic%20Working%20Aids.aspx.
OECD resources
OECD (2018), Development Co-operation Report 2018: Joining Forces to Leave No One Behind, https://doi.org/10.1787/dcr-2018-en.
OECD (2018), Case Studies on Leaving No One Behind: A companion volume to the Development Co-operation Report 2018, https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264309333-en. Information on this practice was initially published in this publication and has been revised and updated for Development Co-operation TIPs.
To learn more about Switzerland’s development co-operation refer to:
OECD (2019), OECD Development Co-operation Peer Reviews: Switzerland 2019, Development Co-operation Peer Reviews, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264312340-en.
OECD (2021), "Switzerland", in Development Co-operation Profiles, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/00eb9f0b-en.
