Alliance Sud (the former Swiss Coalition) is the Swiss Alliance of the six leading Swiss Non Governmental Development Organisations, comprising Swissaid, Catholic Lenten Fund, Bread for All, Helvetas, Caritas and Swiss Interchurch Aid. The organization was founded in 1971 with a view to the more effective advocacy of shared concerns.
Alliance Sud strives to influence Switzerland’s policies to the benefit of the poor countries and their peoples. Its goal is sustainable development, as well as a more just, peaceful and environment-friendly world that offers equal rights and opportunities to all. This calls for economic and political changes – worldwide and in Switzerland. In pursuit of these goals, Alliance Sud engages in active lobbying vis-à-vis politicians, the administration and the economy, as well as intensive outreach work (press conferences, meetings, publications).
Staff members in the development policy area closely monitor Swiss policy in all fields that impact the countries in the South, and formulate alternatives. This covers bilateral foreign, economic and trade policy toward these countries, as well as Switzerland’s policy in international organisations (World Bank, International Monetary Fund IMF, World Trade Organization WTO).
Alliance Sud also adopts positions on domestic policy decisions that hold implications for the countries in the South (environment, energy, economic and financial policy, legal issues, and research). As global problems call for global solutions, Alliance Sud collaborates with a number of international NGOs and is an active member of various international networks.
