With many of its priority countries considered or becoming autocratic, a growing number of Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) country offices were asking how to respond. This launched SDC on a two-year learning journey which helped it to adjust its engagement in authoritarian contexts.
Working in authoritarian contexts: Switzerland’s approach
Abstract
Globally, two out of three people live in non-democratic regimes, or in countries experiencing democratic backsliding. A large share of Switzerland’s priority countries are considered autocratic (25 out of 35 in 2023). Switzerland prefers to stay engaged in such contexts because of its mandate to leave no one behind, and also because it sees it as more efficient than withdrawing and returning later. However, this approach raises dilemmas and trade-offs. How can SDC continue to work in a country without legitimising an illegitimate government that oppresses their people? What programmatic adaptations and shifts are required?
Between 2020 and 2022, SDC embarked on a two-year journey to learn how to adjust its engagement in authoritarian contexts. This involved:
Headquarters-led learning exercises: In 2020, with support from the external think-tank the Institute for Development Studies, SDC published a Policy Note on Governance in Authoritarian Contexts which (1) provided a conceptual basis for understanding autocratisation, mapping all SDC partner countries by regime type; and (2) identified potential approaches in different regime types. It also published papers on 1) Examining authoritarian developmental states, 2) Do autocracy and fragility connect?, and 3) Gender and rising authoritarianism.
Regionally-led processes and country case studies: In parallel, country offices led independent assessments and webinars on specific issues facing their region (e.g. Western Balkans, Mekong region), while SDC gathered insights from staff in five partner countries facing democratic backsliding (Burundi, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Serbia and Tanzania). The approach actively involved staff in country offices.
Source: Adapted from SDC (2023), Staying Engaged in Authoritarian Contexts: Learnings from SDC Experiences, SDC Thematic Network on Peace, Governance and Gender Equality, https://www.sdc-pge.ch/en/news-staying-engaged-authoritarian-contexts.
Generating knowledge, compiling conceptual and operational insights: Insights from the learning journey were synthetised in the Working Aid on Staying Engaged in authoritarian Contexts and are as follows:
Creeping democratic backslide: SDC offices generally make incremental adaptations to their programme. Partnerships with the government are reviewed, but SDC continues technical interventions or engagement with local governments. In parallel, SDC starts to diversify its partners, working more with civil society organisations (CSOs), international organisations and independent media.
Steep democratic backslide: SDC often freezes programmes, particularly those delivered through the government, but increases work with CSOs and the private sector.
Democratic collapse: SDC offices stop working with the government altogether. Programmes are shifted to CSOs and the United Nations, particularly enhancing humanitarian aid.
Greater staff capacity and guidance to respond to rising authoritarianism: 80% of staff use the learning journey materials in their work, and staff in country offices feel supported and better prepared in tailoring their response to autocratisation.
Inspiration for other DAC members: Switzerland is sharing its knowledge and expertise as a co-lead of the Development Assistance Committee’s International Network on Conflict and Fragility (INCAF) and the Network on Governance (GovNet), which now have a joint dedicated workstream on working in politically constrained environments, inspired by SDC’s experience.
A demand-driven and participatory process is key for ownership. This learning journey began after requests from country offices, and the process combined headquarters conceptual expertise with specific operational challenges faced by country offices.
Knowledge products for country offices have impact when short and not too prescriptive. Staying Engaged in Authoritarian Contexts is a short document synthesising experiences and insights from SDC offices. Rather than prescribe a specific recipe, it identifies areas for action that allow each office to tailor their own context-specific measures.
Including other actors in the process could have provided further insights. The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) undertook a parallel analysis. Sharing experience and insights more proactively across institutions would have been beneficial.
SDC (2024), SDC’s Engagement in the Field of Good Governance and Rule of Law from 2017 to 2022, Independent Evaluation 2024/1, https://www.aramis.admin.ch/Default?DocumentID=71617&Load=true.
SDC (2023), Staying Engaged in Authoritarian Contexts: Learnings from SDC Experiences, SDC Thematic Network on Peace, Governance and Gender Equality, https://www.sdc-pge.ch/en/news-staying-engaged-authoritarian-contexts.
SDC (2022), Governance in Authoritarian Contexts: Policy note, https://backend.sdc-pge.ch/fileservice/sdweb-docs-prod-sdcpgech-files/files/2024/01/09/116f5902-0430-43ba-b71b-968f9bc6ed0d.pdf.
SDC (2020), The SDC’s Guidance on Governance, https://backend.sdc-pge.ch/fileservice/sdweb-docs-prod-sdcpgech-files/files/2024/01/08/98feda84-4aba-4aa9-990d-10cababfac48.pdf.
OECD (2025), OECD Development Co-operation Peer Reviews: Switzerland 2025, OECD Development Co-operation Peer Reviews, OECD Publishing, Paris, (forthcoming).
OECD (2024), Peer Learning on Locally Led Development. DAC members’ deep dive: Switzerland, https://one.oecd.org/document/DCD(2024)26/en/pdf.
OECD (2022) OECD-DAC Mid-term Review of Switzerland, https://one.oecd.org/document/DCD/DAC/AR(2024)3/19/en/pdf.
OECD (2019) OECD Development Co-operation Peer Reviews: Switzerland 2019, OECD Development Co-operation Peer Reviews, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264312340-en.
To learn more about Switzerland's development co-operation:
OECD, “Switzerland”, in Development Co-operation Profiles, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/00eb9f0b-en.
See more In Practice examples from Switzerland here: https://www.oecd.org/development-cooperation-learning?tag-key+partner=switzerland#search.
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