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Switzerland

The Government of Swizerland supports the EITI thorugh the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). SECO is the federal government's centre of excellence for all core issues relating to economic and labour market policy. Economic Cooperation and Development is a division of SECO responsible for Switzerland’s support to the EITI. The division contributes to achieving the strategic goals of Switzerland’s foreign economic policy. It plans and implements economic and trade policy measures to support developing countries as well as Eastern European countries, the Commonwealth of Independent States and the new member states of the European Union. SECO is currently running more than 500 programmes and projects in several countries around the world.

As one of the world’s leading hubs for commodity trading and a long standing partner in development cooperation, Switzerland has a responsibility and a strong interest in a transparent and accountable extractive industry. Therefore, since 2009, Switzerland supports the EITI financially and through active participation in the EITI Board. Over the years, we intensified our engagement financially and in terms of human resources. Our commitment reflects the EITI’s success as a standard setting initiative.

Marie-Gabrielle Ineichen-Fleisch Secretary of State and Director, SECO

Engagement with the EITI

Switzerland provides support to the EITI through funding its international management, as well as through targeted support to commodity trading transparency in EITI implementing countries. 

Switzerland is one of the world’s leading hubs for commodity trading. For Switzerland, the extractive sector is not only a major economic factor domestically but also a focus of its economic cooperation with partner developing countries. The importance of commodity trading for Switzerland and the relevance of the extractive sector in economic cooperation and development implies a particular responsibility. Therefore, Switzerland has supported the EITI as part of its foreign economic policy since 2009.

In 2015, Switzerland co-hosted EITI's 30th Board Meeting in Bern. This also marked the start for Switzerland to engage with the EITI Commodity trading transparency working group, first by financing pilot activities from 2016 to 2019 and then with project-specific funding starting in late 2019.

Switzerland is represented on the EITI Board by the chair of the supporting country constituency, which includes Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands and the European Commission. Switzerland held the Board seat for its constituency in 2018 and the Alternative Board seat from 2019 to June 2020. Switzerland currently plans a renewal of its multi-year support to the EITI International Management. 


Support for EITI implementing countries 

  • Since 2009, Switzerland has contributed core funding to the EITI International Secretariat - currently CHF 0.25 Million per year.
  • Since 2009, Switzerland has supported the IMF’s Topical Trust Fund on Managing Natural Resources Wealth (TTF MNRW) - from 2020 to 2022 with CHF 7 Million.
  • Since 2015, Switzerland has supported the World Bank’s Extractives Global Programmatic Support MDTF (EGPS MDTF) -  from 2020 to 2025 with CHF 5 Million.
  • In 2014, Switzerland started a collaboration with the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) to support its regional Eurasia hub in Baku -  from 2020 to 2021 with CHF 0.4 Million.
  • In 2016, Switzerland contributed funding to support EITI commodity trading pilots in selected countries - CHF 0.2 Million.
  • Since 2019, Switzerland has supported the EITI Working Group for Commodity Trading Transparency - from 2019 to 2022 with CHF 0.8 Million.
  • Furthermore, Switzerland supports EITI implementation in partner EITI countries, either directly or through broader programs (Albania, Ghana, Peru) - around CHF 0.7 Million to date. 

To read more about SECO's annual reports please visit SECO's website

EITI focal contact: Jürg Vollenweider (former Board member), Deputy Head Macroeconomic Support, SECO.


EITI countries