Guidance on Locally-Led Cooperation (LLC) in Swiss International Cooperation

LLC is one of the five key implementation approaches of the IC-Strategy 2025-28. The SDC will have guiding documents for all of them. On the 31^st of March the SDC Directorate has already endorsed the guidance on Locally Led Cooperation and is strengthening its commitment to LLC. This approach now needs to be translated into action.

• OECD-DAC Capitalisation on Locally-Led Cooperation (link)

What’s new in this SDC guidance on LLC?

SDC developed this guidance to ensure coherence on LLC across its organisation, set common goals, encourage staff to turn this into action and monitor progress. It includes:

• A common definition

  LLC means local actors shape and lead responses to humanitarian, development and peace challenges. These actors originate from and operate within a specific country at national and sub-national levels or across several countries. They include public institutions, the private sector, community-led groups and civil society organisations.

• A common LLC Goal

  To address local needs and experiences and enable effective and sustainable outcomes SDC aims to:

  • strengthen local systems and civic space and ensure local actors co-lead interventions;
  • build on and reinforce capacities of local actors;
  • involve international actors support only when necessary.

• A set of indicators and actions to advance LLC

  To evaluate progress towards its LLC commitments, SDC will track three LLC proxy-indicators during the current strategy period. They focus on the quantity and quality of funding to local actors as well as the equity in partnerships between its international partners and local actors.

  To inspire action towards SDC’s overall LLC goal, SDC staff identified a set of potential actions. To advance LLC, SDC must act in the following interconnected roles: as an institutional actor, as a donor, and as an advocate. To work in locally led ways, SDC can leverage existing flexibility in selecting and funding partners. However, SDC needs to approach this more intentionally and systematically. Whenever SDC Staff design a project, develop a country strategy, or contribute to policy inputs, a leading question must be: “Why not local?” LLC isn’t without challenges. Balancing priorities and managing political, fiduciary or security risks will require adaptability and leadership. More details on indicators and potential actions can be found in the report and the summarised 2-pager guidance available above.

  Progress on LLC depends on active leadership, whether in a Swiss representation abroad or at SDC Headquarters. Embracing LLC in the daily work is key to success. With the adoption of this guidance, the SDC directorate wants to support this.

Community of Exchange for SDC staff

LLC focal persons in each SDC Headquarter division are available for questions and feedback as SDC rolls this out. To keep the conversation going, SDC staff can join the Community of Exchange (CoE) on MS Teams to stay connected, share insights, and access resources.