SDC Support Mandate in Mobility

SDC has been involved in rural transport since 1964 and has established a recognised excellence in labour-based, environmentally friendly and participatory approaches, in strategic transport planning and in sustainable operation and management of transport systems. To provide an appropriate support to its operational activities in the field, SDC fosters thematic partnerships with the IFRTD (International Forum for Rural Transport and Development) and Skat.

Since 1999, Skat has successfully advised SDC in transport issues through successive backstopping mandates. In 2004, SDC outsourced its thematic support to Skat (support mandate) whilst maintaining in-house a light focal point only. The support mandate takes advantage of SDC’s expertise and contributes to the current sector concerns by fostering and making available innovations, learning and best practices, by supporting knowledge platforms and networks and by counselling. On demand and in respect to felt needs the mandate delivers tailored products and services in the fields of:

• Innovation & Learning (documentation center, TransWeb, capitalization of experiences, follow-up of SDC project developments, training, R&D in "Mobility and Health", etc.)
• Development of Policies & Tools (SDC policy and strategy fundamentals, tools and guidelines to mainstream new concepts, approaches and principles, etc.)
• Networking & Knowledge sharing (facilitation of TransNet, international networking, collaboration with IFRTD, mobility newsletter, etc.)
• Advisory services & Policy dialogue (advisory / policy support, Q&A service, activities on behalf of SDC, services on demand, etc.)

In absence of in-house capacities, SDC engagements in the sector are through this mandate cost-effectively backed, the relevant knowledge managed and the expertise fed back into the international debate and made available to the wider community of Swiss development cooperation. Skat’s proper in-country experiences, sector expertise, extended networks and professional resource centre activities are widely recognized by the beneficiaries of the mandate and are most significant for its successful delivery.