Governance

Local governments are best placed to address the diverse priorities of their communities, acting as natural integrators where social, economic, and environmental issues converge. SKAT supports local government in delivering accessible, high-quality, inclusive, and responsive public services. We strengthen local institutions in planning, budgeting, coordination, and accountability – core functions essential to reducing inequalities.

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By enhancing public service delivery, building institutional capacity, and advancing gender-responsive, participatory, and accountable governance – drawing on Swiss expertise in consensus-building – SKAT fosters social cohesion among individuals and communities, across generations, contributing to peace and sustainable development.

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Our services include: 

• Enhancing public service delivery 
• Promoting participatory and accountable governance drawing on Swiss expertise in consensus-building and inclusive decision-making 
• Building capacity of public institutions and service providers 
• Advancing gender-responsive and inclusive governance

At SKAT we support reform processes that are tailored to diverse political and social contexts, empowering governments to collaborate while keeping citizens’ needs at the centre. Our approach integrates climate change and gender perspectives, ensuring governance reforms are both sustainable and inclusive.

Working with governments at national, regional, and local levels, we promote decentralisation and public sector reform through a multi-level governance approach. This ensures that decision-making, responsibility, and resources are appropriately shared, reinforcing subsidiarity and functional autonomy across the political, administrative, and fiscal space.

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We foster coordination and cooperation across government tiers, helping build responsive and inclusive governance systems capable of delivering better public services. Our work includes decentralisation and local government management, informed by Swiss principles of federalism, institutional and policy reform for sustainable service delivery, facilitation of multi-stakeholder dialogue, and strengthening of public financial management.

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The services we offer include: 

• Decentralisation and local government management, informed by Swiss principles of federalism and subsidiarity 
• Institutional and policy reform to enhance sustainable performance and public service delivery 
• Multi-stakeholder dialogue facilitation 
• Improved public financial management

Open and inclusive civic spaces, supported by a vibrant civil society, are essential for accountable and responsive governance and are a foundation for peace and sustainable development. They enable citizens to voice their concerns, shape public decisions, engage in dialogue with institutions, and transform their communities collaboratively.

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A core strength of SKAT lies in supporting civil society and facilitating inclusive dialogue. Often using public service delivery as an entry point, we foster participation, collective problem-solving and decision-making that leads to stronger governance. Drawing on Swiss traditions of consensus-building, civic cooperation, and direct democracy, our support includes capacity building and organisational development for civil society organisations, promoting participatory governance and civic engagement, and facilitating multi-stakeholder dialogues. We also work to strengthen accountability mechanisms between citizens and public institutions, empowering communities to contribute effectively to development outcomes.

Strong governance and institutions are fundamental to sustainable development. At SKAT we embed governance principles of participation, transparency, inclusion, accountability and responsiveness into all our work across the Water, Building and Energy sectors. We integrate these principles into programmes and policies to improve inclusive and accountable service delivery in sectors traditionally viewed as technical.

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Our approach strengthens institutional coordination and planning within and across sectors, as well as across governance levels, promoting coherence, efficiency, and long-term sustainability. We build the capacity of sector institutions to deliver transparent, inclusive, accountable, and effective services. At the same time, we support evidence-based decision-making to enhance local service delivery and inform national policies. A key focus is on promoting citizen engagement in the design, oversight, and monitoring of sectoral services, ensuring that institutions remain responsive to the needs of all.

In an increasing number of fragile and conflict-affected settings, weakened governance systems and limited state legitimacy pose major challenges to development, peace, and social cohesion. SKAT responds by promoting inclusive, context-sensitive, and resilient governance approaches that address immediate needs while laying the groundwork for long-term solutions.

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We work directly with local government to support essential service delivery under difficult conditions, strengthening capacity to respond effectively and inclusively. Our work is guided by the humanitarian-development-peace (HDP) nexus, with a strong focus on localization, resilience-building, and restoring trust in institutions.

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To inform project design and implementation we apply Political Economy Analysis (PEA) and conflict-sensitive approaches, ensuring interventions are tailored to context, avoid harm, and foster social cohesion. We support inclusive dialogue and institutional development processes that bridge humanitarian response and long-term governance goals. In addition, we provide strategic guidance to partners navigating fragile, conflict- or displacement-affected contexts throughout the entire project cycle, including evaluations, to improve outcomes and learning.

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Our services include: 

• Political economy analysis, context/conflict sensitive approaches to inform project design and implementation
• Support to local governance actors for service delivery in fragile and conflict-affected settings
• Facilitation of inclusive dialogue and institutional development processes bridging humanitarian aid and long-term governance
• Strategic guidance for development partners working in fragile or displacement-affected contexts
• Evaluations