National Centre of Competence in Research
NCCR North-South
The NCCR North-South is one of 27 National Centres of Competence in Research implemented by the Swiss National Science Foundation. Additional support is provided by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. >> More
| |  Partnerships in Development-oriented Research: Lessons Learnt and Challenges Ahead
Bishnu Raj Upreti, Anne B. Zimmermann, Berhanu Debele, Guéladio Cissé, 2012
The challenges posed by global change processes require concerted responses from the development, research, policy, and practitioners' communities in the global North and South. North–South research partnerships are a means of acquiring both the context-specific knowledge and the holistic understanding necessary to respond to the challenges. This book is based on experiences made during a 12-year partnership-based research programme, the NCCR North-South. It is aimed at funders of research and development interventions, policymakers, development practitioners, and researchers themselves.
Download (English / PDF 1.9 MB)
| |  ‘Green economy’: development opportunity or buzzword?
The term “green economy” has dominated international debates on development and environmental policies for the past two years. This can be attributed to the hope that a green economy will be a win–win solution for overcoming the current climate and financial crises. Though closely interlinked, the development agendas of industrialised, transition, and developing countries differ considerably. As this global edition of evidence for policy outlines, successful achievement of a global green economy will require harmonising these agendas and harnessing the unique potential of each context.
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| |  Transformative land reform in South Asia
Land is a vital asset in South Asian agrarian societies, as it determines the overall socio-economic, political, and cultural status of individuals and families, as well as their power relations. Landlessness, poverty, marginalisation, social exclusion, discrimination, and inequality are largely linked to the skewed distribution of land. This edition of evidence for policy argues for a holistic policy of transformative land reform that reduces pressure on this limited resource while balancing economic efficiency and social equity.
Download (English / PDF 856 KB)
| |  Newsletter 8: Spotlight on Southeast Asia
The current newsletter focuses on NCCR North-South activities in South Asia. Research in the region aims to support development of interventions that address environmental and livelihood challenges, enhance agricultural practices and human welfare, increase access to sanitation, and improve management of health risks.
Download pdf (1.3 MB)
| | NCCR North-Southnew dialogues Eleven working papers online
Researchers recently completed the following open access working papers, available in the NCCR North-South Dialogue series; for the first time, a Dialogue Paper is available in French (translation of a key conceptual article for a French-speaking audience):
The Political Economy of Coffee in Kenya: A Case Study of Rumukia and Mathira North Cooperative Societies in the Mount Kenya Area (No. 28)
Does it Work in Practice? Fostering Knowledge Exchange for Sustainable Development. Second NCCR North-South Report on Effectiveness (No. 29)
Millennium Development Goal 1 (Poverty Reduction) and the Swiss Debate on Development Assistance (No. 30)
The Millennium Development Goals and the Global (Northern) Poverty Debate: A Short Review of Global (Northern) Debates on the MDGs (No. 31)
Contested Rural Development in Nepal (No. 32)
La Résilience sociale multi-strates : une nouvelle approche de recherche pour l’adaptation au changement global (No. 33)
Kilimanjaro and Oromia Coffee Value Chain Case Studies: Producer Benefits from Fairtrade and Free Market Channels (No. 34)
Miles to Go Before We Sleep: Poverty and the Millennium Development Goals in Nepal (No. 35)
Contemporary Political and Socioeconomic Processes in Bolivia (No. 36)
Glossary of Terms in Water Supply and Sanitation (in Vietnamese) (No. 37)
India and the Millennium Development Goals: Progress and Challenges (No. 38)
These papers can be downloaded free of charge here
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| | New article: “Representative Seroprevalences of Brucellosis in Humans and Livestock in Kyrgyzstan”
A new article by NCCR North-South researchers published in EcoHealth reports on the results of a study testing for brucellosis among humans and animals in Kyrgyzstan. The researchers found high seroprevalence of brucellosis in Kyrgyzstan and evidence of under-reporting of human cases. They point to the need for interventions such as mass vaccination of sheep, goats, and cattle.
Download article (English / 168 KB)
Download related policy brief (English / PDF 1.1 MB)
Voices of Youth video project
As part of the NCCR North-South research project on reproductive resilience, Tanzanian youth were given a chance to represent and reflect on their experiences concerning sexuality and teenage pregnancy through the medium of video. In a participatory action research approach, adolescents (15 to 19 years) planned, scripted, directed, and acted in videos in an urban setting, Dar es Salaam, and a rural setting, Mtwara Town. The process of participatory video production was also documented. The videos and findings are being used to support similar youth-empowerment and awareness-raising interventions and to improve the local dialogues on sensitive topics.
Download flyer (PDF 172 KB)
View video on production process
View video by youth in Dar es Salaam
View video by youth in Mtwara
Innovation prize for Sandec
NCCR North-South partner institution, Sandec of Eawag, has been awarded the IWA Development Solutions Prize in Kuala Lumpur.
Read more
World Toilet Day
Worldwide, 2.6 billion people lack access to proper, clean sanitation; exactly a decade ago, 19 November was declared World Toilet Day to raise awareness of the struggle they face.
News release
swissinfo: Protecting dignity and saving lives
Recent flooding
How can modern cities such as Bangkok, Rome, and Genoa appear defenceless against flooding? swissinfo interview with Hans Hurni, director of the NCCR North-South.
Interview
Water diplomacy: transboundary rivers and international politics is the title of the fourth North-South Forum, jointly organised by the North-South Centre of the ETH Zurich, the NCCR North-South and the Commission for Research Partnerships with Developing Countries (KFPE). The forum focused on the opportunities and pitfalls of “water diplomacy”, concentrating on international rivers in the Global South, particularly in the Horn of Africa and Central Asia. It was held
Monday, 28 November 2011, 9:00 – 13:00. Alte Aula, Naturhistorisches Museum, Basel.
Forum flyer
Presentation Hydro Diplomacy (1,1 MB)
Presentation Business in water diplomacy (350 KB)
Presentation Water diplomacy (250 KB)
Presentation Water development policy (2,3 MB)
Presentation Water-related negotiation (9,0 MB)
Swiss National Science Foundation news story
Research for Global Transformation
The NCCR North-South will hold its 3rd international conference on research for development - ICRD - on
20-22 August 2012 in Bern, Switzerland. The 3rd ICRD will offer space for keynotes, workshops, and poster sessions. The aim of the conference is to share and discuss the most recent insights on development-oriented research conducted in North-South partnerships and to develop an agenda for research partnerships with developing and transition countries.
For more details see www.icrd.ch
Women’s livelihoods in a transnational social space: Labour migration from Far West Nepal to Delhi, India
Appearing in the new book Gendered Geographies – Space and Place in South Asia, this chapter by senior NCCR North-South researchers Susan Thieme, Ulrike Müller-Böker, and Norman Backhaus examines the effects of migration on Nepalese women. It looks at how women’s roles change at home when their partners leave to work in neighboring India and how women negotiate contrasting norms and values at home and abroad when they themselves migrate for work.
Download chapter (PDF 10.4 MB)
Advantage of indigenous fodder trees in northern Pakistan
In this article, appearing in Pastoralism: Research, Policy and Practice, NCCR North-South researchers outline the drawbacks of exotic tree plantations meant to rehabilitate degraded land in northern Pakistan. “Indigenous fodder trees can increase grazing accessibility for landless and mobile pastoralists in northern Pakistan” by Inam-ur-Rahim et al. argues for planting indigenous species of fodder trees and shrubs to improve food security and benefit both landless pastoralists and landowners.
Download article (PDF / 590 KB)
| |  Microbial risk assessment in Vietnam
Microbial risk assessment (MRA) is still at a very early stage of development in Vietnam. With its rapid urbanisation, industrialisation, agricultural development, and population growth, Vietnam faces increasing risks from pathogens contaminating its water and food supply. This Outcome Highlights describes development of an MRA training course tackling issues of water, sanitation, and food safety. The course encouraged concerned groups in Vietnam to work together, leading to a local network on health risk assessment, enhanced training at the Hanoi School of Public Health, and creation of a book-length manual of MRA guidelines for food safety.
Download in English (PDF 897 KB)
Download in Vietnamese (PDF 762 KB)
| | NCCR North-South Teacher's Kit Jungfrau-Aletsch: A Lesson in Sustainable Regional Development
Using the example of the Jungfrau-Aletsch UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Swiss Alps, a German-language teacher’s kit has been created that illustrates the challenge of harmonising nature conservation interests and human development interests. Conceived as a Partnership Action and geared towards Swiss high school students, the kit's lessons enable young people to grasp the universal value of this Alpine region, the various perspectives of the surrounding communities and the demands of protecting a delicate mountain ecosystem.
Access the free kit (in German)
| |  Global Change and Sustainable Development: A Synthesis of Regional Experiences from Research Partnerships
Edited by Hans Hurni, Urs Wiesmann and an international group of co-editors, 2010
Download Book (30 MB)
Download Flyer (94 KB)
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