Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)

The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is Switzerland’s international cooperation agency within the Swiss Foreign Ministry. Together with other federal offices, SDC is responsible for overall coordination of development activities and cooperation with Eastern Europe, as well as humanitarian aid. The aim of development cooperation is to alleviate poverty by helping people in partner countries to help themselves. Development activities focus on promoting economic and governmental autonomy, improving production conditions, helping to solve environmental problems, and providing better access to education, basic health care and culture for the most disadvantaged groups in society.

Role of SDC within VSBK Programme / Nepal
After the Rio Conference 1992, where the deteriorating environmental conditions were considered a most challenging issue for the next decades, SDC set aside money to finance meaningful project activities that contribute to the preservation of the environment. The Natural Resources and Environment Division of SDC (NRED) considered the brick sector as one of the most important building material producers. Hence, it selected in 1994 India to study a potential energy saving impact trough the introduction of energy saving VSBK brick firing technology and other energy saving activities. After total ten years of active and committed involvement, SDC initiated the dissemination of the VSBK technology in Nepal.
SDC signed an agreement with His Majesty’s Government of Nepal in February 2003 to realize a VSBK Prorgamme in this country and commissioned Skat Consulting with the implementation.