Migration 

Helvetas contributes to the protection and empowerment of migrants and their families. We minimize the risks and costs of migration and maximize its positive impact on local social and economic development.

What we offer

  • Expertise in four key intervention areas: human rights and protection, economic development and remittances management, skills development, and psycho-social support throughout all stages of the migration cycle.
  • Advice on strengthening good governance in all migration matters; highlight the positive aspects of migration; strengthen the political, social and economic inclusion of migrants; conflict prevention.
  • Strengthening institutions. Capacity development of state and non-state actors. Support government actors in improving public services. Strengthen civil society, including migrant representatives and associations, to engage in advocacy and policy dialogue at local, national and international levels. Civil society has a crucial role in promoting gender-sensitive, rights-based and non-discriminatory policies that enabling safe and regular migration.
  • Implementation of a migrant-centered approach to increase the benefits and reduce the risks and costs of migration.
  • Include different migration dimensions and dynamics in designing and planning development and humanitarian interventions such as the integration of diasporas in rural economic development or migrants in skills development.
  • Geographical coverage: Our advisors, based in the global South and in Switzerland, provide technical support to projects in Europe, Africa, Asia, MENA and Latin America.

Contact our team

Our multilingual advisory team offers wide-ranging thematic expertise and has in-depth experience in navigating complex processes. Helvetas’ work builds on over 60 years of experience in more than 30 countries.

Contact our migration and development experts
Senior Advisor Migration & Development
Pascal Fendrich

Selected projects

Helvetas develops and guides projects to be rights-based, oriented towards systemic change, and adaptive to disruptions such as authoritarian trends, pandemics, fragility and populist rhetoric. We support our partners in effectively organizing projects and processes and assist local authorities to better assume their responsibilities.

Gender & Social Equity

Helvetas makes sure that our work actively and meaningfully includes and supports the most disadvantaged groups.

Voice, Inclusion & Cohesion

In many countries where we work, men and women are unable to claim their rights and participate actively in decision-making processes.

Education and Vocational Skills

Lack of education perpetuates inequality because poor countries cannot compete economically without a skilled workforce.