Economic Cooperation and Development Division
The Economic Cooperation and Development division is part of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). It contributes to achieving the strategic objectives of Switzerland’s foreign economic policy.
SECO's Economic Cooperation and Development Division is the federal government's competence centre for economic development cooperation. It supports partner countries in creating favourable conditions for sustainable and inclusive economic development and in developing their private sector. This applies in particular to cities. It manages 18 per cent (around 2 billion Swiss francs) of Switzerland's international cooperation budget for the 2025-28 period.
Ambassador Pietro Lazzeri heads the Economic Cooperation and Development division of SECO. In summer 2025, the headquarters in Bern employed 104 people, representing 88 FTEs. In addition, there are staff in Swiss cooperation offices and Swiss Embassies, who oversee SECO programmes on the ground. SECO also assigns delegates to international organisations and to Switzerland’s offices at international financial institutions.
The division engages with many different partner organisations at a bilateral and multilateral level, thereby making use of the expertise on economic and trade policy within SECO and the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER). It uses this knowledge in specific areas of development cooperation, for instance in the fields of economic, trade and labour market policy.
Further information
Contact
Holzikofenweg 36
Switzerland - 3003 Berne