For HEKS/EPER and its program work, the year 2023 was dominated by numerous global trouble spots. In addition to emergency aid for the people suffering from the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine and its neighboring countries, HEKS provided humanitarian aid in numerous other crisis regions of the world last year, for example for the civilian population in the Gaza Strip, for displaced persons in the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region or for refugees and internally displaced persons in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The global flows of refugees and migrants caused by these conflicts and other crises also had an impact on HEKS/EPER's work in Switzerland. Accordingly, expenditure on emergency aid projects rose to almost CHF 45 million in 2023 (2022: CHF 30.3 million); this corresponds to around 35% of the total expenditure of just over CHF 126 million for program work in Switzerland and abroad last year. HEKS/EPER supported a total of 3.4 million people directly and a further 1.1 million indirectly worldwide with its emergency aid programs.
HEKS invested a good CHF 30 million in international development cooperation projects. CHF 46 million was invested in program work in Switzerland. In 381 projects and programs worldwide and in Switzerland, HEKS was thus able to directly or indirectly support 16.2 million needy or socially disadvantaged people. The share of administrative costs was 8.9 percent, well below the maximum figure of 25 percent for Zewo-certified non-profit organizations.
The financial report also shows a significant increase in income to around CHF 137 million (2022: CHF 114 million). Of this, almost CHF 47 million (2022: CHF 37.4 million) was attributable to domestic work and just under CHF 31.5 million (2022: CHF 27.5 million) to international work. The federal government, cantons and municipalities contributed CHF 25.7 million (19%), while CHF 17.8 million (13%) was received as donations from private individuals. CHF 14.3 million (9%) came from cantonal churches, parishes and other church organizations. Swiss Solidarity supported HEKS with project contributions amounting to CHF 6.2 million (4%).
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our donors for their valuable and important support.
In addition to emergency aid in 19 countries, the fight against the devastating consequences of global warming, legal advice and representation for a steadily growing number of asylum seekers and the scope for civil society and development policy engagement for a fairer and more peaceful world, which has become very limited in autocratically governed countries and is unfortunately also coming under increasing pressure in Switzerland, were further major challenges in the past year.
