Centre for Development and Environment (CDE)

CDE is Switzerland’s centre of excellence for sustainable development. One of the University of Bern’s strategic research centres, we are tasked with mainstreaming sustainability throughout the university’s research and teaching.

We conduct research and teaching on behalf of a more sustainable world. Our aim is to chart pathways to sustainable development and to initiate transformations in line with the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

In our strategy, we show how we are committed to implementing the 2030 Agenda through our theory of change. We combine sound research with inter- and transdisciplinary approaches to analysis and transformation. Our research agenda is created within long-standing partnerships spanning the global North and South.

Jhum in the Naga Hills of Myanmar

Shifting cultivation – locally known as Jhum – practiced by the Indigenous Naga people in Myanmar is more than agriculture. Though often misunderstood as a cause of deforestation, research shows: It's a sustainable practice that supports communities and ecosystems. Visit our first online exhibition!

EUDR: “Switzerland would do well to get actively involved”

The EU is set to ban imports of certain raw materials and processed goods if their production is linked to deforestation. Implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) is complex – and has met with criticism. CDE’s Elisabeth Bürgi Bonanomi and Astrid Zabel are researching ways of implementing the EUDR so that producers and countries in the global South can also benefit. Read the interview

Interview with Astrid Zabel and Elisabeth Bürgi Bonanomi on the implementation of the EUDR and the role of Switzerland

“Deforestation-free products are the market of the future”

EU imports are responsible for around 19 per cent of global deforestation. Two products that contribute to deforestation are coffee and cocoa. The EU wants to stop this trend with its EUDR regulation. But what does this mean for smallholder farmers and for producer countries? A study in Peru explores the difficulties and opportunities associated with EUDR implementation. Read the interview with CDE scientist Jimena Solar.

Interview with Jimena Solar on the implementation of the EUDR in Peru

RESEARCH

Updating gender dynamics for digital employment in Kenya (UPDATE)

Kenya is considered a pioneer in digital infrastructure. However, the goal of an “empowered citizenry”, in which everyone can thrive in the digital economy, can only be achieved if the inequalities in digital skills are also overcome. In this area, Kenya – like many other countries – still has a lot of catching up to do. This new research project explores how enhanced connectivity and technology could be reimagined in a feminist way.

Rwanda: Coffee – “the cow that never falls”?

Coffee lovers and traders rave about it being one of the best coffees in the world: a specialty coffee consisting of 100 per cent arabica, cultivated and hand-picked by small farmers – and frequently advertised as “made by women!” In short, we’re talking about coffee from Rwanda. But what’s really behind this good-sounding story? A CDE research team took a deeper look. Read our Storymap.

Storymap, CDE Spotlight

Designing liveable futures – Experimenting with shorter working hours

In this project, CDE together with Dezentrum and in collaboration with Swiss companies, civil society, and institutions, is conducting an iterative experiment and developing desirable scenarios for innovative, resilient working time models.

New research project

SCIENCE4POLICY

A new generation of trade measures to support biodiversity

The European Union has launched a new generation of trade measures intended to end its reliance on goods produced in ways that threaten biodiversity. This policy brief considers the potential and risks of these new measures, and recommends ways to enhance their effectiveness while empowering vulnerable groups like small farmers and stewards of biodiversity.

Promoting a sustainable intra-African timber trade

The "African Leaders Nairobi Declaration on Climate Change and Call to Action" highlights the importance of forests and calls for continental collaboration, particularly through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), to drive green growth. This new research project aims to work with stakeholders to co-develop strategies to scale up the intra-African use of timber for sustainable green growth.

New research project

EUDR: Facilitating advocacy for African smallholders in the Swiss policy debate

Switzerland has the opportunity to design and implement legislation that, while being compatible with the EUDR for deforestation-free supply chains, can also help smallholders in the global South overcome problems that are likely to arise as their access to the European market narrows. This project aims to identify enabling mechanisms with African stakeholders and to facilitate advocacy for smallholders in the policy debate.

New research project