About us
Background
In 2011, members of the Swiss NGO community, decided to work jointly on resilience, by addressing disaster risks through prevention, risk mitigation, preparedness and response. They founded the Swiss NGO DRR Platform in the spirit of capturing the existing knowledge and experience, fostering exchange and networking, increasing effectiveness and quality of Swiss NGOs work related to Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA), and strengthening the voices of those most at risk through advocacy and policy dialogue.
During the initial phase from 2011-2014, the Swiss NGO DRR Platform grew from seven to 12 member organisations and established the main pillars and instruments of the Platform’s work. During the consolidation phase “building on strengths” from 2015 and 2018, the Platform grew further to 17 member organisations. Currently, the Platform is in its third programme phase “building bridges” (2019-2025) and includes 19 member organisations (Jan 2024).
Vision
The Swiss NGO DRR Platform is a network of NGO professionals dedicated to increase the resilience of women and men, communities and governments to all aspects of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.
Mission
The Swiss NGO DRR Platform strives for enhanced quality of Swiss NGO services related to disaster risk and climate change, promotes the diversity of know-how and experience, provides guidance for increased effectiveness and advocates for the importance of risk-informed development, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation for increased resilience.
Working Pillars
The Platform serves as a forum for its members to facilitate activities based on the following three pillars:
- Exchange and learning: practitioners’ workshops and learning events in Switzerland and abroad, annual F2F event, webinars.
- Conceptual support and technical advice: methodologies for the operationalization of concepts, collection of good practices and tools, guidance for quality control.
- Advocacy and policy dialogue: contribution to implementing the Sendai Framework for DRR, the SDGs and other policy instruments, participation in Swiss and international networks and alliances.
Structure
The Platform is composed of the following statutory bodies:
- Member Assembly, comprising all member organisations based in Switzerland, convened biannually
- Steering Committee, consisting of management level representatives of 3 member organisations, all of which compulsory members of the Core Group
- Core Group, consisting of expert level representatives of member organisations, ensuring quality of work and managing the Platform
- Secretariat, consisting of a Core Group member organisation
Programme
The current programme focuses on the following five topics:
- DRR and CCA mainstreaming in projects and programmes
- Humanitarian-Development Nexus / Linking relief, rehabilitation and development
- Nature-based solutions, including ecosystem-based DRR, ecosystem-based adaptation, and green infrastructure
- Climate change – make DRR practitioners fit for climate change
- Leaving no one behind – towards an inclusive and risk-informed development agenda
Partners
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)
Global Network of Civil Society Organisations for Disaster Reduction (GNDR)
Partnership for Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction (PEDRR)
