Resolution 6 : Strengthening legal frameworks for disaster response, risk reduction and first aid | Power of humanity: Red Cross Red Crescent

National Society

Name, position and email of the focal person

Daniela KOHLER-SEURET, Advisor for International Relations, daniela.kohler@redcross.ch

1. What measures has your National Society taken to support your public authorities to make use of the IDRL Guidelines?

Comments

The public authorities of Switzerland in charge of international cooperation pro-actively support the establishment of a disaster response legal framework in partner countries. Swiss RC does not need to advocate or support.

2. Has your National Society supported public authorities to use the Checklist on Law and Disaster Risk Reduction to review and strengthen their domestic legal frameworks for disaster risk reduction at the national, provincial and / or local levels?

Comments

- In general, the public authorities of Switzerland do not need support from Swiss RC for the establishment and revision of the domestic legal framework.
- Based on the occasion of a bilateral meeting of the IFRC with representatives of the federal office for civil protection in May 2017, Swiss RC has submitted the IDRL Guidelines as the office is about to engage in a revision process of the national law on civil protection.

3. What activities has your National Society undertaken in cooperation with your government towards achieving the goals related to DRR, community resilience and climate change adaptation as set out in the Sendai Framework for DRR, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the outcomes of the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (‘Paris Agreement’)?

Please provide more details your activities below:

4. Number of people reached through DRR programmes/projects

* In case the above data is not available, I agree to let the IFRC use the data from its annual DRR mapping conducted with inputs from National Societies.

5. What steps has your National Society taken to support your public authorities in assessing their existing legal frameworks related to first aid?

- In Switzerland, the public health and first aid system as well as the legal frameworks are very strong. Regarding the legal frameworks related to first aid, the public authorities do not need any support and there is no need to act.
- However, on the operational level, the SRC has a mandate and close contacts to the public authorities regarding first aid: The Swiss Federal Decree on the Swiss Red Cross of 1951 mentions in Article 5 that one of the most important tasks of the SRC is voluntary medical service and first aid (Sanitätshilfe). This obligation is also anchored in the SRC Statutes (Art. 3). SRC fulfils these obligations through the SRC Service and our five rescue organisations (Samaritans, Swiss Air-rescue, Swiss Live-Saving Association (water), Swiss Disaster Dog Association and Swiss Army Medical Association.) In some cantons and communities, local chapters of the Rescue Organisations are part of the corresponding medical and first aid deployments.
- SRC and some SRC Rescue Organisations also have service agreements with the federal authorities regarding some health and first aid services.

6. What steps has your National Society taken to support your public authorities in strengthening their existing legal frameworks related to first aid?

No need for action in Switzerland.

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