Meet Eric Bardou, member of the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit

Natural disasters strike rich and poor countries indiscriminately, but the repercussions are much more dramatic in the Global South. An earthquake, cyclone, flood or drought can undo decades of development efforts. The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is committed to disaster risk reduction not only to save lives, but also to ensure the sustainability of the socio-economic development of the countries it assists.

On the occasion of the International Day for Disaster Reduction on 13 October 2021, meet Eric Bardou, member of the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit (SHA):

"My brother is severely handicapped and I have always believed that the most vulnerable should also be given a chance. My willingness to help has naturally led me to the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit (SHA).

As an independent expert on mountain hazards, I put all my knowledge at the service of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). I have trained, for example, geologists on rock falls in the Sahel region. This year in April, we wrote together with another SHA colleague the safety protocol for working safely around the Soufriere volcano on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent after its eruption. All United Nations teams on the ground adopted this protocol. In the field of disaster risk reduction, it is very important to see as many different cases as possible to get an overview of the different challenges. For me, working in the regions of Pamir, Atlas or a volcanic island is of great interest.

On the multilateral level, I had the chance to work for the preparation of major summits such as the UN World Conference in Sendai in 2015 and the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in 2013 and 2019 in Geneva. I learned more about the work of the United Nations in this sector. This is also very useful in my daily work as an independent consultant here in Switzerland. "

More info about disaster risk reduction here: https://bit.ly/3oYL20g

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