New Delhi: India and Switzerland will be collaborating in the area of urban search and rescue, under which the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) will mentor the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) battalion for its international classification.

Notably, this marks the resumption of collaboration between India and Switzerland as the two nations commemorate 75 years of friendship and over six decades of cooperation.

"Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) will mentor the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) battalion for its international classification. This will mark the resumption of collaboration between India and Switzerland in Urban Search and Rescue (USAR)," the official press release by the Swiss Embassy in India stated.

The International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG), of which Switzerland is a founding member, is a UN-based and globally recognised benchmark for the abilities of urban search and rescue teams to make themselves available for international assistance.

The international certification to the highest standard enables disaster-affected countries to prioritise accepting international response support from USAR teams that can add proven value to their national capacity and facilitate cooperation between USAR teams during operations.

Under the framework of this collaboration, multiple Swiss experts will work closely with the NDRF battalion in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh to mentor it to achieve the IEC certification over the next two years.

Earlier, from 2008 to 2017, Switzerland supported NDRF to enhance its capacities for Urban Search and Rescue.

NDRF, with its 16 battalions of personnel trained and equipped for a swift and effective response to any type of disaster, has been living up to its motto of 'Aapda Seva Sadaiv Savvatra' (Sustained Disaster Response Service anytime, anywhere), not just within India but also internationally.

Some notable episodes of its response were seen during the Japan Triple Disaster (2011), Nepal Earthquake (2015) and the Turkiye Earthquake (2023).

This collaboration is another milestone as Switzerland and India commemorate 75 years of friendship and over six decades of Indo-Swiss cooperation.

In 2003, India and Switzerland signed an intergovernmental agreement on "cooperation in the event of disasters."

Switzerland, through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, has been supporting a series of interventions on capacity building for disaster response and risk management. This includes a collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority on capacity building for Glacial Lake Outburst Flood Risk Management since 2019, the release stated.

The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation collaborates with Indian authorities through cooperation projects in the fields of climate change mitigation (low-carbon cement, energy efficiency, renewable energy), adaptation (cities' climate action plans, solar irrigation, disaster risk management in Himalayan states) and environment (air pollution and natural resource management).

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