News

Cryosphere-related hazards in the Hindu Kush Himalaya are evolving, posing growing risks to communities far downstream. In Sikkim, India, Swiss and Indian partners have joined forces through the SCA-Himalayas project to strengthen the understanding, monitoring and management of Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) risks.

This webinar - organized by the CDE Network on 27 August 2026 - brought together experts from MeteoSwiss, the World Meteorological Organization, SDC regional hubs and partner organisations to explore the evolving strong El Niño situation and its implications for humanitarian preparedness and anticipatory action. The slides are now available.

In this interview, Christian Frutiger, Assistant Director General of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and head of the Thematic Cooperation division, shares lessons from long-term partnerships that are helping promote buildings that are both more energy-efficient and more resilient to the effects of the climate crisis, while strengthening local capacities for sustainable urban development.

How can growing cities stay cool without increasing emissions? Rather than relying on energy-intensive air conditioning, the BeCool initiative promotes passive cooling solutions, such as ventilation, shading, greening and reflective roofs, that keep buildings cool, protect people from extreme heat and support low-carbon, climate-resilient urban development.

In this podcast, Mirjam Macchi Howell, Head of the CDE Section at SDC, explains why sustainable cooling matters, explores the paradox of conventional air conditioning, and discusses how Switzerland is contributing to global solutions through multilateral cooperation.

CDE is delighted to announce the new Thematic Integration Brief on the interrelations between gender equality and climate change, disaster risk reduction, and the environment.

To take stock of its experience over nearly two decades, the SDC has undertaken a capitalisation of its portfolio in the building sector. This CDE spotlight highlights selected achievements and shares key lessons.

CDE is delighted to announce a new issue of Thematic Integration Brief on the interrelations between governance and climate change, disaster risk reduction, and the environment.

CDE Network members are now able to connect and exchange on MS Teams. The MS Teams channel replaces the previous Closed User Group on the Shareweb.

The CEDRIG website and tool have been translated to Spanish. / El sitio web y la herramienta CEDRIG se han traducido al español.

This last CDE spotlight (formerly known as CDE newsletter) of 2025 is dedicated to a retrospective look at the achievements of COP30 in in Belém, Brazil.

From 2 to 6 June 2025, Switzerland hosted the 8th Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR) in Geneva, welcoming more than 3,400 participants from 166 countries.

The first International Conference on Glaciers’ Preservation took place from May 29 to 31, 2025 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. This landmark event brought scientists and policymakers together and marked the official launch of the Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences (2025-2034).

CDE is delighted to announce a new issue of Thematic Integration Brief

CDE is delighted to announce two new issues of Thematic Integration Briefs on Climate, DRR and Environment.

This thematic integration brief provides a non-exhaustive compilation of the relationships between human health, health systems, and climate change, disaster risk and the environment.

Building upon the Networks' previous Larning Journey on Biodiveristy, this Newsletter discusses the recent UN Biodiversity Conference, as well SDC's biodiversity financing.

2024 marks the end of 25 years of SDC’s programme on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in Central America. This newsletter stands as an opportunity to reflect on our achievements. It aims to celebrate results, share insights, and prepare for the road ahead.

The first newsletter of the new year is dedicated to a retrospective to the achievements of COP28, the big multilateral gathering climate meeting that took place end 2023. The fight against climate change is not on track. Given current ambitions, the 1.5°C target set under the Paris Agreement in 2015 will be soon out of reach and far exceeded by 2100.

Digitalisation is the theme of the first newsletter of the merged Climate & Environment and DRR networks. It offers insights into digitalisation experiences and tools that enhance the understanding of risk and provide efficient solutions to tackle them.

The mountain regions of the world are home to more than 1 billion people and are distinguished by their geologic characteristics, their biodiversity, their array of cultures, and their vulnerability to climate change. The mountains are warming more rapidly than the lowlands, and the results are threatening mountain ecosystems and the life they support. The rate of change is unprecedented.

The climate foresight report provides the SDC directorate and SDC units with information on climate-related risks that might influence the programmes and strategic work within SDC's priority countries and regions.

This newsletter focused on the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction 2022, Bali (Indonesia), the most important international conference in the field of DRR.

The Gender Dimension of Disaster Risk ManagementWomen and girls are disproportionately impacted by disasters and threats, including the effects of climate change. Due to gender-specific barriers and inequalities, women are more likely to be killed or injured, and are confronted with higher economic losses and longer recovery time.