Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR) takes a global, multi-disciplinary approach to dealing with the challenges brought by natural disasters, mitigating their impacts, and improving related policy-making mechanisms. Although the approaches in the sciences vary, Programme approaches the issues of natural and human-induced hazards and disasters from several perspectives: from the hazards to the disasters, and from the human exposures and vulnerabilities back to the hazards. This coordinated and multi-dimensional approach takes the IRDR programme beyond approaches that have traditionally been undertaken.
The IRDR programme significantly expanded its activities in 2013, to deliver on the three research objectives guiding its progress. The programme’s four project working groups advanced the activities outlined in their respective work plans; and we achieved the expansion of our networking and partnership-building activities globally with the establishment of three new International Centres of Excellence, two new National Committees, and our first Regional Committee. IRDR’s network building included greater integration with the programmes and initiatives of out three Co-Sponsors, the International Council for Science (ICSU), the International Social Science Council (ISSC) and the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR). The year also brought changes to the composition of the IRDR Science Committee and International Programme Office (IPO).