IRDR Colombia promotes interaction between academia and DRM practitioners

The National Committee of Disaster Risk Knowledge: National Unit for Disaster Risk Management of the Presidency of the Republic of Colombia (Unidad Nacional de Gestión del Riesgo de Desastres, UNGRD), had been approved by the IRDR Scientific Committee in November 2013 as IRDR National Colombia.

The Committee officially established its National Advisory Body for Research in Disaster Risk Management on 20 August 2014. Over 80 participants from universities, research centres, public and private entities, and experts in risk management, discussed future activities and defined their roles.

In San Mateo, Boyaca, UNGRD continues operations for inspection and clearance of forest fires. (Photo: UNGRD)
In San Mateo, Boyaca, UNGRD continues operations for inspection and clearance of forest fires. (Photo: UNGRD)

The Advisory Committee adopted a resolution to (1) identify available research baselines in disaster risk management; (2) research guidelines on disaster risk for Colombia; and (3) to develop an information and monitoring system to understand and replicate the information coming out of academic programmes and research projects.