The documentary ‘Rebuilding Sichuan’ scooped the top prize in the first International Awards for the Best TV Documentaries on Disaster Risk Reduction. Producer Sen Zhang collected the award for the film, broadcast on Discovery Channel, for story of the massive reconstruction effort after the huge earthquake of 2008. In one scene a resolute official is …

‘Rebuilding Sichuan’ scoops DRR film awardRead More »

On 15 March 2015, the GAR results and main findings were presented during the working session on Global Risk Trends at the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, Japan. IRDR SC member Omar Dario Cardona presented the progress in probabilistic risk modelling. Omar also serves as the Director of IRDR International Centre of …

IRDR’s Omar Cardona at the GAR 2015 launch in 3rd WCDRRRead More »

IRDR SC Djillali Benouar gave a presentation on “Public Investment in Infrastructure to Reducing Flood Disaster Risk in the District of Bab El Oued in Algiers (Algeria)” at the Ignite Stage of the 3rd UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction last 15 March. The public investment in DRR presentation shows the political engagement of …

IRDR’s Djillali Benouar on public investment in DRR projects in AlgiersRead More »

The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, opened the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction on 14 March, stating that annual economic losses now exceed US$ 300 billion annually. “We can watch that number grow as more people suffer. Or we can dramatically lower that figure and invest the savings in development. Six billion dollars …

UN Secretary-General calls for massive investment in disaster risk reductionRead More »

(Sendai, Japan, 15 March 2015) The Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR) programme welcomed a full house of attentive participants to its side event during the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (3rd WCDRR) Public Forum. Held at the Kawauchi-kita campus of Tohoku University the session, entitled “Integrated Research on Disaster Risk: the …

IRDR’s 3rd WCDRR Public Forum Side Event Focused on the Role of Science in DRRRead More »

Mark Pelling, IRDR SC member and Chair of Risk Interpretation and Action (RIA) project sat with SciDev.Net and shared his works towards refining the HFA2. The ten-year Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA), an international agreement guiding nations to reduce the devastation caused by disasters, will be replaced by HFA2 during the UN’s Third Conference on …

IRDR’s Mark Pelling on integrating science to reduce disaster riskRead More »

On 9-10 March 2015, the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean of IRDR co-sponsor ICSU (ICSU ROLAC), convened a workshop of National Member Focal Points at the University of Panama in Panama City. The event was inaugurated by Tomás Diez – Research Director of the University of Panama, Arturo Martínez – Vice-Chair of …

IRDR strategy discussed by Latin American ICSU Focal PointsRead More »