6th World Congress on Disaster Management (6th WCDM 2023)
Uttarakhand State Council for Science & Technology (UCOST)
The 6th WCDM will be organized jointly by Government of Uttarakhand, Disaster Management Initiatives and Convergence Society (DMICS), Hyderabad, Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA) and Uttarakhand State Council for Science & Technology (UCOST), Dehradun.
Strengthening climate action and disaster resilience is a critical element of reducing the impact of disasters globally and enhancing adaptive strategies locally. This can be achieved in a number of ways, including improved disaster risk management, community-based DRR, local adaptation initiatives, investment in research and development, strengthening of social safety nets, building partnerships, and promoting international cooperation. Improving disaster risk management is critical for building resilience. This involves identifying and assessing risks, developing and implementing effective preparedness measures, and responding quickly and effectively to disasters.
Secondly, community-based DRR involves engagement with communities to build their capacity to prepare for and respond to disasters. These programs can help to raise awareness and increase understanding of disaster risks and facilitate the involvement of communities in disaster risk management.
Thirdly, investment in research and development can help to enhance disaster resilience by improving our understanding of disaster risks and developing new technologies and approaches to DRR. This can include research into the impacts of climate change on disaster risks, and the development of new technologies for disaster risk assessment, early warning systems, and response & recovery measures.
Fourthly, strengthening social safety nets, such as social protection programs and insurance schemes, can provide a vital safety net for vulnerable populations affected by disasters. This can help in reducing the negative impacts of disasters on affected communities and provide a foundation for recovery and rebuilding efforts.
Finally, building partnerships and promoting international cooperation is essential to enhance disaster resilience. This involves the building of partnerships between different stakeholders and organizations involved in DRR and promoting international cooperation and knowledge sharing. This can help in facilitating the transfer of knowledge and best practices as well as promote the development of coordinated approaches to DRR. Innovation, collaboration, and communication are therefore recognized here as the three key strategies for improving disaster risk management and strengthening both climate action as well as disaster resilience. These three are not mutually exclusive strategies, but rather complementary approaches for improving DRR and resilience.
Strategies of the 6TH WCDM
Innovation
Innovation plays a crucial role in strengthening climate action and disaster resilience, equipping individuals and communities with the means to mitigate the risks and impacts of climate change and disasters effectively. By helping to identify, assess and monitor disaster risks, respond effectively to disasters, and build resilience in the aftermath, innovations for early warning and mitigation can help reduce the impact of disasters on lives and properties. Investment in research and development can help to drive innovation and ensure that disaster management approaches remain effective and up to date.
Collaboration
Collaboration is essential in strengthening climate action and disaster resilience. By building partnerships and networks among stakeholders, enhancing preparedness and response capabilities, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of response efforts, and promoting resilience in the aftermath of disasters, collaboration can contribute to DRR and climate change mitigation/adaptation. Collaboration can also help to facilitate transfer of knowledge and best practices between different stakeholders and organizations
Communication
Communication is critical in strengthening climate action and disaster resilience. By increasing awareness and knowledge of disaster risks, enhancing community resilience, improving effectiveness and efficiency of response & recovery efforts, contributing to building sustainable and resilient communities through community engagement can contribute to DRR and climate action. Governments, communities, and businesses should continue to invest in these and work together to build resilient communities that are better equipped for disaster preparedness, response, and recovery to face the challenges of a changing climate and increasingly unpredictable environment.
Topics
The 6th WCDM will provide a platform for interested scientific, technical, research, and academic institutions to organize Special Technical Sessions of 2-3 hours each on specific issues related to the theme of the conference. These sessions would run parallel to other Technical Sessions. The organisers will be given liberty to decide the structure and format of the session, invite speakers /panelists and conduct the sessions.
Innovations in disaster risk reduction and resilience
- Strengthening DRR and resilient systems
- Resilient social infrastructure, reaching the last mile
- Resilient economic infrastructure
- Resilient environmental infrastructure
- Resilient financial systems
- Risk assessment
- Recovery and reconstruction
- People-centric development
- Disaster response systems, grassroots approaches
- Social protection - informal economy, women, and the marginalized
- Community action including informal networks
- Sustainable natural resources management
Mountain-specific hazards and their management
- Resilient infrastructure in the Himalayan ecosystem
- Enhancing resilience and preparedness of mountain communities
- Protecting mountain biodiversity and ecosystem services
- Floods and flash floods in mountains
- Seismic risks, earthquakes and mountain environment
- Avalanche, snowstorms, blizzards and rockfall readiness
- Glacial retreat and glacier lake outburst
- Emergency preparedness and response in mountain landscapes
- Community based disaster management and indigenous knowledge
- Landslide and Land subsidence
Challenges in tackling DRR issues
- Equity and inclusiveness, women-centric, people-oriented DRRM planning
- Climate adaptation for resilience
- Vulnerability to climate hazards
- Multi-hazard early warning cooperation
- Forecasting and early warning coverage & systems
- Spatial technologies for DRM
- India’s G20 leadership – WG-DRR: Lessons on the way forward
- Roads, railway, and bridges risk assessment and mitigation
- Resilient aviation in a changing climate
- Decarbonization and disaster-risk-reduction equation
- Finance and/or technology challenges in DRR
- Governance and policy issues in DRR
Multidisciplinary research and best practices
- Standards and Certification
- Innovation and Emerging technologies including EWS
- Methodologies and Frameworks for DRRM, Digital risk database (EWS)
- Case studies / Best Practices – Legal and Policy
- Case studies / Best Practices – Financing DRR
- Case studies / Best practices – Nature-based solutions
- Case studies / Best Practices – Cities, settlements, infrastructure
- Case studies / Best Practices – Technology, finance, capacity building
Traditional risk reduction practices and voices from the grassroots
- Community-based disaster risk reduction
- Rebuilding in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic
- Disaster Risk Management in Fisheries, Aquaculture
- DRR development for small island economies and LDCs
- Human-engineered conflicts (mitigation of)
- Nature-based solutions for DRR
- Traditional disaster risk reduction practices of the people
- Traditional knowledge and innovations from the grassroots
- Scientific validation of traditional knowledge
- Constraints in promoting traditional practices
Submission Guidelines
WCDM 2023 shall open excellent opportunities for researchers to contribute their research papers for peer reviewed oral and poster presentations in different Thematic Sessions of the Congress. Each accepted full-length paper shall be published in Scopus-Indexed Conference Proceedings.
Dates to note for Paper/ Poster Presenters
Last date for submission of abstracts : 30-Sep-23
Intimation of acceptance of abstracts : 30-Sep-23
Last date to submit full-length papers : 15-Oct-23
Acceptance of full-length papers for publication :30-Oct-23
Guidelines for Abstract Submission
- Submit abstract not exceeding 500 words online at the WCDM 2023 website www.wcdm.co.in
- Cite Abstract title, Author(s) name, Affiliation and Contact details (email, mobile)
- Mention name of additional Technical Session, proposed, if any.
Committees
Scientific and Technical Committee
- Prof. Durgesh Pant, Director General, Uttarakhand State Council for Science & Technology (UCOST) & Chairman, Scientific &Technical Committee, 6th World Congress on Disaster Management (WCDM)
Venue
The 6th WCDM will be held primarily on the premises of Uttarakhand State Council for Science & Technology (UCOST), Dehradun, Uttarakhand; along with other universities and reputed institutions in the vicinity.
Contact
All questions about submissions should be emailed to [email protected], sixth @wcdm.co.in. For more details, please visit www.wcdm.co.in