The Integrated Research on Disaster Risk 2021 International Conference

Background and rationale

Disaster frequencies and impacts have started to increase accelerated in the last 2 decades. Since 2019 the world community has witnessed many disasters, such as extensive wildfires, extreme weather events, outbreaks of desert locusts crossing continents and, worst of all, the Covid-19 pandemic, the impacts of which remain unfolding. The underlying vulnerabilities ingrained in our social, economic and financial systems are documented and becoming increasingly recognized, thereby supporting the call of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) for a more comprehensive, forward looking, multi-hazard and systemic approach to disaster risk reduction and resilience. The need for a new and innovative approach for DRR has become very clear and urgent.

2015 is an important year for sustainability due to the adoption of the SDGs, SFDRR and Paris Agreement, and the UN Decade of the Global Goals was agreed in 2020 to accelerate the progress for achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 2021 is the first year of UN Decade of Action for the Global Goals, and is therefore important for SFDRR and for all UN 2030 Agreements. We only have less than a decade to achieve these goals, it is paramount for scientific communities to review the progress made, to assess the effectiveness in generating the expected changes, and to re-position themselves under new development context and deliver, more effectively and coherently, toward the established global goals and targets.

The completion of 10-year phase of IRDR (2010-2020) thus comes in a good juncture of time. It is important to look back and examine on the original IRDR science mission and the progress made and lessons learnt over last ten years, and, at the same time, to look forward to 2030 and beyond on how science, or STEI (Science, Technology, Engineering and Innovations) as a whole, should respond to the changing and uncertain landscape of risk and development. For a safer, and more inclusive and sustainable world, science must act more effectively, coherently, strategically, and timely in generating policy changes and providing practical and tangible solutions.

Overall purposes of the Conference

The overall purpose of the 2021 Conference is to reach a renewed consensus on the mission of STEI and put forward a novel proposal on the Global Research Agenda for disaster risk reduction and risk-informed development toward 2030 and beyond.

Time: Opening Ceremory: 11:00 UTC (8 June)