UNESCO and GRF Davos strengthen cooperation on disaster risk reduction

Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director General and Dr Walter Ammann, President of the Global Risk Forum GRF Davos, signed a Letter of Intent on Monday, 20 June 2011, in order to formalize and extend the long-standing cooperation between the two institutions in the field of risk management and reduction.

Based in Switzerland, GRF Davos is a platform that aims at serving as a centre of knowledge and know-how exchange for the application of risk management strategies, tools and practical solutions, so as to reduce vulnerability for all types of risks and disasters. GRF Davos promotes the integral risk management approach through the International Disaster and Risk Conference, a biennial conference on disaster and risk reduction and climate change adaptation held in Davos, Switzerland, as well as regional conferences hosted in different global locations with a regional focus.

The platform combines a multi-hazard approach encompassing all categories of hazards and risks – natural and human induced - with a multidisciplinary approach that is consonant with UNESCO’s current mandate and role in the field of disaster preparedness and mitigation. Operating at the interface between education, science, the social sciences, culture and communication, UNESCO has a vital role to play in constructing a global culture of disaster risk reduction.