Global Disaster Resilience Centre
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A global leader in multi-disciplinary research, education and advocacy to improve the resilience of nations and communities
At the Global Disaster Resilience Centre (GDRC), we are working with stakeholders at the global, national and local level to make this happen. GDRC is committed to excellence in research, education and advocacy to improve the resilience of nations and communities to disasters. At GDRC, our vision is for a society that has the capacity to resist or change in order to reduce hazard vulnerability, and to continue functioning when subjected to a hazard event.
We seek to achieve our vision by undertaking work that crosses the traditional boundaries between academic disciplines and schools of thought. We provide strategic advice and practical guidance based on rigorous, stakeholder informed research. We are also supported by a worldwide network of partners from policy, government, industry and academia.
In order to achieve this aim, our objectives are to:
• Carry out internationally outstanding, original, significant, rigorous, innovative and potentially agenda setting research
• Secure significant, high profile and prestigious grants
• Produce quality publications that target a range of stakeholders
• Influence decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions
• Inform professional practice, raise awareness and develop skills to tackle disasters
• Establish mechanisms for the transference of knowledge to the market, government and professionals
• Attract high calibre students to conduct world class research in key emerging areas
UNDRR Making Cities Resilient
Professor Dilanthi Amaratunga & Professor Richard Haigh
Global Centre for Disaster Resilience
University of Huddersfield
Queensgate, Huddersfield
HD1 3DH
United Kingdom
t: +44 (0)1484 471387
e: d.amaratunga@hud.ac.uk / r.haigh@hud.ac.uk
www.hud.ac.uk/gdrc
All the details are available at : www.hud.ac.uk/gdrc
GDRC contributes as a main global partner in the campaign, representing academic, technical and expert institutions, and also contributes toward the overall goal - empower local governments with stronger national policies to invest in risk reduction at local level, as part of urban and regional development plans by working with them closely. Key activities that have been carried out by the GDRC team in contributing towards the Making Cities Resilient Campaign include:
• Hosted the Campaign steering committee meeting at the 4th International Conference on Building Resilience, Incorporating the 3rd Annual Meeting of the ANDROID Network, 8 – 11 September 2014, MediaCityUK, United Kingdom (https://www.buildresilience.org/2014/ ). This major event supported the campaign focus areas up to and beyond 2015, including city-to-city learning and capacity building, and an emphasis on partnerships
• Facilitated the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) to be a member of the campaign
• The International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, which is edited by GDRC members, is the core academic journal in support of the making cities resilience campaign
• Themed issue of the International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment (IJDRBE) on The “State of DRR at the Local Level”
• ANDROID (Academic Network for Disaster Resilience to Optimise Educational Development) related activities (http://www.disaster-resilience.net), a European, multi-disciplinary disaster resilience network
• Partner of the capacity building ‘Making Cities Resilient’ campaign in Sri Lanka
• Partner of UNDRR “State of DRR at the Local Level” - Report on the Patterns of Disaster Risk Reduction Actions at Local Level
• Working with local authorities on capacity building in the 10 essentials of the resilience cities campaign
• A large number of key note speeches, training events and other sessions linked to the Campaign
• Development and validation of training modules for delivery with local governments
• Providing input in making risk knowledge, assessments and risk reduction part of the University curricular
• PhD projects on the local government role in disaster risk reduction
• Partnership with UNESCO Costal Hazard Management Commission
The Sendai Framework Voluntary Commitments (SFVC) online platform allows stakeholders to inform the public about their work on DRR. The SFVC online platform is a useful toolto know who is doing what and where for the implementation of the Sendai Framework, which could foster potential collaboration among stakeholders. All stakeholders (private sector, civil society organizations, academia, media, local governments, etc.) working on DRR can submit their commitments and report on their progress and deliverables.