The IRDR Programme, in partnership with the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST), will host the 2nd IRDR Conference, under the theme “Integrated Disaster Risk Science: A Tool for Sustainability,” from 7 – 9 June 2014 at the Beijing International Convention Center (BICC) in Beijing, China. The Conference will place emphasis on the importance of science as a tool to address hazard risks and issues of sustainable development.
This will be accomplished through a series of plenaries and break-out sessions dealing with the challenges of implementing integrated disaster risk research, inter-organisational collaboration, and policy, as well as the interaction with sustainable development activities. The sessions will address the range of environmental hazards, vulnerability, and sustainability, in both global and local contexts.
IRDR Conference 2014 will bring together leading experts in the field of disaster risk reduction from all academic and professional specialities to help create a “global IRDR community,” and bring continued worldwide attention to the IRDR programme.
The organizers are expecting over 300 participants from over 40 countries, from a variety of disciplines, policy and practice areas.
The opening ceremony speakers include:
Professor Huadong Guo, Director General of the Institute for Remote Sensing and Digital Earth (RADI), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS);
Professor Yuan Tseh Lee, President of the International Council for Science (ICSU) and Nobel Laureate;
Prof Hanlin Li, Director General of the National Institute of Social Development, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) for the International Social Science Council (ISSC); and
Ms Margareta Wahlström, the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and Head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR).
Key Note speakers include:
Mr Nathaniel Forbes, founder and manager of business continuity firm, Forbes Calamity Prevention (FCP), based in Singapore;
Senator Loren Legarda, renowned legislator, journalist and environmentalist from the Philippines, and UN Champion for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation for Asia-Pacific;
Dr Virginia Murray, Head of Extreme Events and Health Protection, Public Health England;
Mr Bill Nicol, Management Strategist and former Australian Government’s consultant and senior adviser to the Indonesian Government’s 2004 tsunami reconstruction efforts; and
Mr Wondwosen Seide, a water resources expert at the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), located in the Republic of Djibouti.
